I was at Walmart for only 20 minutes and when I returned I found my gas door opened, with the gas cap hanging off.

I for sure had locked my car when I left. There was no damage to the gas door or locking mechanism so I don't believe it was forceably pryed open as that would have damaged the white plastic locking pin.

If it was a silly prank that's fine but I do worry tomorrow the car won't start because some water or sugar was introduced. The fuel gauge reads full (as it was before I entered Walmart) so no fuel was siphoned ( I sorta wish it was siphoned, at least I would know what the prankster's intention was).

So I have 3 questions

1. Any one have any idea how easy it is to open a locked gas door from the outside without damaging it?

2. Anyone purchased a non-OEM gas cap with its own lock and key, and if so what brand and any issues?

3. Any suggestions or comments?

I have a 2009 g37x sedan btw

 

Uh....did you do a fill up before you went to Walmart?

 

No. I filled up the day before.

 

Are you sure you didn't leave it open after the fill up? The gas door lock is extremely hard to get to. You would have to open the trunk, take off a bunch of interior pieces to get to the gas door lock. I dont think anyone be able to open your trunk, remove, reinstall all the pieces, in an open parking lot, without leaving a trace of damage. But what do I know?

 

How has your car been running since then?

Here is my theory.... Since there was no damage, it was already popped/unlocked. Some crack head on his way in to walmart to pick up some high quality meats and cheeses saw it was open while he was walking past it and decided to investigate. The end.

 

If you didn't lock your car, the gas cap door doesn't lock. I know you said for sure you locked it, but if there was no damage and the door was open, I would imagine the car wasn't locked. Now, maybe when you filled up the gas cap door wasn't shut all the way so that when you locked your car, the door popped open a little...idk.

Either way......hard times. Sounds like maybe you got siphoned....

 

The Mythbusters have shown in one episode that sugar doesn't cause any detectable damage to the car, so you should be okay there if that's the case.

Also, i believe our cars have anti-siphon mechanisms. I know my old Maxima had one and i'd be surprised if it's not on the G, being a newer car.

 

Exactly........just try to siphon gas from a G.......good luck with that. Most people when stealing gas just drill a hole in your tank. There was an out break of that while I was in Colorado.

 

The gas door is plastic and very flexable, I bet it could be popped open with bare hands and no damage to anything.

 

Your gas door is plastic?

 

Yes it is every G I've looked at has one. Take a magnet and put it on your quarter panel, it will stick. Then put it on the gas door, it won't. If you look closely at it from the inside you can tell by the way it molded around the area that "holds" the cap while your fueling up and by the markings like the round circles.

 

OP hasn't responded to the thread. Perhaps he realized that he left the cap off and the door open himself when filling the car the day before???

I think many of us have done that at one time or another. That's why gas caps are tethered now.

 

thank god for that teathered gas cap as well as the little holder molded into the lid so ur cap doesnt scratch your paint