[GM Kid]

Okay, so I took my new GTO to the gas station for its first fill-up last night and immediately realized . . . I had no idea what to do with the gas cap!

I didn't want to let it just dangle by its tether over the side and bonk against the paint. There was no hook on the inside of the fuel door, and not quite enough room around the filler neck to set it down (we have those big vapor-recovery fuel nozzles here). So I just ended up holding the darn thing in my left hand the entire time I pumped the gas.

I came home laughing and told my wife what I'd done, wondering aloud what other GTO owners do with the cap. She knows I'm anal, so she smiled and said, "They probably just let it hang over the side."

One thing I'm going to like very much about filling up is that the fuel door is on the passenger side. In a car with big doors, that's important. In my Corvette, I always hated pulling up to the pump and then realizing I'd parked just a bit too close, making it tough to get the door open far enough for a graceful exit.

 

[Tom]

I stole this idea from someone else. I got a big zip tie and wrapped it around the hinge. leaving a bit at the top, the strap hangs from it. Last night I had the brainstorm of taking another zip tie and tying the strap to the first zip, that way the cap is gently pulled out of the way when off.....

It is so much fun to fix the factory flaws.

 

[GM Kid]

That's an interesting notion, Tom, but here's what I think I'll do: The next time I'm at the gas station and someone asks, "Hey, what is that thing?" I'll call him over and say, "Here, hold this. Don't move until the pump shuts off."

 

[Snafu]

That's an interesting notion, Tom, but here's what I think I'll do: The next time I'm at the gas station and someone asks, "Hey, what is that thing?" I'll call him over and say, "Here, hold this. Don't move until the pump shuts off."

:lol:

Another option is to put a piece of velcro on the back of the cap and the fuel door, or put one of those plastic hooks with a sticky back on the door...I've done neither yet but will probably do the zip tie thing...IMO the best option as the adhesive options will heat and may "fail"

 

[IPOCKALYPSE]

I gently hang mine on the side of the car but, you have to make sure that the plastic cord that is attached to the gas cap is not twisted or it will want to untwist when you lay it on the side of the car. The velcro idea is a good one. I like GM Kid's response about having someone else hold it during refueling--made me laugh for a few minutes.

 

[Braman'sGTO]

Hey Guys, Im a dealer and installer for paint protection film. www.Ultrashield-hr.com I have several cars and trucks that I have put film around the gas cap openings and have found that it workes very well. I have even done this on my GTO. I had the same delema that you guys have if anyone is interested I can look into making kit to apply to your cars and instructions on how to put it on. If so let me know, it would probably only be a few buck's, plus shipping.

 

[Wing_Nut]

Guys, get a life. Just lay it gently on the side of the car. It's not gonna scratch your paint just dangling at the end of the tether. :willy:

 

[TorridGoat]

I would not worry about the gas cap. I bet you will get more scratchs washing the car than from the gas cap.

 

[sboylan]

Hmmm, my nipple fits between the actual tank insertion and the outer perimeter of the fuel opening; quite snug actually.

 

[Tom]

Guys, get a life. Just lay it gently on the side of the car. It's not gonna scratch your paint just dangling at the end of the tether. :willy:

Maybe the GTO sheet metal is stronger than our Aurora's sheet metal. There is a ding in the quarter where the cap hangs. The dealer took the cap off to see the run in the paint on the door. Now I have a run in the gas door paint and a ding! Thanks pal!!

Im not taking chances.

 

[Afterglow]

you can actually lay the gas cap on it's side, in the "pocket/cup" (whatever you want to call it) right next to the fill opening. It's out of the way of the pump and it doesn't hang over the side of the car.

 

[GM Kid]

I've tried wedging the cap in there, Afterglow, and that would've been a great solution if it hadn't been for the aforementioned gargantuan vapor-recovery nozzles required at gas stations in metro Phoenix. Maybe you have these, too, but if you don't, they're annoying. It's a huge, spring-loaded rubber collar that fits around the actual metal nozzle. Darned thing nearly fills up the whole fuel filler area.

I've seen a more sophisticated, smaller vapor-recovery system at some newer stations, though, that don't rely on these cumbersome nozzles. Maybe I'll look around.

Oh--and to those of you who say to just let the cap hang over the side: You're right, and congratulations on your good mental health. I aspire to one day be as well-adjusted as you are and to have my priorities in order.