How LOW will car thieves go - see inside

[SpatiallyAware]

I had this happen a few months back, during lunchtime on a Friday. This is in a very busy parking lot and all that. A couple of kids parked next to me, pried the gas cap door open, and unsuccessfully tried to siphon my gas. ~$300 in damage (could've been much much worse..)

 

[DirthNader]

Nice welds on that exhaust.

 

[LTC8K6]

I thought everyone knew that you couldn't siphon gas from any relatively new vehicle, and by that I mean one younger than 20 years old.

That's why they drill a hole in your plastic fuel tank and drain it out instead.

 

[SpatiallyAware]

I thought everyone knew that you couldn't siphon gas from any relatively new vehicle, and by that I mean one younger than 20 years old.

That's why they drill a hole in your plastic fuel tank and drain it out instead.

Cop said they have something they poke down the filler neck to break off whatever it is that prevents it, or will only get a gallon or so before the gas level goes below the anti-siphon device

In my case it was a couple of idiotic kids, not professionals. They might've gotten a gallon or two at best before bailing.

 

[JCH13]

Actually, it's platinum, rhodium, and palladium. (<- ex cat-engineer here)

Sounds like science fiction

 

[TakeNoPrisoners]

Looks to me like they did him a favor.

Well we are all entitled to our opinions.

 

[mmntech]

Happened at the rental company I work for. They broke into our regional compound in the middle of the night. Cut a hole in the fence. Stole the catalytic converters off a dozen cars and trucks. The ones for the trucks are pretty heavy too.

Scrap metal is getting very valuable. They like the catalytic converters for the platinum. I can't imagine they have a lot in them, but it must be enough to justify that much effort stealing them.

 

[halik]

I had this happen a few months back, during lunchtime on a Friday. This is in a very busy parking lot and all that. A couple of kids parked next to me, pried the gas cap door open, and unsuccessfully tried to siphon my gas. ~$300 in damage (could've been much much worse..)

WTF where do you live?

 

[SparkyJJO]

I thought everyone knew that you couldn't siphon gas from any relatively new vehicle, and by that I mean one younger than 20 years old.

That's why they drill a hole in your plastic fuel tank and drain it out instead.

Disagree. I siphoned the tank to nearly empty (left only about a gallon or so in it) on my previous car after the accident. It had a nearly full tank of gas, I wasn't going to let that get lost. I used a proper siphon hose. It took a few minutes of tinkering around to get the hose down the fill neck but finally did and got 14 gallons of fuel out of it.

Granted, it was a small diameter plastic hose, and it took forever to do (not something you could do in a couple minutes for sure) but it is possible. Didn't damage anything in the fuel neck either.

 

[LTC8K6]

I can only assume the anti-siphon / rollover device was not on the vehicle or it was damaged. With an anti siphon device, there's no way you can siphon fuel out.

I suppose it's possible that some vehicles do not have them in the fuel filler tube.

 

[alkemyst]

Happened at the rental company I work for. They broke into our regional compound in the middle of the night. Cut a hole in the fence. Stole the catalytic converters off a dozen cars and trucks. The ones for the trucks are pretty heavy too.

Scrap metal is getting very valuable. They like the catalytic converters for the platinum. I can't imagine they have a lot in them, but it must be enough to justify that much effort stealing them.

Locally it's $75 per car cat, $115 per truck. Not sure where the real demarc happens.

When I sold my aluminum shutters at the scrap yard there were some sketchy looking people with big trucks and long flat trailers stacked with cats and other odd scrap.

You get paid cash, they are more fortified than any bank I have been at.

 

[alkemyst]

Disagree. I siphoned the tank to nearly empty (left only about a gallon or so in it) on my previous car after the accident. It had a nearly full tank of gas, I wasn't going to let that get lost. I used a proper siphon hose. It took a few minutes of tinkering around to get the hose down the fill neck but finally did and got 14 gallons of fuel out of it.

Granted, it was a small diameter plastic hose, and it took forever to do (not something you could do in a couple minutes for sure) but it is possible. Didn't damage anything in the fuel neck either.

Useless without qualifying the car...they'd have done better stealing your cat.

 

[Doppel]

I had this happen a few months back, during lunchtime on a Friday. This is in a very busy parking lot and all that. A couple of kids parked next to me, pried the gas cap door open, and unsuccessfully tried to siphon my gas. ~$300 in damage (could've been much much worse..)