If you drive an Audi, you might find that the car itself is incredibly comfortable, efficient, and powerful. However, no matter the type of car you have, no matter how well designed, you can still face maintenance problems with small components on your car like the fuel cap on your Audi.
If your gas cap is not tightened properly, evaporating fuel gets released into the air. That fuel is flammable and under some circumstances can ignite as you are in the car. More commonly, your vehicle will continue to leak gas vapors into the air, and when that mixes with combustion gases inside of the ozone layer, it contributes to smog which is very bad for everyone.
What is the Gas Cap?
Your Audi gas cap, also referred to as the fuel filler cap, serves a very simple but important purpose. It simply prevents dust, debris, and dirt from getting into your gas tank. It functions as a reliable seal and helps to prevent fuel vapors from your gas tank being released into the atmosphere by catching them and reusing them.
This cap is removed regularly. Each time you put fuel in your car, you take it off and put it back on. As such, it can wear out over time so it will typically need to be replaced on every car at some point. Thankfully, a bad or failing gas cap will manifest in the form of identifiable symptoms that will signal to you it is time to bring your car in.
Symptoms of Gas Cap Failure
One of the simplest symptoms of gas cap failure is that your gas cap won’t tighten properly. Most of these caps are designed so that they give a very audible click once they have been tightened sufficiently. If your gas cap no longer clicks, or it clicks but then pops loose again immediately after, it could be time to get a replacement.
If you smell fuel coming from your vehicle, that could mean that the gas cap seal has become damaged. That means the fuel vapors from your gas tank are actually leaking through that filler neck where you would normally put gasoline into your car. If this happens, you could smell gas from your vehicle simply because these vapors are escaping.
In some cases, your check engine light might come on. If your gas cap is not functioning properly and you have a more modern vehicle, your check engine light might turn on when you start your car. The gas cap is part of the evaporative emissions system in your car. When there’s a problem with that system, it can cause issues with other parts of the car. If your gas cap doesn’t properly seal, it could cause a leak which would set off the check engine light as soon as your computer becomes aware of the leak.
Of course there are plenty of other reasons why your check engine light might come on, issues that do not relate to a damaged gas cap. If the check engine light does come on, it is imperative that you bring your car in for a quick diagnosis and repair. You don’t want to assume it is something like a loose gas cap and then continue driving only to find out later on that it is something much more severe.
Preventative Steps
The most common reason that your fuel cap will loosen 
and start to fail with time is because users don’t secure them tightly enough after refueling. That said, regular refueling is going to naturally damage the component the same as regular wear and tear on any other part of your car. With repeated use, the seal can crack or break, at which point a replacement is necessary. If your fuel cap is not secured, it could lead to more expensive and dangerous problems. It seems simple because it’s a small component, but a loose fuel cap is not something you should overlook.
If your check engine light comes on or you smell vapors near your car, you should always pull over to a safe place and make sure that your cap is tightly fitted to your gas tank opening. If it doesn’t click or you notice any of the other signs of a loose or damaged gas cap, bring your car into our shop immediately. At Geneva Foreign & Sports, we are convenient to Geneva, Rochester, Syracuse, and Ithaca, NY. We’re happy to help you make sure your car runs safely and smoothly.
