Broken fuel filler flap hinge - fix for pennies

[Gold 'N' Brown]

If you are one of the "money no object" types who only use Volvo parts, look away now or forever be disgusted!

The problem:
Plastic teeth on the filler flap hinge break off/wear away so the spring is no longer retained. The flap can then swing open whilst driving.

The obvious solution:
Buy a new hinge assembly. Not particularly expensive and can be swapped in about 10 mins. IPD have a good "How To" video

The cheap and simple solution:

Neodymium magnets.....




These cost me £2.38 from ebay for a pack of 10. They are 12x3mm size. As I only used 4 that's a total cost of 95p. No tools required, takes seconds to fit and is removable in an instant. They are strong enough that they will hold in place without glue and provide similar retention to that of the spring. I wrapped them in black insulating tape just to make it look a bit more discreet.

On a scale of pikey fixes, I'm quite proud of this one!