Fuel Cap Tight

[Lancer1993]

Yeah I have heard some cheap ones aren't very good, maybe a bit of 'adjustment' needs to be made?

[Lancer1993]

Reviving this thread as I've found an even cheaper copy of the alloy door on eBay for just $75 including shipping.

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/172222807921 ... EBIDX%3AIT

Yes I know there have been some issues with the cheap ones but really $300 is a bit rich for a fuel lid door.

Anyone had luck modifying the cheap ones to make them fit and work or is it just pot luck and some are bad?

[SAM-24A]

@ Lancer1993
That Alloy Fuel Lid you purchased should be perfectly OK to fit
Most other members who have purchased them in the past have been similar copies of the Mitsu OEM version, and no one I know of has had any fitment issues, me included.

Tip: The kit will/should contain a large O-Ring Seal that is placed around the perimeter of the Fuel Lid Surround Ring (the part with the 6 cap head screws in it)
Discard/Don't Use this -Ring because it does what it's intended to do ("seals the entire Surround Ring against the body work to prevent any rain water etc from entering") but in doing so, it actually traps water inside the Fuel Cap Housing ("that enters through the gap between the Lid & Surround Ring") and prevents the water from draining out thus leaving you with a permanent puddle of water at the mouth of the Fuel Cap entry

[Lancer1993]

Haven't bought it yet...

Yeah that's a bit of a design flaw and from what you've said it would be better to have that gap and allow water/dust to escape.

At $75 its very tempting and I'm sure the $300 ones aren't 4 times as good.

Dumb question but why doesn't Mitsubishi stock things like this or is it up to clubs like here to find them?

[CJsportback]

They're an accessory so they're only brought to the dealership's parts department when a customer orders one, either with the purchase of a vehicle or a later modification.

In my time at Mazda I fitted 2 or 3 of these over 4 years and the other guys in the workshop would've done maybe another 2.. Keeping them on the shelf is really just leaving money on the shelf, not worth having them in stock all the time.

That said Caloundra shouldn't have a problem ordering it for you? They may not have stock but even so, they should have something at the Sydney warehouse, if not Japan.

[mmjjee]

My experience with the cheap one..

When it came, I fiddled with it a bit and snapped one of the hinges...Tried to get a refund however the best they could do was a replacement.
The overall metal finish on it is cheap and is not consistent in colour.

Installing it was a nightmare because it does not fit perfectly...had to apply a lot of force to bend it into shape.

On the car - it doesn't sit perfectly. It also looks very tacky as the finish one it is not great.
I've been meaning to put the original one back on

I think painting it will make it look a lot nicer

Of course I may have just gotten two duds in a row

[Lancer1993]

I'm considering painting mine, but first yes fitting can be an issue. I got mine on after a few goes and even then the top is in a little bit. That aside I think it looks good but silver on black makes it stand out a lot more. I'm gonna see if I can make it fit better without breaking it, maybe the bracket just needs a slight bend?

My only really issue is it does make getting the fuel cap off a little harder but I did finally use the grease I bought months ago, it really works and frees up the thread but it is still a tighter space to get it off.

As for painting I'm not sure if I should color code it to match the car or get a dark gray to just make it a bit darker and not stand out so much.

Over all I'd say it's worth it for $75, so about 1/4 the dealer price.

[Lancer1993]

Only took me 7 months