rajctt

I have a 2014 CTT. While filling up gas yesterday, the thin metallic nozzle inside the gas cap broke down. Attached picture has the details. Dealer says this part can not be replaced by itself. The entire gas tank would have to be replaced. At the same time, this metallic thing is not the sealant. The gas seal is perfectly fine.

Anybody has similar experiences? Do you think it is fine to continue with this broken “metallic” lid?

MJG911

I think it will be fine without it

deilenberger

It will be fine. Just don't drop anything down the hole.

rajctt

Thanks for the feedback. Good to know the issue is fairly minor!

wkearney99

Inside the cap or inside the filler neck? I'm guessing you mean the filler neck, right?

Is it the flapper piece that pushes out of the way when you put the pump nozzle in there? How did you manage to get it out?

I'm just guessing but it's probably just an added safety bit help prevent stuff from being accidentally dropped down there, and possibly as an electrical ground. I can't imagine them having a service protocol or parts for replacing it separately from the filler neck. Parts diagrams don't show the neck being separate:

http://www.porscheatlantaperimeterpa...category=20120

gnat

If it is what I think it is, deilenberger is correct. It's just to help prevent stuff from falling down into the tank.

I had to look it up as I didn't believe that the filler neck and tank weren't separate pieces, but according to Auto Atlanta it sure looks that way

http://www.autoatlanta.com/porsche-p...section=201-00

This constant march towards cars that can't have simple issues repaired with reasonable effort/costs has gotten old

wkearney99

On one hand I agree with you. But on the other I recall the days of near constant trips to the shop for repairs, or lots of weekend hours consumed DIY for an endless parade of fixes. Points, plugs, brake pads, distributor caps, pcv valves, hoses, belts, etc... Whereas most of the modern vehicles I've owned have been remarkably trouble-free for extended amounts of time & mileage.

Older cars had lots of cheap replaceable parts because you HAD to fix them all the time. There was an economy of scale involved.

That said, one-off unique things in low production vehicles does put you at risk of being held hostage for expensive parts and specialized service skills.

Meanwhile people complain about stuff being dragged out of the parts bin from a shared lower-end vehicle platform... until they need those parts. That was my immediate impression when I saw the cheap-*** plastic cover used on the CD changer in trunk of a new Panamera. Someday, years from now, some 3rd-hand owner is going to be delighted to discover that was sourced from some bargain model VW... or crushed to find it was truly Porsche-unique.

Anyway, I think I hear kids on my lawn... gotta go yell at them to burn off some of the crabby...

Andy E.

It's a safety device that's part of the static grounding system. Metal fuel filler necks don't require it since the metal fuel nozzle grounds directly to the metal neck. When you use plastic filler necks (a la Cayenne), the purpose of the flap is to adequately ground the nozzle to prevent electro static dissipation.

General Motors used them for years until switching back to metal filler necks on most models.

Here's what static energy can do while refueling:

nodoors

That is a great video and she got off pretty lucky. The suspense was killing me waiting for the eruption of flames! hahaha

gnat

I agree, but that's a quality of parts/assembly issue rather than (directly) a method of assembly/design issue.

Certainly some designs improve reliability while also making repairs (if there is a failure) more difficult. Many, however, are just idiotic in my opinion.

Take our signal bars for example. Should a LED die (ever more probable as they age) or the unit takes a rock (always a distinct possibility on today's roads), you actually have to remove the whole bumper. Of course Porsche couldn't make that a simple process and if you aren't really careful you'll tear the mounting tabs and need a new bumper.

rajctt

the static thing is scary. do u think i should replace the entire gas tank costing thousands? are there any easier workarounds?

wkearney99

Yes, don't get in/out of the vehicle when fueling, especially not in weather where there's a lot of static.

That and don't endlessly fidget with static-generating clothing in such conditions. That video was more a "what not to do" than anything else.

If you're not certain, ground yourself against the pump, likely any point that has metal exposed. But if you're not in an area where static is an issue I wouldn't worry much about it.

Otherwise it'd be a bit of a challenge getting in there to rig up something that'd make the same kind of contact like the factory setup.

I'm still puzzled how yours managed to get broken, let alone pulled out in one piece and not dropped down into the tank.

wkearney99

True, replacing the aux headlight assembly (which does DRLs and turn signalling) is more complicated than the old bayonet bulb behind a plastic lens.

gnat

I get these "custom" setups due to looks and aerodynamics, but they could have made it accessible.

When I did my bumper conversion my driver's side light had a leak. As I didn't really want to pay my shop another $300 to R&R the bumper again, I looked for an alternate option.

Poking around with the headlight out I found that if I remove the plate the headlight sits on, I should be able to get to the screws holding the light bar in place.

So I spent an hour finding and getting to all the nuts (5 or 6 as I recall) holding the plate on. This required going through the wheel well and engine bay with associated disassembly.

Finally convinced that I got the last one I tried to pull the plate out in triumph only to find it still wouldn't budge.

After some cussing and shouting some more investigation showed that they WELDED the plate in. Why the F... do you bolt and then weld a plate like that in?

It's been 3 years and I'm still pretty bitter over that one...

rajctt

I am also not sure how it broke. I did notice the top of the metal neck (which connects to the gas cap body socket and is 1 cm or so wide) was worn out. Like how a paper worns out if you always fold it in the same place. Then the neck became loose and part of that 1 cm connection started to come off. Finally I took the vehicle to the dealership who pulled the loose part out of the fuel cap socket.