Weird fuel tank damage - or something else?

[anonymous-user]

Found a large patch of what turned out to be petrol, underneath our little Clio

On closer inspection, looking rearwards - rear offside wheel on left:


With a hole made by something suspiciously like a drill bit:


Possible scenarios:

1) A drill bit randomly got thrown up off the road and punctured the tank, or

2) Some bd has drained the tank.

Can't quite decide

If by some chance it looks more like 2), should I bother reporting it to the Police?

ETA: sorry - should have been in 'General Gassing'

[s2sol]

The diesel fairies when I lived in South Gloucestershire used to put a hollow spike on a trolley jack to puncture the tank just like that. Mostly vans and trucks, though.

[Mandat]

280E said:

Found a large patch of what turned out to be petrol, underneath our little Clio

On closer inspection, looking rearwards - rear offside wheel on left:


With a hole made by something suspiciously like a drill bit:


Possible scenarios:

1) A drill bit randomly got thrown up off the road and punctured the tank, or

2) Some bd has drained the tank.

Can't quite decide

If by some chance it looks more like 2), should I bother reporting it to the Police?

ETA: sorry - should have been in 'General Gassing'

Have you been making any unnecessary car journeys recently that might have irked any neighbours?

[meatballs]

Report it online but I wouldn't expect anything to come of it.

[xjay1337]

100% vandalism.

Very ish thing to do.

[Jimmy Recard]

Horrible thing to do. I’d report it, although I’m not sure what anyone will be able to do

[Jimmy Recard]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

I agree, it's damage incidental to the theft of the fuel

[A1VDY]

Looks to be quite a scrape leading up to the hole. I wouldn't say it's definetly vandalism.
If someone wanted to nick your fuel they would have punctured the tank at its lowest point not on the side.

[Bigends]

Somebody's got themselves a free tank of fuel. The tank will be a few bob to replace

[meatballs]

A1VDY said:

Looks to be quite a scrape leading up to the hole. I wouldn't say it's definetly vandalism.
If someone wanted to nick your fuel they would have punctured the tank at its lowest point not on the side.

Who wants the sludge and detritus right at the bottom of the tank?

[Bigends]

Just leave it to settle before decanting

[Pica-Pica]

meatballs said:

A1VDY said:

Looks to be quite a scrape leading up to the hole. I wouldn't say it's definetly vandalism.
If someone wanted to nick your fuel they would have punctured the tank at its lowest point not on the side.

Who wants the sludge and detritus right at the bottom of the tank?

At the lowest point there would probably be a swirl pot that contains and picks up fuel (to counteract swirling fuel, needless to say). So if it was a drill bit, and at the side, then either that is far as they could reach, or they knew what they were doing.
Report it? Well, if that will mean you have to declare it on future insurance applications, I don’t know. A few tanks do have a drill dimple moulded into the tank for draining fuel in an emergency.

[Jimmy Recard]

Pica-Pica said:

At the lowest point there would probably be a swirl pot that contains and picks up fuel (to counteract swirling fuel, needless to say). So if it was a drill bit, and at the side, then either that is far as they could reach, or they knew what they were doing.
Report it? Well, if that will mean you have to declare it on future insurance applications, I don’t know. A few tanks do have a drill dimple moulded into the tank for draining fuel in an emergency.

You lie on the floor, reaching under a low car with your arms outstretched, trying to make a hole and get away quickly and that's where you drill the hole.

I'm with you, Pica-Pica. It looks to me either chosen deliberately or the right place through luck. I'm thinking deliberately either for access reasons or the ones you mention. Also it's the easiest way to get your drill and arms out the way before they're covered in petrol.

[Matt_E_Mulsion]

Is it a trick of the photo or is the whole tank dented in around the area of the hole?

[Chris32345]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

Unless it wasn't somewhere the car is currently parked
And especially if it's petrol it would evaporate quickly

[gazza285]

meatballs said:

Who wants the sludge and detritus right at the bottom of the tank?

What sludge and detritus?

[Krikkit]

gazza285 said:

meatballs said:

Who wants the sludge and detritus right at the bottom of the tank?

What sludge and detritus?

Quite, there isn't any on a plastic tank in my experience

[Leptons]

There’s a mark on the back axle, like an impact point roughly the same height and Shape as the puncture mark. I think you’ve been unlucky and run over something.

[Pica-Pica]

Leptons said:

There’s a mark on the back axle, like an impact point roughly the same height and Shape as the puncture mark. I think you’ve been unlucky and run over something.

I don’t think that sort of impact would pierce a tank. You would certainly know it at the time if it had.
Fuel tank testing is much more severe than that, including a lit pan of fuel underneath it, which has to be TÜV witnessed.

Edited by Pica-Pica on Wednesday 15th April 23:31

[A1VDY]

Leptons said:

There’s a mark on the back axle, like an impact point roughly the same height and Shape as the puncture mark. I think you’ve been unlucky and run over something.

This
Run over something. Theres a definite scrape there. No one will drill a hole in the side to empty it either..