Volkswagen Repair: 2003 Passat gas cap door, edge trim, gas cap

Question
Hi- I have a 2003 Passat, and the gas cap door release button has died. No
solenoid noise, no nothing, and the door's locked shut. Fuses are okay. How can
I open the door for now (and fill my tank) until I'm able to get the car over to the
dealer?

Answer
Hi Allen;
There is no easy way, and if you haven't done work on the car before, this will test your patience.  The trunk has a panel of carpet-like material that covers everything.  Its moulded, and fairly stiff, and thin, so if you run your hand along its edge, it will cut you, so be careful.  There are little rubber fasteners that are around the edges, and hidden in the darkest places.  I would almost suggest removing the whole thing, but that could take all day to take apart, and reconstruct, so the best way is to just remove the passenger side cover.  Get the liner off of the floor, find the little fasteners, and get them out, pull off the edge trim that surrounds the trunk opening, and then pull back the pad from the fuel door area.  Use a flashlight to see the parts of the door solenoid...there are 3, the solenoid itself, the rod, and the nylon "catch."  Get the solenoid off, and the rod will still be attached, so just work it around until the rod lets go, then the "catch" will be attached to the fuel door release tab, just pull back on it, and it will release the door, and you can go get gas.  Leave it apart, if you want to repair it the rest of the way, but the parts department at Volkswagen won't open until after "Labor Day."  Otherwise just stuff all the parts back in the trunk, and let them deal with the reconstruction, on Tuesday.  Good luck, Allen.  I hope this helped you out.