2000 LS400 fuel consumption/cluster question

[nghtrydr23]

im about to pick up a 2000 LS400. i took it out for a test drive and noticed the cluster's calculated avg fuel consumption is 11.5mpg; which is EXTREMELY LOW sine the car is rated to get about 20 and some users have gotten up to 29 mpg on stock setup.

my question is... should i ignore the calculated average? i was told by a friend that the computer bases its calculation base on the previous drive and reseting the ecu can reset the calculations. the car is currently at a dealer so i doubt theyll let me toy with that

thanx for the help in advance

[1stgenaristo]

dont worry. it has calcuated the miles that has been added since last fill-up and it hasnt been droven for a while since last fill-up., why the low mpg calcuation

[DEE]

buy a civic if your worried about gas......that's what I did lol

[00scotty]

or a diesel jetta/bug/golf/cummins whatever suits your fancy

[chrisngo]

im about to pick up a 2000 LS400. i took it out for a test drive and noticed the cluster's calculated avg fuel consumption is 11.5mpg; which is EXTREMELY LOW sine the car is rated to get about 20 and some users have gotten up to 29 mpg on stock setup.

my question is... should i ignore the calculated average? i was told by a friend that the computer bases its calculation base on the previous drive and reseting the ecu can reset the calculations. the car is currently at a dealer so i doubt theyll let me toy with that

thanx for the help in advance

Maybe it was the calculated mpg at the time of the test drive. Meaning you were on the inside roads coming on and off the accelerator. If you were on a flat highway you might see the mpg calc increase to 20+.

I have not seen or had experience with a "last time driven" mpg calc. Generally, most MPG calcs are real time.

Chris

[BenzCTS]

If the dealer had to perform any repair on the vehicle and had the battery unhooked it will reset the computer. The only driving it has seen is around the lot and quick runs up and down the street causing low MPG. On another note most people that buy Luxury cars are not to worried about MPGs

[nghtrydr23]

its at a used car lot and doubt they unhooked the battery. there was acid build up on the battery and the both of the terminals it looked like it was never removed.

i was also told that it couldve been running at 11.5mpg due to the engine being cold. the thermostat was reading lower than usual during our test drive. approximately a quarter up from the bottom. as soon as the car was put into gear it read out 11.5mpg without moving an inch.



dee and ricky cash, thanx for your non helpful comments. yes if i was worried about i would get something easy on the gas but thats not my main concern here. the concern is whether the car had a mechanical or electrical problem. im sure if your looking at a car that only gets 11.5mpg when its rated at 20 and up you wouldnt buy it.

[1stgenaristo]

i wouldnt personally be worry about that mpg meter. i would worry the condition of the car and engine. but again these cars are built well. if anything, take it to your personal mechanic for a check.

[nghtrydr23]

i wouldnt personally be worry about that mpg meter. i would worry the condition of the car and engine. but again these cars are built well. if anything, take it to your personal mechanic for a check.


already did and everything checks out but a few things. car was in an accident int he past the rear passenger door, and passenger fender had some work done but frame is good and clean title. small leak on rack and pinion. small dent on the roof at the above the driver door. timing belt needs to be replaced soon. car was owned by one person and only has 83k miles