UK-POLOS.NET - THE VW Polo Forum

Hey guys.

Bit of a mare this morning. Was filling up the washer fluid, had the filter cap resting just next to it then a gust of wind has pushed it downwards.

I can see the cap at the bottom of the car (photo attached). Will this cause any damage? Have tried fishing it out but no luck.

Lesson learned today...

Can you attach some high tack sticky tape to the end of a thin stick or cane and remove it that way?

In all my VW’s past and present, the washer fluid cap is attached to the neck of the washer fluid bottle by a plastic ring, so when you open the cap, it stays attached to the filler neck and can’t physically drop into the engine compartment. Have VW changed the design so it’s no longer attached?

SRGTD wrote: Sun Oct 13, 2019 2:02 pm Can you attach some high tack sticky tape to the end of a thin stick or cane and remove it that way?

In all my VW’s past and present, the washer fluid cap is attached to the neck of the washer fluid bottle by a plastic ring, so when you open the cap, it stays attached to the filler neck and can’t physically drop into the engine compartment. Have VW changed the design so it’s no longer attached?

Rummaging through the house now trying to find something that will reach!

Can't speak for everyone else but mine definitely wasn't attached to the main cap.

Stating the obvious, you won't know til you fish it out, plastic can take hard hits but can smash at the lightest touch. Try a length of straightened coat hanger or if there is a Home Bargains store nearby you can buy long-ish grabber devices for £1.25 I believe. It happens though. I once decided it was a brilliant idea to randomly check the oil level of my car. At nite. Using the torch on my fone. Yep, fone fell off top of engine into engine bay . But was easy to see as, well the torch was still lite. Fone was a bit scratched but ok. Now I check fluid levels via the bright yellow thing in the sky ....

Panic over. I've got it.

Coat hanger and some blue tack did the trick.

Why did you take the filter screen out of the top of the washer fluid tank, no need and now you see what can happen when you do.

I've only ever taken a washer fluid filter screen out once, and it was very difficult to do, and I only took it out to replace it with a new one as some dealer pushed a funnel through the original one and so torn it open!

S_94 wrote: Sun Oct 13, 2019 2:06 pm Rummaging through the house now trying to find something that will reach!

Can't speak for everyone else but mine definitely wasn't attached to the main cap.

Sorry, mis-read your original post; thought the filler cap had come off, not that the filter inside the filler neck had fallen into the engine compartment.

Glad you got it sorted, but as per RUM4MO’s post, I’m intrigued to know why you removed it when you can fill the washer bottle through the filter gauze without having to remove it.

SRGTD wrote: Sun Oct 13, 2019 3:06 pm

S_94 wrote: Sun Oct 13, 2019 2:06 pm Rummaging through the house now trying to find something that will reach!

Can't speak for everyone else but mine definitely wasn't attached to the main cap.

Sorry, mis-read your original post; thought the filler cap had come off, not that the filter inside the filler neck had fallen into the engine compartment.

Glad you got it sorted, but as per RUM4MO’s post, I’m intrigued to know why you removed it when you can fill the washer bottle through the filter gauze without having to remove it.

Just me being an idiot and not realising you could fill it through the filter.

I dare say many forum members will have made some form of school boy error at some point during their car ownership years - me included.

No harm done, and not something you’re ever likely to do again.

Yep - live and learn!

S_94 my gauze filter is not attached to the filler neck either. It has an array of teeth around the outside edge that look like they serve a perpose but there is no way of locking it in. I have nearly lost it every time i filled up as the foam bubbles from the screenwash fluid rise up the neck and push it out.

johnparker wrote: Fri Oct 18, 2019 7:13 pm S_94 my gauze filter is not attached to the filler neck either. It has an array of teeth around the outside edge that look like they serve a perpose but there is no way of locking it in. I have nearly lost it every time i filled up as the foam bubbles from the screenwash fluid rise up the neck and push it out.

Agree. This designe is absolutly worst I have ever saw. I always pour it slow and it always bubble to top like mad.

That's bad, I'm sure all previous versions of cars retained the filter assembly very well - I certainly had a seriously difficult job removing the torn one from my Audi S4 - needed to use long thin screwdrivers to eject the old one.

My older daughter's late 2009 Ibiza had a terrible blue cap for the washer reservoir - she, being a normal strength young woman, could never fit the cap back on so that it snapped closed completely - I think that that just shows that with VW Group's large worldwide manufacturing and supply facilities that while the design of any part can be fixed, it really does depend on the local supplier if that part always works as intended, a bit like the scabby fuel cap retainer tethers, SEAT ones look to well aged before them end up on new cars my daughter's late 2009 Ibiza tether broke by the time that car was 6 years old and the one on her new Leon Cupra looks badly aged when new, though the one of my wife's 2015 6C Polo does not look like it will last the 13 years that her last one did, the one on my 2011 Audi S4 looks as good as new at over 8 years old - possibly a change to "better" or newer compounds that is not being monitored.

Edit:- looking back at the OP's picture of the filter screen back in place - does it not need to get pushed further down into the neck of the washer bottle so that it gets retained, and if so, is that why other's are also noticing that it can float up and out when the fluid bubbles up when refilling that bottle, or is there now a design change to these washer bottles that has removed that feature accidentally?

It does not go any further. There are groves but too deep and smaller than "wings" at filter. So this is normal position and very easy to remove. Skoda filler cap look little more useful. Anyone know if it would fit?

Dark_cze wrote: Sat Oct 19, 2019 5:38 pm Skoda filler cap look little more useful. Anyone know if it would fit?

Looks very likely, good basis for a "group buy" if it does.