Hi All again,

First, thanks a lot to all those who replied to my earlier thread on this problem with helpful clues and advice!

The not-so-exciting story with the tank goes on, since my mechanic found out that the filler neck of the tank is cracked! The 2-sided tank, i.e. the whole assembly, is made of plastic, and it needs to be replaced now. I can't think of anything that might have caused this to happen. The car has never been in a slightest accident so far. The crack at the very top of the tank certainly explains well why the problem with smell and leaks came back always right after each re-filling with gas.

As unusual as it seems and as unpleasant as it is, I'm waiting while they are getting the replacement tank. I would like to try to pursue it with Volvo further, since this seems to be clearly a manufacturer's defect, not officially recognized (there are no recalls on this) nor accounted for. The trouble may be that the repairs are done by an independent garage. They have a lot of experience with Volvos and other European cars, and I trusted them with my car for a while, being tired of the dealer's way. But Volvo may want to reject the case since the repair was not taken care of by the dealer. Can anybody think of a possible course of action that I may pursue to have Volvo investigate this problem and provide at least some remedy?

I will appreciate any advice and help, thanks in advance,

Anton.