Hello! I need someone's help! Some thugs ripped off my fuel door and stole my gasoline last night in my apartment complex. Turns out that 7 other cars were hit as well!

My problems are these:

1) I have no fuel cap now and do not want to fill up, for fear they will come back! My local dealership says that a locking gas cap is unavailble still for my 2008 3-door Accent. Does anyone know if an 06 or 07 locking cap will work?

2) The dealership says that the fuel door will cost $108, paint $80, and installation $30. I don't have that kind of money right now and this is less than my insurance deductible. Any ideas or suggestions?

Any help would be greatly appreciated and help me calm down! Thank you in advance!

Gigi

This post has been edited by GigiAZ: Jun 24 2008, 01:28 PM

welcome to the forums :00000732:

sorry to hear of your problem. a locking fuel cap is a waste of money, most locking caps can be torn off with a pair of grips in seconds and a man with strong hands would'nt even need the grips, there is no simple answer to your problem unless you can park your car in a safer place, i.e. in a busy street with lots of people around or in a car park that has cctv, another tip is to leave as little fuel in the tank as you can. sorry l can't be much help but with the rise of the cost of fuel the world over this is going to become an incresing problem

Is that $108 total or $108 plus $80 plus $30?
If it is going to be $218 plus tax it would be cheaper and look
better to get the aftermarket fuel door.
Fuel Door

call your insurance company and file a police report!!

Yikes! I figured with as little of gas as our cars would hold, the crooks would stay away. One would think it would be more worth their time attacking a fuel sucking pig with a 20+ gallon tank. :wacko:

They're selling a lot of locking gas caps these days - while they make it a bit more difficult to gain access to the tank, as was mentioned above they can be removed if the motivation is there. If it's a lazy enough criminal though, they *could* end up seeing you have a locking one and get fuel out of someone that doesn't.

I found a locking gas cap from Rock Auto (Stant brand, part # 10512.) Seems to work with a lot of late model Hyundai/Kia models. $11.64, they also have a standard version for like 6 bucks... Hopefully an aftermarket cap won't trigger the Check Fuel Cap or Check Engine lights...

For a fuel door, you could try junkyard searches... www.car-part.com is a good one, but I can't see a category for fuel doors on there. Or buy the expensive one from Hyundai Accessory Store, it doesn't need to be painted. :grin:

It sucks getting insurance involved since your deductible is going to be more than the total of repairs. :( Good luck to you and I'm sorry this had to happen!

The '07 and '07 fuel cap should fit w/o a problem.

My best solution to fuel thieves........1)car parked within view 2) sniper rifle w/ night scope.

Did they just damage the door, or did they rip it clear off? You can also try Gary Rome Hyundai to see how much they want for the door: http://www.hyundaiaccessorystore.com/ just email them and tell them what you need. I find them to be cheaper than most other dealers on parts.

Paint - http://www.automotivetouchup.com/ Give them the color code, and they will mix an exact match. Paint work - check craigslist for someone who does bodywork. It's a small part, so it shouldn't cost that much.

Install - any competent mechanic will be able to install it.

This post has been edited by DWFan: Jun 24 2008, 06:26 PM

i'm scared myself, but the only thing i would say is get the locking cap and put razor blades inside your fuel door that comes out with unauthorized entry!!! lol thats what i'm going to put on my aftermarket radio...lol just a thought :thumbsup:

Thank you for all the responses!

I totally understand about the locking gas cap being a temprary roadblock, but it seems that the others in the area that had fuel stolen also did not have locking gas caps. I was able to find one locally for $14 and bought it.

Unfated, that was $108 plus $80 plus $30.

The thieves broke the fuel door right at the swing arm that attaches to the cover itself. Not sure how to proceed right now. I would love to be able to find the part at a reasonable price and have it clor matched!

Get a price and get back to us before you buy it, I'll check this weekend at the dealership.

any junk yards near you? might be able to find one for a few pennies..

Looks like i`m going to have to keep my baseball bat handy !!

this is happening alot everywhere. Primarily in the states.
I heard an article on the radio the other day saying that there's this thing going on called 'tapping'. People crawl under [usually] large cars/suv's and drill into the gas tank and drain it empty.. that's pretty crazy..
I hear the same deal going on with catalytic converters.. for all the precious metals inside.

sorry to hear about that though, but I have to agree with the above solutions.. some things you just can't stop unless you're there..
...or yelling at them from your balcony.

of course we get the luxury of having our cars low to the ground, but we are still at the mercy of the fuel door and cap... people that do this have major issues!!!

i prefer shooting at them from my back door... :grin:

hey! thats my new car!! wanna see my new gun?!?!?

I have a friend with a diesel pickup truck with a locking gas cap on it.
When the thieves couldn't get the cap off, they drilled into the plastic fuel tank and drained $150 worth of diesel out of it. He plugged it with a bolt for a temp fix, but ended up buying a new fuel tank.

Moral: Locks only keep honest people out.

hold true in any situation..
burglers find the door is locked.. smashy smashy on the window.


guns save gas.

It really takes a stupid person to steal gas out of our cars for no more than they hold. That's like someone robbing a bank and getting away with $20.00.

I'm wondering, of those of us who have factory alarms would something like this trigger the alarm or not?

Sorry for your damage, like the others said, try to find a used one, there is a guy on e-bay selling parts of a salvaged Accent (search 2006 Hyundai Accent) now. The plastichrome one looks nice but kinda pricey. If you can park in a openly public place ie: high foot traffic may be safer.

Ray

This post has been edited by crayb: Jun 28 2008, 01:31 AM

Nope, the factory alarm doesn't have a pin switch for the fuel door... Would be really nice if it did have one. So, unless they get the hood, trunk/hatch, or any door open you won't know about it. :(

you could buy a pin switch and adapt it to the fuel door. it would work. just haveto tap into the existing wiring for the alarm. or you could run 12 volts through the fuel door. that would work you would just have to rubber your hinge. could also get a guard puppy and tie him to rim. that way people will think he is cute a cuddley and forget about the gas. lol

i think my last idea is the best