Fuel tank drilled

[PastyBoy]

Went out to the car to head to work this morning and the fuel came light on.

Nothing unusual there; it's been on for a couple of days.

Except I filled up with £50 of fuel yesterday morning.

I niavely assume a knackered sender (the car is 11 years old) and head off with under quarter a tank.

I do 100 yards and have an eighth of a tank.

Another 100 yards and the needle is flat dead empty.

It dawns on me that surely if the sender was knackered it'd have just read empty from the start.

Turn around head back and park on my drive

tidy the garage to give me space to get the car in and have a nosey underneath

push the car into the garage drive is covered with fuel.

"uh oh a split line" I still naively think!

a quick nosey underneath reveals this

If thats not the work of a drill I don't know what is!!

Un-fecking-believable!!

Luckily given the age of the car it would appear to replace it is a simple job as the tank is almost 100% exposed (probably why it was targetted) so should just be get car in the air, unbolt, remove, bolt new one on but even still it's a complete ball ache given i can't actually put any fuel in it to drive it to a workshop or search breakers for a new tank!! (having spoken to SEAT a new one is £204 + VAT!!)

The thing that concerns me the most is that i only filled up yesterday morning.

had they drilled the tank on Tuesday instead of Wednesday they'd have been sucking fumes out instead of flowing fuel.

I am hoping to god that that is pure bad luck and coincidence and i'm not being followed/watched :S

Look like my plans for track days in it are off the menu for a little while!

[bettsy]

staggering

this could happen to any of us

if they used a drill wouldnt there be a danger of igniting the fuel ?

[PastyBoy]

if they used a drill wouldnt there be a danger of igniting the fuel ?

i guess a tiny one but slow drilling through a plastic tank shouldn't spark

But for the theives it's a no lose situation I guess.

if it works they get my fuel.

if it does spark and ignite my car goes up in flames while they leg it

scrotes

[grr666]

Blimey Cliff, I can't believe this...

What I do believe is that this is the work of pikeys.

Is there a "camp" near you at the moment?

Sure it's not possible to repair it?

There's nothing sacred in this world anymore.

Makes my blood boil.

Hope you get it sorted without too much cost

Some useful links.

http://www.fiatforum.com/marea/115667-some-sod-drilled-hole-my-petrol-tank.html

http://www.partridgeshadleigh.co.uk/catalog/granville-petro-patch-petrol-tank-repair-compound-35ml-p-6449.html

http://www.google.co.uk/url?q=http://www.wilcodirect.co.uk/index.php%3Fmain_page%3Dproduct_info%26products_id%3D234&sa=U&ei=IyupTv74O8Gp8APUtcSXDA&ved=0CDUQFjAK&usg=AFQjCNEHW_hxAlkac6NtZgdESWrQSgr-FA

[PastyBoy]

What I do believe is that this is the work of pikeys.

Is there a "camp" near you at the moment?

While i wouldn't be so quick to point the finger I am pretty sure there is a small gathering of that type living near by who are working on the new buildings going up on the rest of the housing development.

It shall be garaged from now on anyways or at least parked right outside my front door not in the (rather isolated) parking spot I have used for the last 6 months.

I hadn't even thought about repairing it. I didn't think it'd be possible.

I did consider if it was "pluggable" to at least allow me to put some fuel in and get somewhere to fix it properly but i guess a permanent plug woudl fix the issue!

There are a few Ibizas breaking on ebay so i've emailed them for pricing but will erad your links with interest

[PastyBoy]

Hmmm do we think I could just use the filler i use on my refurb of the alloy wheels?

[pasco]

http://www.wilcodirect.co.uk/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=233

it might look pikey but i used it on a header tank a while ago and it did the trick perfectly.

[PastyBoy]

Thanks Pasco

grr666 linked to the same stuff in his post above - good to know it works though

think i'll get some ordered and give it a go

['daiking']

Have you reported to the police?

For local trending, if nothing else. Gives them something to look for at 3 in the morning

[PastyBoy]

Have you reported to the police?

For local trending, if nothing else. Gives them something to look for at 3 in the morning

yep incident number noted

she did say she hadn't heard anything about this in my area but would make sure the lcoal guys were alerted

2 minutes later the community facebook page (no i have no idea why it exists either) was updated asking for info and warning of the need for extra vigilence

[Auric Goldfinger]

Large Self Tapping screw and a Rubber washer, good temporary repair.

What is this country coming too......

[Hannibal]

Happened twice a few years back. EX GF had a car that would 21 yrs old now. Local scum just cut the fuel line and helped themselves.

[Soot1e]

I don't think you can use patches or sealer on plastic fuel takes, none will last. The best solution is what Auric Goldfinger suggests, although the rubber will rot in wet petrol over a period of time. A self tapper sealed with Nitrile rubber will work a lot longer though. Best fix is a new tank of course.

[giandougl]

Many years ago I did a similar repair job which lasted 5 years plus, and admit it were on a metal fuel tank.

Can't see it not working as well on a plastic tank.

Attached a very crude drawing.

With a bolt running through a steel washer from inside the fuel tank through the tank itself.

On the outside is a thick rubber washer and a steel washer below it, with a nut screwed up the bolt length to tighten.

The bolt must be long enough to be gripped from below whilst tightening nut up.

You could add some epoxy fuel resistant resin around hole to ensure a better seal?

Good luck.

[Eddie-NL]

shocking that scum do this. Must be dangerous if they drill to quickly

[PastyBoy]

Thanks All

I've order a box of this

for £6 i thought it's got to be worth a go but i was concerned about trying to get it to adhere to plastic :S

I almost bought one of these too

but it seems to just be a putty and it doesnt list plastic in the "use on" list so i steered clear.

Heres hoping it'll work long for the guys on ebay breaking mk2 ibizas to come back to me with a figure for a new tank

[BossFox]

The thing that concerns me the most is that i only filled up yesterday morning.

had they drilled the tank on Tuesday instead of Wednesday they'd have been sucking fumes out instead of flowing fuel.

They will have tapped the tank first to see how full it was.

Yours probably sounded fuller than any of your neighbours.

If it's a concern, I'd just put £20 in each time for a while. That way you're less likely to get done again.

Thing is, with people so tight on money and fuel so expensive it's getting more common...

[CFB]

If the tank is made of ABS plastic then it is possible to plastic weld it.

Exactly the same technique as welding metal but using a big soldering iron and plastic filler rods.

Check out motorcycle fairing repairers.

[Gizmo]

staggering

this could happen to any of us

if they used a drill wouldnt there be a danger of igniting the fuel ?

shocking that scum do this. Must be dangerous if they drill to quickly

Diesel will not ignite with a spark (or flame) as the heat generated is not high enough, you can (and I have ... on an ADR course) put a match to a gallon of diesel and the match will just go out, now put a cupful of petrol in with the diesel an the petrol vapours will ignite, this will then give sufficient heat to ignite the diesel after a few seconds.

[XLBaconDoubleCheese]

But it was petrol they stole? Lol

[devonutopia]

Wow! I wonder what the hell they put all the fuel in to? Are they walking along with empty 4 pint milk bottles or something? Seems amazing this could be done on a public road at any time of day!

PS: Don't worry about the trackday! Just paid a lump off the credit card so I am back to being a bit poor again LOL

[Hannibal]

Just an idea, but when the EX's fuel line was done the RAC guy suggested she park the side of the car with the fuel line tight up to the kerb to make it harder to access.

[Gizmo]

But it was petrol they stole? Lol

No mention of that in the opening post and considering the OP lists his car as a Fabia vRS (MKI) what fuel would you of made it to be?

[XLBaconDoubleCheese]

No mention of that in the opening post and considering the OP lists his car as a Fabia vRS (MKI) what fuel would you of made it to be?

Well given the OP states the car is 11 years old (oldest Fabia would be 8) and that he went to SEAT for a price for a new tank, I'd make it petrol from the seat Ibiza in his sig?

[PastyBoy]

Yeah sorry it was the petrol from the Ibiza not the diesel from the Fabia

I did write that it was the Ibiza in the first draft of post #1 but clearly editted that part out

Having spoken to local breakers there are no mk2's however a couple mk3's and the general consensus seems to be that due to them sharing a platform the tanks SHOULD fit

Alternatively a few people are breaking mk2s on Ibiza and seem happy to take their tanks off but want me to collect due to size and are all hundreds miles away

we shall see