Evening, I have a 2015 Rapid Sport. Petrol engine. The door for the petrol cap is locked shut and won't unlock. Is there an emergency release to unlock this, and is there any advice as to what the likely overall repair is here?

I have a Toledo (same car) and there's nothing in the manual about an emergency release.  There are a couple of part numbers on Catcar for the release motor; 5C6810773H and 510810773.  Looking at pictures of these I assume that they are removed from the inside of the car, so access must be possible.  Check for power and go from there.  The motors are cheap.

 

This might be a silly question, but is your keyfob remote control set up to open one door or all doors with just one click?  If it's just one door then you have to click twice to open everything else.  I guess that includes the filler flap.  Sorry if that's obvious.  Also, is your car battery in good health?  A dying battery can cause all sorts of problems.

 

Martin

This guy managed it with a knife. 

 

Looks like a Polo flap release; the motor is changed from the outside by removing the mounting screw and pulling the whole tank neck shroud out.

We've had this problem intermittently with our 2014 Rapid Spaceback. 

It appears to be an issue whereby the fuel flap actuator/release motor mechanism sticks and doesn't release the flap when you push it in. 

 

In our case, a quick smack of the flap with the side of the hand, followed by locking and unlocking the car doors 3-4 times  (either by the central locking button in the car or the key fob) pings it open as normal. 

This 'solution' was found out of frustration 😅

 

An IPA clean followed by a small spray of Silicone spray may help it. Alternatively, a new mechanism is around £20.00 from eBay - its the same part as a VW Golf mk7, if that assists you in finding it. 

 

Good luck on your next refueling trip (hopefully the fuel prices will have come down somewhat!).