please help!! gas tank door is locked wont open

hi have a brand new 08 cayman with only 1200 miles, and all of a sudden just got a check engine light on, and go toworkshop nearest you which lights up. the gas tank is locked, the door doesnt open at all.. i dont understand.. anyone can help>? than k yu

Wow, sorry to hear about it... when you get a CEL (check engine light) that gives you the "workshop" message, it could be anything... you should call the Porsche Roadside assistance number - 1-800 porsche ... and have them tow it to the nearest dealer. that should be able to fix you up with a loaner if it's a warranty (more than likely) problem. Not sure what the fuel door locking problem is, but that seems the lesser of the problems.... get it to a dealer and have them figure out what's going on. brad

make sure your car is unlocked, the fuel door is locked when the car is locked.

Schwabe is correct. The lock has nothing to do with the CEL. It's tied to your door locks. Try locking the doors with your remote, then unlocking them.

There also has been at least one post that suggested something got stuck between the fuel door and body so check that as well. Be sure and report back when you have the cause.

If all else fails: open the passenger door,(in a left hand drive car) and look at the hinge area, there is a manual release for the fuel door.

A loose or missing gas cap will trigger a CEL. Your problems may be related if the cover is jammed by a loose cap .

+1 Sal, salesperson, at Pioneer Porsche , showed me this on checkout; I have to admit, I don't recall reading it in the manual though. He also said to make sure "three clicks" are heard on tightening or a check engine light might appear... Please report back if that fixed it... I am curious.

no the three clicks did not help. still cel on.im taking it in on monday, or i could wait till march 3rd when they will have a porsche loaner for me. if i take it in on monday i will get an enterprise car. i think i may wait till march 3rd.. what do yu think

Take it in now. It's probably somthing real simple. Have them check to see what the code is. If it's something simple (same day fix) wait for it. If it's something that will require more time, make an appointment for the 3rd.

Sounds like you did get the filler door open if you could try the "three clicks". Was it stuck or what?

"If all else fails: open the passenger door,(in a left hand drive car) and look at the hinge area, there is a manual release for the fuel door." I be darned - I have seen that and never knew what it was! Thought it was something to help with assembly. I don't recall reading that in the FAQ... Also I was at the dealer a few weeks ago and heard the service manager telling someone to reach up under the fender and pull on a cable to pop the hood - he said it was how to open the hood on a boxter when the battery was dead. Is this for older models or is this something that can be done on ours?

There is a cable in the front fender to mechanically release the trunk lock, but you have to remove the fender liner to access it. If it were easily reached (which it's not) the trunk wouldn't be very secure.

im taking it i ntomorrow, yes i finally did get the gas door open, and clicked it 3 times, which failed to be the problem .. cel still on

FYI, I've had a fault code on a 5 series BMW that had to be cleared, even when it was a loose gas cap , and I removed it and re-capped it. Good luck, and I hope it's a simple fix. John Cuellar

Don't rule out the gas cap yet. Fixing the problem generally will not clear the CEL or the "get thee to a workshop" warning. In prep for an out of town autocross I let the tank get down to 1/4 tank (less weight). Parking at the hotel was on a pretty serious grade. I ended up parking nose down. I went out the next morning to go to the autocross, cranked the car and the engine started stuttering. As soon as I backed out of the space and had the car more or less level the normal purr of the flat six returned, but the light was already on. I took it to the dealer the next day. They said it showed a code P300 - misfire. The service manager remarked that it wasn't uncommon to see this when fuel is low. The computer recorded that the car was essentially out of fuel. Hope your problem is similarly minor.

i had to move my appointment up to thursday.. couldnt make it in on monday, will be intouch about it.. are you all finding that your cayman is in need of alot of maintenance, ive heard these cars are always in the shop.. from a couple of people, what are your thoughts

In two years and 24k miles, my car has only been in the shop for oil changes, brake fluid flush and bleed (I track and autocross the car a lot) and the 20k mile service... other than that, it's been either on the road, the track, or in my garage. Despite the problem you have now, the overwhelming evidence is that you shouldn't have the car in the shop a lot, unless there's something terribly wrong with your individual vehicle. Let us know what's up after you take it in... brad

I have had no problems with my car in the 14 months we have had it. I wouldn't consider a Cayman or Cayman S an exotic car though. Just m,y opinion. An incredible, fun, beautiful fun machine but not quite an exotic. :banana:

ok, found out a carbon filter need ed replacement.. i believe this is all my fault, as i ve been in the habit of not filling the gas completley to the top and sometimes let it get down at quarter of tank. which yu just cant do for this car..

Great news that it wasn't something worse... did they replace it under warranty, I hope?

i just know since i dont drive the car too much i am not too cognescent of thegas tank, and known to leave it at a quarter or below.. ive learned my lesson i suppose. im going to start filling it all the way fro m now on, and hope the CEL light never comes on again, if it doesnt ill know that was the problem.. yes covered by warranty