[insightfully]

Evers
What are you doing to get your fuel door fixed? I'm assuming it sticks out a bit, as does mine. Interested in finding out what you're doing to alleviate that.
Thanks!

Added your question to this "fuel door" thread for additional context/reference. There are DIY suggestions on the first page of thread, and taking the car to dealer for adjustment is an option. And lastly, doing nothing (since it's cosmetic-ish ?) is also an option some of us have chosen.

 

[stevew]

Thanks, Insightfully!

 

[insightfully]

Attached below are steps for manually unlocking the fuel fill door from the trunk area AND steps to manually open the trunk... in case trunk also fails to open when you try to access - like cold/freezing conditions or just plain bad luck. [HINT: manually opening the trunk is another use for the physical key stored in the fob, though you could use any similar tool since the opening itself isn't key-specific.]

Here are a couple quick how-to videos from HondaPro Jason illustrating the way to manually open the trunk and manually open the fuel door:

 

[andrew28]

I didn't know the trunk can't be open the normal way if the 12v battery is dead... lain:

 

[insightfully]

I didn't know the trunk can't be open the normal way if the 12v battery is dead... lain:

Yeah, this is true for all Honda sedans including the Accord and Civic. The same 'hidden panel' tip for the trunk release applies to those models as well. (Though I'm not sure if this manual release overrides the Accord's valet lock, OR if the Accord's valet lock needs to be disengaged before using the release...)

 

[andrew28]

https://youtu.be/MCEbcl62DaU?t=56


Solution to fuel door gap.

 

[insightfully]

Solution to fuel door gap.

Similar suggestion was provided by @Min Pin on first page of thread. This video suggests better tool for leverage (but misses the warning for protecting/cushioning the area to prevent future rust).

 

[Honda2019]

Bought my 2019 Insight in Dec 2018 and the fuel cover was never fully flush as most of these forum posts have noted. I have about 14,000 miles on my Insight, and have filled up (opened the gas door) about 34 times. I never had an issue with the door opening on its own until a couple weeks ago when it would open while driving down the road. Sometimes it would open for no apparent reason and others when it was overly windy out of if I went over a speed bump. I have opted to bring my Insight into my dealer so Honda can have another record of this "issue" in hopes of either modifying their gas door design or updating their manual with instructions on how owners should address this themselves when it happens (such as the fixes posted in this thread). Attached is a photo of the warning light and what the door looked like when it opened on its own, along with what it looks like when I fully opened it so you can see the latching mechanism. Will post the dealer's response shortly.

 

[Honda2019]

So the gas door is now "fixed". They "adjusted" the door, which probably means they bent the connector as shown in the videos in this thread. Attached are after pictures along with the write-up from the dealer.

 

[insightfully]

So the gas door is now "fixed". They "adjusted" the door, which probably means they bent the connector as shown in the videos in this thread. Attached are after pictures along with the write-up from the dealer.

Interesting... I've left the fuel door as is since it's been fine/functional, but now am wondering if I should proactively get it adjusted while still in warranty. Any idea what triggered the issue of door opening on its own to start for you?

 

[Honda2019]

Interesting... I've left the fuel door as is since it's been fine/functional, but now am wondering if I should proactively get it adjusted while still in warranty. Any idea what triggered the issue of door opening on its own to start for you?

My guess is when I washed my car a couple months ago. I was using a pressure washer I bought recently, and when I was washing the back left rear of the car some of the spray hit the gas cover and it popped open. Maybe that was enough to put it over the edge and no longer have a good connection with the internal latch. Or maybe it was already out of spec and the pressure washer just caused it to open like I have been experiencing since then when driving in strong winds.
Before I brought it in today, if I were to put my pinky finger between the gas door and the side panel, it would pop open pretty easily, which it hadn't done in the past. If it was the pressure washer that caused all this, I suspect others may start experiencing this same issue if they were to run their Insight though an automatic car wash.

 

[andrew28]

So the gas door is now "fixed". They "adjusted" the door, which probably means they bent the connector as shown in the videos in this thread. Attached are after pictures along with the write-up from the dealer.

Didn't experience the fuel door open by itself but I mentioned the door sticking out to the service advisor when I did my oil change last month. The tech allowed me to watch him while he fixed it. Saw him use some pliers to bend the tab.


P.S. $148 per hour labor rate at your dealership.

 

[insightfully]

P.S. $148 per hour labor rate at your dealership.

That labor rate is same at my local dealer. I assumed it was a Honda standard...

 

[andrew28]

That labor rate is same at my local dealer. I assumed it was a Honda standard...

Lucky for us we bought a Honda for the reliability... *crosses fingers that the Insight won't do me wrong*

 

[whiteinsight]

Fuel door working OK....

In the Negatives here... as in start the temperature with a minus sign!! and more than 32 degrees colder than Canada's temp

Today getting gas.. fuel door opens... but can't unscrew the cap...
the Cap Holder/Keeper... the plastic ring around the cap holding the cap from falling to the ground...
well the ring was all froze up.. with some work got the cap off and on.. as the plastic keeper did not want to slide around the gas cap!

 

[stevew]

Sounds like no fun at all. I haven't had those problems, but I have had the sensor tell my my fuel door was open a few times, even when it wasn't. . . . That's the worst thing that's happened to my
Insight so far.

 

[alphonsodamato2]

I have noticed my door is not flush and can be popped open by hand. The plunger that holds the door closed (not the plunger that compresses when you close the door) is not long enough to push far enough into the cut-out where the "tab" is (The tab that everyone is saying you have to bend). So when I bend my tab it makes no difference. This is not by-design, it's a design flaw - a very surprising one for Honda that I did not notice until I drove the car off the lot. I'm curious what the change may have been to fix the problem, that's what I want on my car.

 

[insightfully]

I have noticed my door is not flush and can be popped open by hand. The plunger that holds the door closed (not the plunger that compresses when you close the door) is not long enough to push far enough into the cut-out where the "tab" is (The tab that everyone is saying you have to bend). So when I bend my tab it makes no difference. This is not by-design, it's a design flaw - a very surprising one for Honda that I did not notice until I drove the car off the lot. I'm curious what the change may have been to fix the problem, that's what I want on my car.

Welcome to the forum. What model year and/or production date is your Insight? Reports of non-flush door seemed to decrease with 2020 models...

 

[alphonsodamato2]

2019, 19,500 or so VIN. It's clearly a bad design. I cannot see inside when it is closed, but it may be that it's not flush because the plunger that moves right to left is not long enough to properly engage the hole in the fuel door flange. You can open my door easily with your hand on the edge, just pops open.

 

[alphonsodamato2]

Can someone describe what changed on the 2020?