Bizarre , but this has happened 3 times over the last week travelling around the country . It is a press and release lock ( when the car is unlocked ) but it appears to have some moisture in it which freezes and is only released by hot water being pured over the flap . I am sure that a dose of WD40 would do the trick but I an unsure as to how to remove the waterproofed (!) gaiter to gain access to the mechanism .

Any ideas for it is a little embarrassing with 3 cars behind you wanting to fill up at the garage ? - it is probably patently obvious !

Seasonal greetings to you all and a big thanks to the boffins for getting the site back up before Xmas .

Steve W

Hi mate ,i have had the same on a couple of occasions,and by the way it aint the rubber gaiter(its just there to push the fuel flap out when you press the left side off the flap) it's the metal pin that comes from the left hand side near the bottom that sticks ,i just lock and unlock the car till it releases seems to work , then remove the ice that has formed round the pin,hope that helps.

Edited 30 December, 200916 yr by fikes75

WD40 or silicon spray could do the trick. Not water, this will freeze again

Thanks everyone

If all else fails pee on it

A match, you'll guarantee that it'll never freeze over again!

Edited 30 December, 200916 yr by Indiana Jones

A match, you'll guarantee that it'll never freeze over again!

from the Temple of Doom !

Get some of the £2 Skoda Lock De-icer:

http://www.accessories.skoda.co.uk/productdetail.aspx?p_no=HFA096023

"Thaws frozen locks and prevents refreezing. High-tech lubricant also reduces friction, protects against corrosion and repels water. Temperature range: -50 °C to +100 °C. Guarantees long-term lubrication of internal lock mechnism."

They spray this on locks etc and then will be ok, better then WD40, as that will wash off as not thick enough, spray 'white grease' in can would also work better than WD40. But the above you can get in a Skoda Winter Pack quite cheaply from the dealer on ebay even cheeper.

James.

If you want to buy on ebay along all the winter bits try:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/NEW-GENUINE-SKODA-WINTER-DE-ICE-KIT-HFA-096-001-WS_W0QQitemZ280428111866QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_CarsParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM?hash=item414ad167fa#ht_1388wt_941

James.

If all else fails pee on it

But ideally before you get to the petrol station!

I have the same problem with mine, not just in cold weather. I think the snag is the plunger/spring underneath the rubber gaiter that opens the flap as much as the locking pin. I've also been stood at the pump and ended up (very carefully) using a thin keyring to get between flap and bodywork to open it up.

I must get around to removing the gaiter and having a look/cleaning/wd40ing the thingy under there I think! It's behaving very similarly to a bonnet catch on my old Seat Toledo that got so gunked up with grease and road dirt that it didn't spring itself shut again when you closed the bonnet - potentially very exciting if I'd have discovered this out at 70 mph

I have the same problem with mine, not just in cold weather. I think the snag is the plunger/spring underneath the rubber gaiter that opens the flap as much as the locking pin. I've also been stood at the pump and ended up (very carefully) using a thin keyring to get between flap and bodywork to open it up.

I must get around to removing the gaiter and having a look/cleaning/wd40ing the thingy under there I think! It's behaving very similarly to a bonnet catch on my old Seat Toledo that got so gunked up with grease and road dirt that it didn't spring itself shut again when you closed the bonnet - potentially very exciting if I'd have discovered this out at 70 mph

I tend to agree with your theory , since the same thing happened this AM , but I did not lock the car beforehand - which rules out the pin theory . I find the best lubricant to use is a cycling " Wet " lubricant which is rather like a very sticky foam . Please let me know when you work out how to remove the gaiter .

Silicon grease rubbed well into it all and give the spring an exercise when the flap is open.

It's usually just the rubber going hard and having moisture freeze due to the cold weather.