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Tell me about a gas cap lock.....

18 years ago

I need to know how hard it is to install or use a gas cap lock. I read the instructions on the back of one and all I really understood is that it might not be the right one for my daughter's vehicle. It also sounded like it might be difficult for her to use ("Don't do blah, blah" and "wait until the hissing stops...blah, blah")

My daughter's car is 1999 Alero. Any advice or helpful hints about how to find the right one or how to make it easy to use? I'm afraid we will get one installed and not be able to open it easily and cause great difficulty for her.

Comments (5)

bob_k
18 years ago
Go t a GM dealer's parts dept. And order the one that matches the car. The gas cap is intergraded into the cars emissions system. If you were to install a gas cap that is not compatable with the cars system you would get a check engine or MIL lite. This would cause the car to fail inspection. So do yourself a favor and buy the one GM makes for the car.

HTH
Bob
timbulb
18 years ago
Don't wanna sound mean but, if she can't figure out a locking gas cap, perhaps she shouldn't be driving a vehicle anyway... just a thought.
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earthworm
18 years ago
Bob K is correct. That Brand X cap is a risky buy...Thanks to our stringent emission controls, things are no longer simple nor inexpensive.

The $1.95 gas cap or a locking cap at $9 are now things of the past...
If I lived in an area where locking caps are necessary, I would move out !
BTW ,the newer/better cars have gas filler doors that lock with the others and are part of the alarm system...
munymagnet
Original Author
18 years ago
Timbulb,
You didn't read the instructions that I read. I have 2 post graduate degrees and read several languages, but I had trouble with the instructions. I'm sure it is easy once familiar, but none of our other cars nor friends cars need one so we have no experience----thus I was asking someone who might know rather than make a serious error.
Thank you, Earthworm and Bob K---this is just the type of information that I needed. Thanks for taking the time to inform me.
jemdandy
18 years ago
In my opinion, a locking gas cap door is much preferred to a locking gasoline filler cap. Contact your dealer to see if a locking cap door can be installed. Go for the mechanical cable release type, not an add-on electric release. With an electric release, the cap-door can not be opened if the battery is disconnected or dead, and the electric solenoid does not have the reliablilty of a simple cable release.

I had a locking gas cap a long tme ago, but stopped using it while on a trip away from home when I realized that I had only one key with me. It can be big trouble if one looses the key, or can't get the cap to unlock. So, if you do opt for locking gas cap, make sure that you have more than one key for it; Keep the orignal at home and travel with more than one copy; and keep the lock in the cap properly lubricated. Of course, keep the second copy of the key in a different place than the normal location.

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