Verify a Fuel-Drain Alert

A fuel-drain alert is worth investigating — but a sudden drop on the fuel graph isn't always theft. Sensor noise, sloshing fuel, and calibration drift can all mimic a drain. Before you escalate, cross-check the alert against your data to confirm whether it's real.

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Shows: a fuel-drain alert in the Inbox alongside the Fuel Anomaly & Theft report showing the same drop.

Alt text: AVLView fuel-drain alert cross-checked against the Fuel Anomaly and Theft report.

How to verify it

1. Open the alert from the Alerts Inbox and note the vehicle, time and the size of the drop.
2. Cross-check the drop against the vehicle's trip/history for that moment — was the vehicle stationary, and where?
3. Open the Fuel Anomaly & Theft report and see whether it flags the same event.
4. Confirm the vehicle was stationary when the drop happened — a drop while moving is more likely sensor noise than a siphon.
5. Verify the fuel sensor calibration — a poorly calibrated sensor exaggerates or invents drops.

What each check tells you

• Trip/history — pins down where and when the drop occurred and whether the vehicle was moving.
• Fuel Anomaly & Theft report — corroborates (or contradicts) the alert with the same underlying data.
• Stationary check — a genuine siphon almost always happens while parked; a drop mid-trip points to a sensor artefact.
• Calibration — rules out a mis-scaled sensor reporting false drops.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a fuel sensor for this alert?

Yes. Fuel-drain detection relies on a fuel-level sensor fitted to the vehicle. The accuracy of both the alert and this verification depends on that sensor being correctly calibrated.

The drop happened while the vehicle was moving — is it theft?

Usually not. Fuel sloshing in the tank while driving can cause the reading to dip and recover. A real drain is a sustained drop while the vehicle is stationary; treat mid-trip dips as likely sensor artefacts.

Related

• Fuel Drain Alert
• Refuel Alert