I'm so mad - closed the flap after filling the car with fuel, the flap pinged open and I walked into it. It's broken off, but the annoying thing is that it's only the plastic hinge bit that snapped, all other parts are fine and Fiat Desira would like £80 for a new one (the flap is £20 unpainted, plus the rest for the bodyshop painting!!)

Has anyone any good ideas about how to fix it - or pay a little less than £80??

Thanks!!

I did exactly the same thing when I had my Brava, depending on how bad the damage is it might be possible to piece it back together but really your best bet is a new one.

Check the local scrapyards to see if there's one that matches your car, if not I went down the unpainted route and did the paint myself with a can of paint from Halfords. It's a small enough area that you can get an even finish and it shouldn't look totally out of place, much cheaper than buying pre-painted too.

Snapping hinges were and still are a bad fault on the stilo's ..but in your case walking into it didnt help.. I think your best bet is to search the scrapyards for another with the same colour [if possible]

If you want to try a repair use and epoxy resin [two part one] such as araldite [sp] that should do the trick..

Thanks for your suggestions - btw it's a Panda...!

Oscar said:

Thanks for your suggestions - btw it's a Panda...!

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Yes I realise its a Panda I own one as well now.. I would advise peeps to lub the hinge from time to time for safe keeping..or as the saying goes some lube in time save nine.. or in this case the petrol flap..

chauspain said:

Check the local scrapyards to see if there's one that matches your car, if not I went down the unpainted route and did the paint myself with a can of paint from Halfords. It's a small enough area that you can get an even finish and it shouldn't look totally out of place, much cheaper than buying pre-painted too.

Click to expand...

I'll second this - when I had the Scooby we added a chin spoiler and colour coded all the black bits (mirrors, sills, etc) and just bought the mix 'n' match spray cans from Halfords. Dead easy to do and our paint outlived the front bumper which we had professionally sprayed at a bodyshop.

Chris

chauspain said:

Check the local scrapyards to see if there's one that matches your car

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Hi Oscar, I'd advise the above, but can confirm no mk3 Panda's in any of the scrappies within 15 mile radius of North and West of Norwich (from Hainford around to Dereham)

If you do happen to find one in a scrappy could you let us know please

Best of luck

Re: Fuel flap - success!

Just for info - I bought some UniBond Repair Express Power Putty for £4.99, used a very small amount (so some left for other jobs), and have been successful in reconstructing the plastic bits that were broken. Job done - and for just a little less than the price of a new flap - £80!!

Result Oscar..well done saved a few pennies that one..good stuff two pack resin's been using them for years repairing my broken fishing tackle..:bang:

some local rat bust the flap off mine. ive got a replacement but havent got a clue how it goes on?

theres four holes on the mount on the bodywork, a hinge pin and a spring pin?

the hinge pin how on earth do you get it on?

flummoxed!!!!

figured it.

The flap - if it is standard over the Panda range - is a plastic moulding.

It is held in place, not by a normal hinge (so there's no point trying to lubricate it), but by a sprung wire. To refit, you need to locate the wire in the flap, fit it into either the top or bottom hole and then squeeze it to locate it in the remaining hole. There is also a second wire that acts as an 'over-centre' type of spring to keep the flap either open or shut.

I took mine off and filed the little finger tab because I found it difficult to put my big digit behind it as it was. Easy to open now even with gloves on.