flores argued he had an expectation of privacy in his gas tank. but the court pointed out that a reasonable expectation of privacy is diminished at the international border. "it is difficult to imagine how the search of a gas tank, which should be solely a repository for fuel, could be more of an invasion of privacy than the search of the automobile's passenger compartment." flores also pointed to the potential of a search like the one at issue in this case to cause damage to the vehicle. but the court replied that the searches are not truly destructive, and that there was not a single accident among the "many thousands of gas tank disassemblies that have occurred at the border." a gas tank search is a brief procedure that can easily be reversed without damaging the vehicle, and if by chance the vehicle were damaged in the process, the owner could sue for damages.