My neighbor swore by putting duct tape over his gas cap, so I tried it on my wife's car

He said it stops moisture from getting in and saves gas on humid days. I figured what the heck, it's just tape. Three days later she calls me from the gas station in a panic because she can't get the nozzle in. The tape had fused to the cap in the heat. Took me 20 minutes with a hair dryer and a butter knife to peel it off. The gas mileage? No difference. Has anyone else been told some weird car tip that just made things worse?

3 comments

3 Comments

seanjohnson13d ago

Duct tape on a gas cap is just asking for trouble. Moisture isn't the problem, the fuel system is already sealed. Save the tape for actual repairs, not fake fuel saving tricks.

abby18913d ago

Oh come on @seanjohnson, you're totally missing the point here. I've been using duct tape on my gas cap for years and my mileage actually went up by like 2 mpg after I did it. It's not about moisture at all, it's about keeping that tiny bit of vapor from escaping around the seal. Those little leaks add up over time. Plus, if your gas cap is even slightly cracked or warped, which most older cars have happen eventually, duct tape is the cheapest way to fix it without buying a whole new cap.

corac9113d ago

Totally agree, I tried the same thing and my wife's gas cap got all sticky and gross.