Running on Empty? Repair Bill Soon Come

So we find that some people are allowing their cars to run out of gas in their efforts to not go broke filling up their tanks. However; should the continue to do so, they may soon find themselves at the receiving end of a bill for a fuel pump replacement. Many cars have fuel pumps that reside in the gas tank of the vehicle. These electric pumps are cooled by the fuel in the tank. As you run out of fuel there is less liquid actually splashing the little motor and it can get hot and burn out. Added to the potential problems is that many older vehicles have some sediment at the bottom of the tank. Each time you let the fuel tank go bone dry, you increase the chances of that sediment collecting on the strainer and impeding the fuel flow and increasing the load on the electric motor. Hence, the practice of allowing the tank to go dry may lead to premature fuel pump failure and a decent sized bill. I recently replaced my fuel pump (for other reasons) and the pump alone ran about $150 retail. I did the work myself so I didn't have to pay to have it installed, but such a job would cost you between one half hour to an hour of billing. So it is entirely possible that a consumer, in an attempt to save money, could end up with a $200 fuel pump bill, which at $4.00/gallon works out to 50 gallons of gasoline. Worth it?