Filling the tank takes an eon. The nozzle has to be virtually withdrawn from the filler neck and the fuel trickled in, even then the forecourt pump constantly trips. Some time ago the plastic flaps decided to give up the ghost and I managed to recover all the bits so I am pretty sure nothing went down the small fuel port at the end, however....................?

I have passed a wire down the filler and am sure I got as far as the tank. Had the road wheels off to flush brake fluid today so had a close look at the filler pipe, couldn't see how it is clipped/sealed on the tank entry point so left well alone until got more info.

I was going to let the local Skoda dealer look but they charge a hefty amount just to look before committing to a the job so declined their offer. I did borrow a Bosch endoscope but for a "professional" piece of kit the screen picture was very poor so no conclusions could be drawn from that.

Any hints please?

Hi J. I remember when I first got my mk3, I was convinced the pump would not fit in the hole in the tank and went through what you described.  It does need a firm push to get the pump nozzle into the tank, when you've done it once you'll know what to do next time.

Sorry NZ100, I think you've got the wrong end of the stick.

Although I didn't say specifically, I have owned the car since new, almost seven years and have done 65000 in it.

Then, as per the post "Some time ago the plastic flaps decided to give up the ghost and I managed to recover all the bits so I am pretty sure nothing went down the small fuel port at the end, however....................?"

Its not been the same since.............

Ah, sorry about that. Carry on. Maybe not read things when you first get up in the morning.  😴

There is a breather pipe somewhere. Maybe that's got blocked.