[martin_costello]

I'm not getting my new car untill 1st Sept, but I'm gonna ask now while its fresh in my mind. I've ordered a new MC and i wanna fit the MCS petrol cap. I've read the MINI2 FAQ on it but I don't find it very helpful, so....how do you fit it, and is it easy? Are there any hidden pitfalls or dangers I coild encounter if I'm not careful?

Cheers guys,
Martin.

[R1]

I followed instructions with photos off the minicooperonline.com website, but I can't find it on the web now??

They had step by step photo's. I wouldn't say the job was a hard one, just a bit tricky, and you have to be brave sometimes, especially prising the cooper black plastic fuel cap surround off.

I'll have a look on some disks and see if I saved the instructions anywhere.

[R1]

Ahhh! This is why I can't find minicooperonline.com then!

http://www.talkaboutautos.com/group/...ges/77962.html

[onemini]

I did it recently... it's not too hard at all. I got the instructions from www.northamericanmotoring.com (you have to register then search the exterior mods forum. I just had a look and the instruction page seems to be missing

I'll post what I can remember but anyone else who has done this feel free to add the bits I have missed Have a max of 1/2 tank of petrol when doing the job. And don't smoke

firstly you take the cover off of the existing cap by opening the door gripping the cap firmly and twisting it off clockwise. Take off the actual petrol cap by disconnecting the rubber cable.

tape the surrounding paintwork with masking tape for extra protection then slide a credit card (I used my Tesco clubcard - no bumpy numbers) in between the paintwork and the filler cap at one of the three bumps you can see inside - these are where the clips are located, and prise out with a screwdriver. Don't push the screwdriver in far, just a little and work you way around the three clips pulling a little more each time.

It will eventually pop loose then you have to tug it out. This can be a bit tricky but isn't as hard as some guides make out. Just keep tugging to release the rubber neck that holds it in place. You will also have to bend a metal clip to get it loose so just keep pulling until it comes off (ooer).

Fitting is fairly obvious just work backwards. You may have to bend the piece of metal back if it came too far forward but this will be obvious when you try to put the new filler cap on (it won't fit flush if the metal clip is too far forward.

That's all I can remember... hopefully other will fill in/correct me on anything that seems missing/wrong.

It's a thirty min job if you take your time, but it's sooo worth it.

Good luck

PM me if you need further advice mid-job

J

[R1]

By the look of www.northamericanmotoring.com, that could be the re-named minicooperonline.com as the layout is the same!

[ChrisBray]

I have the full guide with photos from the American mini websit. I copied it into Word so it would print out better.

I can't think of anyway of posting it though as it is 7 pages with about 20 photos.
Any ideas anyone?

The only way I can think of is for me to email it if anyone wants it.

The one bit of advice I will give is that the guide suggested you can do this without loosening the fuel filler neck but I found this nearly impossible. For the 15 minutes it takes to remove the rear wheel and wheel arch liner (this allows you to loosen the filler pipe and pull it into the wheel arch area)

Also you can never have too many layers of masking tape round the filler area whilst trying to prise the old one out with a screwdriver.

The metal clip mentioned by others, did get bent but there are others that remain in shape so you can copy them when bending it back. Cover it with clear nail varnish if the paint has cracked (it won't be seen once the new cap hinge is in place.

[onemini]

Quote: Originally Posted by ChrisBray

Also you can never have too many layers of masking tape round the filler area whilst trying to prise the old one out with a screwdriver.

true, but the credit card between the paintwork and the filler cap provides great protection, so don't skip it.

I managed without taking the rear wheel off and I'm no Maximus

[ChrisBray]

Quote: Originally Posted by onemini

true, but the credit card between the paintwork and the filler cap provides great protection, so don't skip it.

I managed without taking the rear wheel off and I'm no Maximus

I used both tape and a credit card as i'd only had the car 2 days!!

You lucky b*gger!!I struggled for an hour trying to get the bloomin hinge out. took the wheel off, pulled the pipe back and the hinge popped out first attempt.

Would be worth giving it a go without removing the wheel by the sound of it. You might be lucky

[martin_costello]

cheers for the response guys, I hope it'll all be ok once I get my new MC!

Martin

[I love MINI, Laura]

I did it without removing the wheel and loosening the filler neck. But it was a real struggle. You don't know if your doing it right or not. I also pushed to hard to get the new one in and snapped part of the plastic housing which was no that important while trying and get the hinge in the right place and the rubber part round the top of the fuel neck.

I've done it and it looks absolutely great! But I don't think I would do it again, I decided that halfway through so had to go and do it. Would have been a much easier operation with the filler neck loosened but I didn't want it to turn into a mammoth job.

Just take it slow, don't panic or loose patience, and go over any scratches in the paintwork around the neck with clear coat touch up or clear nail varnish to protect the paint from rust there.

I did it and I'm a girl!

[cooper.PT]

Quote: Originally Posted by I love MINI, Laura

I did it without removing the wheel and loosening the filler neck. But it was a real struggle. You don't know if your doing it right or not. I also pushed to hard to get the new one in and snapped part of the plastic housing which was no that important while trying and get the hinge in the right place and the rubber part round the top of the fuel neck.

I've done it and it looks absolutely great! But I don't think I would do it again, I decided that halfway through so had to go and do it. Would have been a much easier operation with the filler neck loosened but I didn't want it to turn into a mammoth job.

Just take it slow, don't panic or loose patience, and go over any scratches in the paintwork around the neck with clear coat touch up or clear nail varnish to protect the paint from rust there.

I did it and I'm a girl!

Im not a girl and the exact same thing happened to me

Anyway it looks great and I recomend it! Its a real shame that the Cooper doesnt come with such a nice chrome cap but dont forget be patient while assembling it, it took me almost an hour...

[TomH]

Quote: Originally Posted by R1

They had step by step photo's. I wouldn't say the job was a hard one, just a bit tricky, and you have to be brave sometimes, especially prising the cooper black plastic fuel cap surround off.

I struggled for about 45 minutes trying to remove the old surround without loosening the filler neck. It is much easier if you loosen the filler neck first.

You don't actually need to remove the wheel, just jack the car up and remove the wheel arch cover. To do this you need to remove 4 plastic "scrivets" -- two are on the inside of the wheel arch (normally hidden behind the wheel), and two are to your right at the back of the wheel arch. Then also remove the two nuts (or is it three?) (up where the plastic cover joins the outer body panel), and one screw (under the car just in front of the wheel arch, where the plastic cover joins the plastic trim).

You then just lower the plastic cover and rest it on top of the wheel. This gives plenty of room to get to the filler neck.

The filler neck is held by two nuts -- one is just behind the fuel cap and the other is about halfway down the filler tube, fixing it to the innards of the car body. Remove both of these and the filler neck can be moved around enough to give you some slack.

This will free up the hinge side of the black plastic fuel cap surround, and makes it much easier to unclip the three clips.

Once it is all unclipped the only thing holding the surround in place is the filler neck which passes through a sort of rubbery seal. You will need to do a bit of pulling to get it off. It helps to retract the filler neck right back into the car body (I had a bit of trouble finding the right angle to do this, but it went in the end).


Fitting the new one is actually much easier (I gess these things were designed for fitting rather than for removal). Just re-fit everything in the reverse order of removal. Once you have the new surround in place and have re-attached the wheel arch cover, the trim ring just snaps into place. Lastly the chrome cap goes on.

The only thing I had trouble with was getting a good finish on the trim ring. It has a slightly roughened surface (for paint adhesion I guess). I sprayed it myself but couldn't get it as smooth and perfect as the bodywork. Others have had better results by getting a dealer to spray it for them (but this may not be cheap). There are kits on eBay with the trim ring already painted, but I don't know what the quality of the finish is like on those.

[onemini]

I got mine off eBay. There is a guy who sells a coulpe of each colour a week. The finish is perfect

[ChrisBray]

Quote: Originally Posted by TomH

I struggled for about 45 minutes trying to remove the old surround without loosening the filler neck. It is much easier if you loosen the filler neck first.

Good to see there is another person lacking in strength on here.

The other bizzarre problem was that the official screw supplied by Mini seemed to be too long. Would stop about 4mm from being tight so the chrome cap would keep popping off the hinge sligthly. Had to chop the end off it

[R1]

Just a word of caution.

I painted the insert myself using the MINI spray paint and laquer.

Mine's been on around a year now and the laquer is starting to yellow??!!

Also the petrol spilt on it over the year has started to bring the laquer off!!

I've re-laquered it as a quick fix, but I may either get it re-painted by the dealer or see if I can get a painted one from a MINI parts supplier (the dealer may start with the S vin number thing again if I try and order a pre-painted one from them! )

[onemini]

Quote: Originally Posted by R1

Just a word of caution.

I painted the insert myself using the MINI spray paint and laquer.

Mine's been on around a year now and the laquer is starting to yellow??!!

Also the petrol spilt on it over the year has started to bring the laquer off!!

I've re-laquered it as a quick fix, but I may either get it re-painted by the dealer or see if I can get a painted one from a MINI parts supplier (the dealer may start with the S vin number thing again if I try and order a pre-painted one from them! )

R1, try the seller I got my cap from. I think he paints them himself and they look absolutely mint. He might be able to sell you just the painted surround. his user id is algerone. Here's a link to one of his auctions:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.d...sPageName=WDVW

might be worth a try

[R1]

Thanks. I'll have a look.

[TomH]

Quote: Originally Posted by ChrisBray

Good to see there is another person lacking in strength on here.

Hmmm... just for the record, I'm sure that everyone who had difficulty was inhibited more by concern about the damage that too much brute force might cause than by feebleness.