Hey all,

So this week my car has been drinking fuel like it's going out of fashion. I put in 20 bucks, got around 14L. This morning my trip gauge said 110ks. Started the car, and it took longer than the usual 2 or 3 cranks to fire up. This is usually my indication that I need to fill up soon (my fuel light has never come on, I don't know if it works). Usually this doesn't happen until about 140ks. I have been deliberately driving like a grandma this week to try and get better fuel consumption, but it doesn't seem to be working. I cruise in 5th gear at 60 which the car seems happy to do, try to shift before 4k, and have hardly hit VTEC at all.

Few things to clarify
1. In general, all of my journeys are short. <5ks in each direction, because everything I need to visit is close to me. I know this is probably terrible for fuel economy.
2. Always use the same fuel, shell 98
3. There is always black buildup in my exhaust, and I get the occasional pop on the overrun - to me this means unburnt fuel
4. The car is running fine. It's not missing or anything, so I don't think there's anything up with the plugs, or anything that would waste fuel.

So a couple of questions -
Where the hell is all my fuel going??
Could I have a small leak? If so, what's the most common areas for this? (I've checked the fuel filter, it seems fine)
What kind of fuel consumption do other B18CR users get?