Strong Petrol Smell

1. My 1967 VW Beetle has been running well. But recently, every time after refuelling, there is a strong petrol smell in the cabin. I tried putting in different amount of petrol. The smell only appeared every time I filled up more than RM25 petrol. My mechanic said the fuel line and the tank have to be checked.

2. The dashboard indicator of my 2001 Proton Waja 1.6X goes on intermittenly. That also happens to the parking brake engaged indicator. Its occurence is not linked to certain brake applications or while driving at certain speed. A Proton mechanic said it could be due to a computer problem.

Reply:
1. Your fuel tank may be leaking. As fuel tanks used to be made of steel and there is always condensation in the tank, it is likely with that age, corrosion had got to a point that it has perforated the tank. Take out the tank and fill it with water, firstly to get rid of all petrol and fumes, before checking for leaks. The tank can be welded to close off any holes but make sure that this is done by an expert or the tank may blow up in his face.

2. I am not sure of the mechanic diagnostics, but it may be just a connector problem and you may want to get person familiar with vehicle electronic systems, to check out the harness connectors because a poor connection can give the same indications. Regarding the handbrake, there is a switch attached to it indicator whether it is up or down. Check it out to see whether it is adjusted correctly and not triggering when it should not.