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John, If you (or your wife) are smelling fuel inside the van while driving, you probably have a leak in the engine compartment. I say this because it would be difficult for the fumes to travel forward from the gas cap to the passenger compartment ventilation intake. You did not see the leak when you looked later because leaking from the blue and black plastic tank lines occurs infrequently and is difficult to recreate. As I posted previously, three weeks ago I smelled raw fuel while I was driving the van in the morning. Having read all the posts about leaks and fires, I pulled over
immediately and shut off the engine. When I opened the hood, fuel was dripping from the metal ferrule connecting the black plastic tank line to the rubber hose supplying the fuel rail. The fuel was dripping steadily onto the distributor and other parts of the engine compartment. I had the van towed to the VW dealer who does most of my service. There was no way was I going to drive it again until the lines were replaced. The good news is that VW has reviewed my case and has decided to replace the blue and black tank lines as a good will gesture. The bad news is that I have been without my
van for three weeks and won't get it back until Monday at the earliest. One of the reasons it has taken so long to repair is that the dealer, who I consider to be a very capable shop, was unable to get it to leak, even after over a week of testing. I made it clear from the start that I was not taking the van back until the lines were replaced and that I felt VW should fix this safety defect at their expense. I have to say that VW customer service handled my initial and subsequent calls quite well and seemed genuinely concerned about the leak and keeping me as a customer (I have previously
owned 2 Jettas and a Sirocco). While I am pleased at the outcome in my case, I fail to understand what's keeping them from just doing a recall to correct a problem that appears to be widespread, and has the potential for big liability. I remain optimistic that VW is just now beginning to realize the magnitude of the problem and will soon do a recall. I would tell anyone who has a leak or smells fuel, to immediately get their van checked out by a VW dealer and report the problem to VW customer service and the NHTSA. Maybe if enough of us do this it will bring this issue to a head and there
will be a recall. Thanks again to all on the list for keeping us informed about this issue.

Greg Kveton
1993 EV GL, 77K miles


From: JDOgden@...

John,
Thanks for the information on your experience with VW. I have an appointment
on Nov 15th to have my fuel lines inspected by a VW dealer. In the meantime,
I have switched vehicles with my wife and I only drive the van on my short
commute to work. I inspect the lines each day before I leave and so far
there is no evidence of a leak but your comment about the leak occurring
sporadically and the inability to duplicate it's occurrence at the VW dealer
has me worried. I wonder if it makes sense to position a small catch pan
under the suspected connections to keep any sporadic drips from going on the
distributor. This would also give me the evidence I would need.

This message should have been directed to Greg, and not John but thanks to
all for the updates on this problem.

Greg,


Can you email me with the name of the person who you are dealing with
at VW? I'd like to compare notes.

Thanks.


Ric
(rgolen@...)