lexus-is2

My 2006 IS250 when I’ve been driving for a while. I can smell fuel smell that I can only smell from the rear left side by the petrol cap area. I can’t smell it inside the car though but just outside the rear left door the smell is quite strong.

any ideas what the issue is?

Bluetheron

You may have a slow vapor leak around the fuel cap. How old is it?

lexus-is2

Fuel cap is still the original factory fitted one from 2006 with almost 200k miles.

Yodog

Could be your rear trunk flaps need to be replaced. Good chance the rubber disintegrated completely

lexus-is2

but the smell does not make it inside the cabin. It can only be smelt outside when standing by the rear door close to the gas cap

Gville350

iTrader: (10)

At least in the US, wasn't there a recall a while ago regarding the fuel filler neck?

Yodog

there was?

I got the same issue I think, but I just attributed it to maybe a leaking exhaust gasket or something

lexus-is2

An update on this: I purchased a new replacement OEM gas cap and replaced it and surprise surprise I don’t smell any fuel at all anymore. Maybe too early to confirm for sure but usually I’d always smell it once car has been running for a bit.

question for the experts, if it was the gas cap, why exactly does that happen? Like I’ve heard if gas cap is faulty it should trigger a check engine light which I never had. How exactly is rich fuel smell getting out through a cap? And the old cap everytime I would open it I could hear like a pressure release, so it did seem like it was holding the system pressurised