This car has 100,000 miles, regular checkups, smog checks, good maintenance. There is a gas-like smell in car as one begins driving, for past year which can be avoided by pressing the recycle air button. No check engine warning light goes on. mechanic will be checking for sensors adequacy and gasoline guage (possible misread?) Thanks for all your ideas, will bring them to mechanic.
So you have been ignoring the fuel smell for a year now? Time to find where the fuel leak is BEFORE the whole thing is over in a blaze of glory. Seriously it sounds like a fairly large fuel leak.
Could be something like a leaking fuel injector.
Gas gauge? U do keep track of miles driven/gas used? 300 miles/15 gal? And so on?
Your gas gauge reading has nothing to do with your gas mileage. Fill your tank until the automatic pump shuts off.
Zero your trip odometer. Drive until you need to fill up.
Fill until the pump shuts off.
Divide the number of miles traveled by the number of gallons used.
That is your mpg.
Zero your odometer and do it all again perhaps 5 times and you will really know your mpg.