Add me to the cracked fuel tank list

the 1200 has other problems. don't worry the f800gs is a great bike. But since we are experiencing a new theory, did you use the ethanol 10 thing?

Pretty much all gas stations in my area have the ethanol added. But every chance I got on the way to Alaska I would get the nothing added good stuff. The crack is small at this point, but the length of the right side. Could octane rating be an issue?

I ask because it takes more heat to ignite a higher octane fuel meaning it won't expand as much as the lower octane fuels less than 89 in the fuel tank. Does that make sence?

Took the bike in and had a new tank installed. The replacement number is 16-11-7-704-799. We will see how this one does.

Stacy

thanks a lot for your feed back!

Thanks for posting Stacy!
Mine was replaced under warranty last fall and that is the same P/N that was listed on my work order.
Now, a year later, my new tank has a small crack ~ 3/4" long on one side.

AFAIK there is no formal "recall" on the tank, but a cracked tank gets replaced under warranty as a"regular" defective part. I've not heard of any owner getting any pushback on the issue.

In a properly working system I would not expect the octane rating to play a roll in the cracking because the tank has a special 2-way vent valve that limits pressure build-up to a certain pressure (2.2 PSI?) and then vents it. ...
but that's just an opinion

my warranty expires at the end of the month... good thing i noticed the cracking 2009 tank with just 2 weeks to go (it's the original.. bike has 8500 miles)

odd the service tech wasn't familiar with the problem when i called to make the appointment..
i guess that's Standard Response #1: "Never seen THAT before"

How does one know if you have a cracked fuel tank. The obvious would be a severe loss in fuel economy but are there obvious visual signs? Mine is 2 years old and I am wondering if I should ask for this before my warranty expires?

of course there visual signs: just look at the posts of this thread with the pictures or even other threads that have been posted in this forum. You'll recognize it once it happens:

Just noticed yesterday that my 2012 Trophy has a crack on both sides of the fuel tank. Not what you want to see on your new bike that you've only had for 800 miles! Dealer has already ordered a replacement.

Add my 2011 with 12k miles to the list. Wife's 2012 is safe so far [knocks on wood].

Its seems that even the new F700GS are not immune to cracking tanks so they can't have got to the root of the problem yet

http://f800riders.org/forum/showthread.php/89781-600-mile-service-on-my-F700GS

I have a three month old 2013 with 2500 miles on it. It hasn’t even seen a good pot hole yet let alone a dirt road. My tank is cracked down the entire left side. Whatever BMW has done to remedy this five-design-year-problem isn’t working. It’ll go into the dealer next week for a replacement under warranty but then what? Repeat problems are apparently not that uncommon and BMW’s redesign is apparently no better than the designs on the ‘09s, 10s, 11s, and 12s. You just can’t keep replacing poorly designed tanks with new poorly designed tanks until the warranty runs out and then say oh well consumer you're screwed so sorry. <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-comfficeffice" /><o></o>
Honestly I love to ride this bike but for the rest of my ownership I’ll always have that nagging concern in the back of my mind of “when will the new tank start to crack”. HEY BMW IF YOU’RE LISTENING, HOW ABOUT LIVING UP TO ALL YOUR WIZ-BANG ENGINEERING, QUALITY DESIGN AND BUILD HYPE, AND YOUR PRICE TAG, AND MAKING THIS RIGHT ONCE AND FOR ALL.<o></o>
When Toyota starts making bikes I’ll buy one. This is my second GS and unless something really changes in Bavaria, likely my last BMW.<o></o>

Do you have some pics?

My tank is 3 years old and has been thru hell and back. No cracks.
I think it is a quality issue with the mold process. If you overheat the plastic to flow faster into the die to speed production you can get brittle failures. Just check out zip tys - you can get a batch of over cooked ones that snap anytime you flex them gently.

Credx2:
Just offering an opinion....
Until the crack either gets seriously big (starting to gap open), or your warranty is about to expire,
I would consider ignoring it ....

Who knows BMW might come out with an improved design between now and the end of your warranty,
at which point you could get the new design .... If that does not happen get your warrantied item just before the 3-year warranty expires ... I am told BMW warrants all parts (except wear items) for two years from date of installation which would give you a much longer "window" in which BMW might get the details worked out...

There's a poll on f800riders that is overwhelmingly showing US spec bikes (74:2 at the moment) I have a US spec bike in Europe and I've never used ethanol fuel. 12,500kms knock on wood no cracks yet

That carbon canister is coming off as soon as the warranty is up as well

Most of the time I use ethanol gas (often nothing other there) and still after 25000 (knock on wood aswell) nothing happend. Can't imagine from what this can come.

I can't let it go that long I’m relocating to Europe in the summer and the bike is going along. BMW USA, via my dealer says the warranty is not valid outside the US. (Fortunately the dealer in Ankara says they will honor the warranty. I guess I’ll find out definitively once I get there and am in need of a repair) <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-comfficeffice" /><o></o>
I'm not inclined to drive a brand new bike around with cracks in it after dropping that much money into a bike, I reserve the privilege of putting the first ding in it, not the manufacturer. They have had five years to get the tank redesigned correctly. I'm not optimistic they ever will.<o></o>

Correction the tank is cracked on both sides not just the left.