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Howdy! So I have a 2016 VW Jetta with a leak in the gas tank. I think I found the hole, which is in the dark spot in the photo, but my question is this: is the yellowish material around the dark spot some sort of epoxy? I'm trying to figure out what the material is first before I try to attempt to remove the material and make a repair.

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    If it's a 2016 shouldn't this still be under warranty?
    – GdD
    Dec 5, 2019 at 11:37
  • I'd be VERY surprised if a 2016 VW Jetta has a metal fuel tank that can be welded. Nearly all recently manufactured autos use HDPE (i.e. plastic) fuel tanks as they are lighter and less expensive to manufacture than metal ones. They also don't corrode but they can be punctured by road debris.
    – jwh20
    Dec 5, 2019 at 16:36
  • GdD, unfortunately, I'm not the first owner. I bought this car last December. Also, this is the first car I've ever bought and I bought it as is, which from my understanding means there's no warranty. At the time, I didn't think it would be a problem because it's a 2016. So I didn't anticipate any problems like this.
    – Clueless_Jetta_Owner
    Dec 5, 2019 at 17:20

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Judging by the quality of repair it looks like an failed attempt of an DIY fix. Generally leakages in tanks are fixed by welding, which requires the tank to be drained completely. Epoxy or putty to cover up fuel tank damages is fairly an amateur and dangerous attempt.

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  • When welding petrol tanks, it is best to fill with water after draining and have the minimum volume free of water where the weld will take place. Otherwise the meatl releases explosive vapors.....
    – Solar Mike
    Dec 5, 2019 at 7:33
  • Good idea, it will also reduce warpage of the thin sheet metal due to heat from welding.
    – Arka Patra
    Dec 5, 2019 at 14:19
  • Thanks for the response Arka Patra! And thank you, Solar Mike, for the welding tip!
    – Clueless_Jetta_Owner
    Dec 5, 2019 at 17:27
  • While I agree overall with your assessment, I only agree to the point of it being a metal fuel tank ... Most vehicles made in the modern era are plastic high-density polyethylene (HDPE) made by blow molding, at least in passenger vehicles, such as what the OP describes. This switch was done to save weight. Using epoxy to fix something like this is a good stop gap measure, however, this tank needs to be replaced. (and now I see jwh20 beat me to the punch!)
    – Pᴀᴜʟsᴛᴇʀ2 ♦
    Dec 5, 2019 at 18:43

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