Fuel filler cap won't open

[jr_spyder]

Hello,

I just picked up an R8 yesterday after a long search and finally the decision to pay too much above sticker. But you only live once, and I'm completely thrilled. But today I start giving the car a very careful once-over and find the fuel filler cap won't open by itself. When i push the button on the door and can hear the latch trying to open. When I pull the emergency cord in the engine bay I can feel a little give, but not much. To open the cap I have to put a small piece of wood (like a popsicle stick) under the cap where the latch is and pry it up gently while at the same time pulling as hard as I can on the emergency release in the engine bay. Frustrating and maddening!

Has anyone else had this problem? Fix? I'm pretty convinced the cap is plastic, not metal, so I don't want to try to bend the catch on the cap.

I bought the car from a dealer over 200 miles away. Have to hook up with a local dealer to get service. Love the car - but disappointing way to get started.

JR

[R8 England]

Yup, had the same problem !!!!!

And used the same solution.....

I bent the locking tag in a fraction and its been fine ever since.

[jr_spyder]

Thanks. Since that tag looks like plastic I didn't want to try to bend it. Is it metal?

[r8jon]

The cap is plastic - what do you expect for £90,000 / $180,000?

Jon

[R8 England]

I just bent it inwards (carefully) by about 1mm, and that solved the problem. That was 7 months ago. No problem since.

[calum.malcolm]

I've had this since the start - the plastic strap which retains the filler cap jams the hinge of the outer flap in certain positions - I make sure the strap is not fouling the flap hinge when I close it. Design flaw.

[bz888]

I've had this since the start - the plastic strap which retains the filler cap jams the hinge of the outer flap in certain positions - I make sure the strap is not fouling the flap hinge when I close it. Design flaw.

Correct. I get the same thing.

[jr_spyder]

Thanks all,

I solved the problem before going to the dealer. As I looked at it carefully is seemed that the small metal catch was not retracting far enough either when pushing the button or when pulling the cable. It seems bound up some how and just couldn't retract. So I put a tool handle through the loop on the emergency release and gave a substantial yank (more than I could do with a finger through the cable) and that seemed to free up the latch and it started working perfectly normally. Even went to a station today and got my first fill up. I'm also carefully keeping the cap cord out of the way in case that's been part of it.

Glad to have this solved. Thanks for your help.

JR

[hmp10]

Can anyone give me an update on this problem?

I began having the problem a couple of months ago. I have tried bending the release stud back a bit, as R8 England suggested. The cap would open the next time or two but then seize up again, as it if were slowly working its way back to the original position.

I began carrying a popsicle stick around, as another poster suggested on another thread, to pry the cap open as I pulled the emergency release cable.

However, the emergency release cable is apparently not supposed to be used regularly. It stores under a plastic cover in the engine bay which requires that three screws be removed to access it. Since I was having to use the cable for most fill-ups, I left it hanging free in the engine bay.

This, too, was a problem because the cable lay near the exhaust manifold in a very hot part of the engine bay and had to be fished out with a coat hanger (which I was also now carrying for the purpose).

I had the car in for an oil change about three weeks ago and asked the service tech about the problem. He called Audi, who said they had no reports of any problems with the fuel filler cap and had no advice on how to fix it. (I also asked whether Audi would replace the filler cap, since it was scratched from some early pre-popsicle-stick attempts to pry the cap open. They refused.)

Then yesterday I stopped to get gas and found the cable had disappeared somewhere into the engine bay and could not be seen at all. The car is now at the dealer, although they say they have no idea what to do. They're going to call Audi Monday morning to find out how to proceed. (I am not hopeful, as Audi is pretending no one else is having this problem.)

Meanwhile, our nasty rainstorms have finally given way to wonderful summer weather -- and this ****ed piece of junk is back in the shop yet again.

[imclueless]

Honestly considering all the grief why don't you sell it?