Lost and Found: Chrome Fuel Cap

[dean]

I had the original locking chrome gas cap on my car.

Last week I filled up my car on the way to work at the neighborhood gas station in Englewood Cliffs.  All gas stations in New Jersey are full service, but I locked the cap back on the tank myself before driving off. About 10 miles later in New York City, while waiting for the traffic light on the West Side Highway and 34th street someone honks to alert me that I am missing a fuel cap.

I immediately pulled over, got out of the car and yes indeed I saw that the cap was missing!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Immediate depression…
 
I pulled out my gas receipt and called the gas station; they looked for it and said they did not see it.  “But Sir, you locked the cap yourself...” in a defensive tone. “I know”, I replied and repeated it to myself with that sinking feeling.

I continued my journey to the car garage and used a temporary paper stuffing so fumes do not come out.
Driving back home at night I drove around the gas station and retraced my route about 2 miles from the station to the George Washington Bridge, but did not find the shinny chrome cap…More depression…

When I got home, I remembered the previous owner had a spare chrome cap with its own key.  I put it on the car and added THE FOURTH KEY to my set of keys…even more depression…
 
How am I going to live with 4 keys on my key ring? My car is no longer original. The skies were falling.  I counted the minutes until the next mooring.

I drove to work retracing the exact route from the gas station to my office in the city.  I tried to remember every turn, every lane change etc…and my eyes scanning left and right hoping to find my shinny chrome cap.
  
I never realized how many soda can gets collected by the curbs, the storm drains, and on the side of the roads…they do shine in the sunlight but they are not anywhere close to an Original Mercedes Benz Chrome Fuel cap.  Nonetheless, my heart started racing on few occasions where a crushed can would be angled such that the non printed aluminum bottom would sparkle in the sun, but an immediate second glance will always lead to my disappointment.

I repeated this daily ritual of retracing my steps from the gas station in Englewood cliffs to the corner of West Side highway and 34th street every work day and once on Saturday with the hope that I would be able to spot my missing chrome cap.

The horrifying thoughts that the cap could have gone through one of the many storm drain openings kept replaying in my head, or the thought of the cap being tossed from one side of the road to the other and being ran over or crushed by a big SUV’s or worse yet one of the many trucks that travel the George Washington Bridge…depression continues.

I had developed the habit of scanning left and right the entire route from the gas station to 34th street…these thoughts gets pushed aside by the hope that the cap is there sitting peacefully on the side of the road waiting to be reunited with the car…depression lingers…

One week after the infamous missing cap, on the drive to work this morning, I turn on my scanner from the gas station onward and I retraced my drive to work as I usually do these days.  I solicit the help of my wife sitting in the passenger seat.  As usual nothing turns up.  We get on the West Side Highway and traffic is very heavy crawling at few mph.  I had a grin on my face.  I said to myself, this will sure help me in finding my cap.  While my wife is complaining about the traffic I was busy scanning both sides of the highway barriers looking from my cap…

Ten minutes into our ride on the highway the traffic is starting to move a bit better, I was in the right lane and there it was, sitting on the right side on the highway, this gleaming shiny round chrome cap with the MBZ emblem.  THIS IS NOT A SODA CAN, I FOUND IT!!

I Screamed as I hit the brakes while avoiding being rear ended by the cars behind me.  I put on my Hazard lights on and ready to jump out of my seat to get out the car and rescue my cap.  My wife stops me as she volunteered to retrieve the cap.

Cars are now trying to go around me and giving me those looks as they realized nothing is wrong with my car.  I can only imagine what they thought when my wife opened the door and started marching towards them…she takes few more steps as I am watching her in the rearview mirror. She reaches to the ground and picks up what I hoped to be my cap. She examines it slowly and then all I see is her thumbs up with a big smile on her face.  It was very contiguous as I had it ear to ear.  By now the cars were honking as I am sure they realized we were not having car problems, or marital problems.  

But that did not faze me!   I was on a rescue mission that lasted one week and ended up very successfully reuniting my original cap with my car. No more depression.  Today is a happy day for me and my Pagoda.

The moral of the story is, TRIPLE check that the gas cap is locked and secured 100% on the tank.  My gas fill up routine will be a bit longer from now on.

[Kayvan]

When you put cap back on you have to TURN --> it hard to engage the spring-loaded catch.

I have also done the the quick snap in place, thinking it was secure & its not.

I also think thats why many get the fumes/back-wash/weep/drip on pumper. 

Its need a snug fit with cork gasket tight against lip of filler neck.

[knockmacool]

Remember to thank your wife  

[JamesL]

I've lost 2.... Glad you had a very happy ending

Price of a new cap is? Brownie points earned by wife for walking up the west side highway.... priceless

[douglas dees]

This reminds of the the time during my 280Sl restoration that I lost the 2 soft top handles. After searching the car 20 times, I gave up and bought 2 sets. 6 months later my restorer finds the original handles under the passenger seat and did I feel foolish especially as I thought someone had stolen them from the garage.
Perseverance - you know the part is out there somewhere .  Now if I can only find the missing radiator that was recored and then disappeared at the same garage

Doug Dees

[MichaelB.]

cool

[RayG]

Having had a near miss experience similar to yours, I purchased an aftermarket locking gas cap and use it for everyday driving, saving the original for show. The aftermarket caps seem to be much easier to secure on the filler neck and it eliminates the worry of loss. The originals with the rubber ring are difficult to secure at best. There is also a non locking variety I use frequently since my car is parked in the garage most of the time and seldom left where prying hands can do their mischief.

[Benz Dr.]

I also lost my gas cap once and I found it the next time I went back to the same gas station about a week later ( it's an hour away ). Someone ran over it.....

 Not exactly the same thing but pretty close:
I was driving a 190SL down the St Clair Parkway when a trim ring came off. I could hear it clatter a little bit and it rolled down the highway and out of sight in my rear view mirror. I thought it would be easy to find it as it's only 50 KMPH speed limit so I thought it wouldn't roll very far.
So I turned around and looked for it. And I looked, and looked, but never did find it. I came to conclusion that it rolled into the St Clair River and I would never see it again. And, of course I never did, until 6 months later.
I was visting my body shop guy and he pulled it out from under his desk. He knew I had lost it the summer before and he was also looking for it but neither of us saw anything. Apparently he was walking along the river and potted something at the watter's edge. Turns out it was my trim ring. It washed ashore after being in the river all winter. Certainly not as nice as it once was from all the sand washing over it and chunks of ice beating against it but it was still in one piece.
Anyone, other than this one person who knew what it was, would have tossed it. I have it on the wall along with other conversation pieces including the trim ring I used to replace this one that also fell off and was hit by a transport truck. It doesn't look as good but it's still shinny. 

[Richard Madison]

Another lost chrome cap story:

A few weeks after adding the chrome cap to my 280SL, I was on my way to the annual Mercedes Gathering at the headquarters of MB USA in Montvale, New Jersey. Arrived to see that the cap was gone. Oh boy, that cap cost more than a few pennies..

I covered the open filler hole with a piece of plastic and spent the day wondering about the cap. I knew it came off because I had not turned the cap all the way.

The next day back in Manhattan (New York City), I walked the only part of the route I could search on foot,  from the parking garage to the entrance to the East River Drive. If the cap fell off on the Drive, it would be impossible to find because of fast moving heavy traffic...and the tiny cap would have been crushed anyway.

It was raining heavily while I looked along each curb, under every car. Nothing.
I went out again the next day, rain had stopped. I walked the walk again, looking for any shining object. No luck.

My search had to end at the entrance to the Drive. Cars were whizzing by. The entrance (1st Ave and 63rd Street for locals), is a single lane that curves into the roadway. A safety wall defines the curve. I looked at the base of the curve along both sides of the entry knowing that this was my last look and the last possible place for recovery.

About a foot before the end of the wall and the highway begins, there was the cap!!! I couldn't believe it...a couple of feet further and the cap would have been on the highway and gone forever. I carefully timed my  race to the cap and back to avoid being bumped by a car entering the Drive.

The cap was in pristine condition having rolled to the base of the wall.  I clutched it close to me and even told some bewildered passerby what had happened. He thought I was raving...I was.

Now when I tighten the cap, I use one of those round rubber things that help loosen the lids on jars to give the cap that extra turn.

I like stories with happy endings.

Richard M, NYC

[Larry & Norma]

You are so lucky, never found mind, would have to retrace 70 miles! Cost £170 for a new one

[harleydan]

I too lost the original locking gas cap when I was living in California.  When I moved near Munich, Germany, and my car was back in the USA, I went to the Mercedes dealer and asked if I could get a locking gas cap but with the original key pattern.  They said it could be done but they would need the car number to get the key pattern right for the locking gas cap.  They also recommended to get at least one new original key made as keys tend to wear down.  I got a the locking gas cap with two new keys....now the one key opens all four locks again.

Danny
1970 280SL silver 4 speed

[mdsalemi]

Another lost chrome cap story:

...Arrived to see that the cap was gone...
...About a foot before the end of the wall and the highway begins, there was the cap!!!

Talk about risking life and limb!  My goodness, what a great story!

[gimp]

I am glad I read these happenings, as I never gave the gas cap a second thought.
Probably because I have never lost one.
I will make it appoint to check twice from now on to insure the cap is really locked.

[RickM]

Wow, all great stories. It's a wonder it happens as the warnings come from many.

Is there any way to tether the cap in a non-invasive way?

[J. Huber]

Wow, all great stories. It's a wonder it happens as the warnings come from many.

Is there any way to tether the cap in a non-invasive way?

My way is to simply leave the key in the cap after removal. I usually set it on the pump. Can't drive too far without the keys...