Falcon Shuts Lid On Fuel Cap Locks

The Age

Wednesday August 27, 2008

Steve Colquhoun

Lack of a lockable fuel cap increases the risk of tampering or theft by siphoning, writes Steve Colquhoun.

FORD Australia has raised the ire of Victoria's peak motoring body for building its new Falcon range of vehicles without a lockable fuel cap, increasing owners' exposure to fuel theft or tampering.

Every model in Ford's new FG Falcon range, including its high-performance FPV operation, misses out on the lockable fuel flap that was standard on the previous model and is also standard across the rival Holden Commodore range.

RACV chief engineer of vehicles Michael Case said he was puzzled by Ford's decision, which leaves Falcon owners unable to guard against either fuel theft or tampering that could result in expensive mechanical repairs.

"It's hard to see why a manufacturer wouldn't provide that," he said.

"It might be motivated by saving money in an area the customer is not immediately aware of at the time of purchase.

"Clearly it's not ideal. The moment anyone can access your fuel tank increases your exposure to fuel theft."

A Victoria Police spokeswoman said police did not keep statistics on fuel theft but Mr Case said he was aware of anecdotal evidence of an increase in instances in recent months, "particularly in public places with variable security arrangements, such as railway station car parks".

"Also, an open fuel cap affords someone the opportunity to tamper with your fuel," he said. "Any adulteration can cause a serious engine performance problem, and some modern engines are incredibly sensitive.

"Ideally you really want to have some kind of security on the fuel cap or fuel flap. Fuel-injected engines are very susceptible to water and it only takes a little bit to cause a very expensive engine repair."

All models in the Falcon and FPV petrol range are equipped with a 68-litre fuel tank that, at today's fuel prices, may contain more than $100 worth of premium unleaded fuel.

Ford spokesman Ed Finn confirmed the lack of a locking mechanism across the Falcon range and said an inhibitor inside the petrol tank neck - designed to stop a larger diesel nozzle from accidentally being placed in the filling position - made siphoning fuel out of the tank difficult.

"It is very difficult for people to siphon a tank, but that's not to say it couldn't be done," he said.

"People have had their petrol siphoned, but no more so than any previous models."

Mr Finn said Ford did not want to expose its customers to damage caused by petrol thieves levering the petrol door open.

"We've seen a lot of Commodores driving around that have had the fuel cap completely ripped off, and I think the parts price for replacing the whole panel is considerably more expensive than replacing a tank or half a tank of petrol," he said.

"It's one of those things we've had some feedback about, but it's not something that there's been overwhelming customer comment about."

© 2008 The Age

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