Recently bought a 2005 Prius and have been having problems with the gas door. It releases just fine, but the problem is that it scrapes against the fender underneath it. How do I fix this? Or rather, how do I remove and reinstall the fuel door.
I believe it is riveted in place, so removing is not a casual undertaking. I did straighten a poorly-aligned one on a 2009 just by some careful hand bending.
Please tell me how you did that. I have a set of small crowbars, but am known to be a little hamfisted. Just need to raise it 1/16 of an inch.
Find a neighbor who is about to go on a long out-of-state trip. Lend that person all of your crowbars and other pry tools. Wait until they are far across the border. Then go to the car, open the fuel door, grasp it (with your hands) and apply some gentle pressure in the direction you want it adjusted. It will spring back some when you release it, so if right now it's off by 1/16" in one direction, you might try holding it 1/8" or so in the other direction for a few seconds, then see where it ends up when you let go. Lather, rinse, repeat. When your neighbor returns, you can have the tools back.
