Gas Tank Leak - 01 3.5

[donpiontek]

Have a black 01 3.5 with 120M miles on it. A year ago, my mechanic noticed gas stains around the upper part of the tank when it was up on the lift for service. This was confirmed by a strong gas smell when you fill it up. Theory is that the filler-tank connector has a crack so that gas leaks when the tank is topped off at more than 3/4 full. He feels that this is probably a dangerous condition. A spark in the area could be serious. However, getting to the tank requires dropping the entire rear suspension. He estimates this at about a $1,000 job, best done by a dealer.

Anyone have any experience with this?

[aurorabrain]

Yeah, get another estimate. That's way too much money, i work at a dealer.