jonbad
Member
OK, so a bit of a Robinson Crusoe approach, but I thought it worthwhile posting as after doing a brief internet search for "snapped/broken fuel cap cord" with regards to VW/Audi cars, it is obvious that LOTS (if not all?) break at some point - necessitating in... according to the dealers... buying a whole new fuel cap.
Well, I don't much care for the throw away society attitude that Audi try to impose on us good hard working folk, so just by taking a closer look at how the fuel filler cap is put together made for a very simple fix as follows:
1. Remove the old snapped rubber cord. The fuel flap end is over a little plastic pin which you can press together from the underside and push up and out of the hole. The fuel cap end you remove by pressing out two little plastic pins - which you can do with a paper clip or small watch-maker style screwdriver as shown.
2. Cut a piece of string roughly twice the length of the original rubber cord. (note that my rubber cord is held together with a bit of insulating tape just because)! Having cut it to length, tie a simple knot in the end of it. Whatever knot you prefer I'm sure will be just fine. As I was using a nylon string, I melted the knot with a match afterwards for good measure just to make sure it didn't come undone.
3. This is the fiddly bit, push the string into the void where the two plastic pins came out, then put the plastic pins back into the holes. I found that putting them into the top hole made this easier, then pushing the string into place and holding it while then squeezing the pins down and through the loop in the string with some needle nosed pliers.
4. Finally, put the string in through the hole on the cars filler flap (where you will have pressed out the little plastic pin that previously held the end of the rubber cord). Then pass the whole fuel cap through the loop in the string, making a knot around itself in the process as shown in the photo below.
All done. I know that for most, that will be the most obvious and unecessary post of a "how to" ever made, but for those of you who don't like to waste ~£25 on a new fuel cap [with cord] from a dealer, or a fiver from a scrapper, I hope it is of at least some use.
Also, as a final tip for those who've been letting the fuel cap dangle at the petrol station (I have seen at least three people do this in VW Polos with the same cap as A2's) - note that the fuel cap can hook onto the fuel flap as you can see in my last picture!
Apologies in advance if anybody found this thread to be slightly patronising! Not my intention, just thought that it might help some people...
PS. By design, the fuel flap will push the string into the recess of the fuel cap - so you won't suffer from any string hanging out of the flap after it's closed, unless you've made your string too long.
Well, I don't much care for the throw away society attitude that Audi try to impose on us good hard working folk, so just by taking a closer look at how the fuel filler cap is put together made for a very simple fix as follows:
1. Remove the old snapped rubber cord. The fuel flap end is over a little plastic pin which you can press together from the underside and push up and out of the hole. The fuel cap end you remove by pressing out two little plastic pins - which you can do with a paper clip or small watch-maker style screwdriver as shown.
2. Cut a piece of string roughly twice the length of the original rubber cord. (note that my rubber cord is held together with a bit of insulating tape just because)! Having cut it to length, tie a simple knot in the end of it. Whatever knot you prefer I'm sure will be just fine. As I was using a nylon string, I melted the knot with a match afterwards for good measure just to make sure it didn't come undone.
3. This is the fiddly bit, push the string into the void where the two plastic pins came out, then put the plastic pins back into the holes. I found that putting them into the top hole made this easier, then pushing the string into place and holding it while then squeezing the pins down and through the loop in the string with some needle nosed pliers.
4. Finally, put the string in through the hole on the cars filler flap (where you will have pressed out the little plastic pin that previously held the end of the rubber cord). Then pass the whole fuel cap through the loop in the string, making a knot around itself in the process as shown in the photo below.
All done. I know that for most, that will be the most obvious and unecessary post of a "how to" ever made, but for those of you who don't like to waste ~£25 on a new fuel cap [with cord] from a dealer, or a fiver from a scrapper, I hope it is of at least some use.
Also, as a final tip for those who've been letting the fuel cap dangle at the petrol station (I have seen at least three people do this in VW Polos with the same cap as A2's) - note that the fuel cap can hook onto the fuel flap as you can see in my last picture!
Apologies in advance if anybody found this thread to be slightly patronising! Not my intention, just thought that it might help some people...
PS. By design, the fuel flap will push the string into the recess of the fuel cap - so you won't suffer from any string hanging out of the flap after it's closed, unless you've made your string too long.
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