Hi Panda gurus,

I've got a 2005 Panda 4x4 1.2 and love it to bits, unfortunately it has recently developed a small leak on the petrol tank where the 'filler arm' tubey thing meets the tank itself. I've been advised against a plastic weld repair on these types of tank so I now need to replace the whole thing.

The local Fiat garage here wants to charge R8000 (about £750) to replace it, however a local workshop has offered to build me a new one from scratch, in steel for quite a bit less.

I do a fair bit of off-road here in South Africa and steel fuel tanks with extended range are a popular upgrade to Landys etc. because they are (allegedly) more robust and less likely to break than the plastic ones. They rubberise them, pressure test etc. etc. and claim that they are better than the originals.

So I was wondering if anyone has any experience with replacing the petrol tank on a Panda 4x4 with a custom made one? Is this a really stupid idea and I must just bite the bullet and buy a proper Fiat one or could it work? I was also considering the idea of modding the tank to have an increased capacity for longer distance? Perhaps even building a second tank into the spare wheel well or inside of the boot. Again - any advice appreciated.

I suspect a proper Fiat tank and a jerry can is the most appropriate solution for my woes, but a Panda 4x4 with a range of over 1000kms is too tempting not to ask the question!

Thanks in advance, great forum :worship:

Welcome to FF.

The bigger the tank the heavier the car, I wouldn't bother changing the tank, more on finding out why the leak has developed in the first place. Have you fitted bigger wheels / tyres

Thanks for the reply.

The Fiat dealer here said it was just a manufacturing flaw - and nothing that could be attributed to any accident, damage or misuse. He said the car appeared to have done plenty of dirt roads - which is fair enough for a 4x4 and you do get the driving on 'corrugated iron' effect on dirt roads which can really shake a vehicle a whole lot.

The tyres and rims are also all standard sizes - nothing out of the ordinary

The failure may be something to do with the extreme heat we often get here - I know it can make some plastics a little brittle? It is probably worth having a better look when the tank is out to see if there is any play or further evidence as to why it may have broken.

Ouch, makes it even more painful really if it's due to a shoddy fitting

So is it the tank or filler neck that's leaking

According to the Fiat dealer it's cracked on the tank itself at the point where the neck joins to the tank ... right on the seam? I've not seen it myself - this is how the info was given to me.

I asked if the coupling could just be replaced, but they said it has to be the whole tank

Thanks again for the help.

Given the conditions that you drive in my personal choice would be a steel fuel tank and some extra capacity if possible.
The replacement tank, if plastic, may fail again at some time. The range that the standard fuel tank gives is poor especially in the case of the petrol-engined 4x4. I would want the greatest range possible in your country and road conditions.

Its probably vibration and the heating/cooling that caused the problem. It was designed or tested to those extremesA stronger larger steel one that doesn't hang down too much would be a lot better than the standard fiat one.

* Wasn't designed