velomoto Posted March 12, 2008 Share Posted March 12, 2008 With rising gas prices it was bound to happen - the Denver morning news is reporting several cases of people having the gas stolen from their vehicle. What's new about these gas thefts is the technique being used by the thieves. Perhaps the thieves are smarter than those from the 70's who used a hose and would suck the air out of the hose to begin the siphon process - and inevitably get a mouth full of gas with all of it's poisonous chemicals. This generation of gas thief is stealing the gas by drilling a hole in the gas tank and collecting the fuel. The end result is a completely disabled vehicle requiring repairs which will cost somewhere in the neighborhood of $500. It also seems the thieves have only been going after pickups and SUV which provide easier access to the gas tank due to their higher clearance, and these vehicles also have large gas tanks. Link to comment
mrduck Posted March 12, 2008 Share Posted March 12, 2008 Wow, drilling a hole in a full tank of gas??? Ever see the arc flash in your cordless drills? Don't think they're gonna last long doing that!!! Darwin was right! Link to comment
Francois_Dumas Posted March 12, 2008 Share Posted March 12, 2008 There were no POWER TOOLS in Darwin's time, so he might've be wrong Link to comment
T__ Posted March 12, 2008 Share Posted March 12, 2008 Velomoto, pretty difficult to siphon out through the filler neck anymore.. Most vehicles have long skinny convoluted filler necks & most vehicles produced in the last 15 years or so have some sort of roll-over valve in the filler neck or tank entry to prevent gas from gushing out in a rollover accident that severs the filler neck.. (pretty difficult to slide a hose down the filer neck anymore).. I guess gas stealing is bad enough but in my area here they are stealing catalytic converters from trucks & higher cars by sawing them off with a Saws-All.. Also been a lot of car jackings lately (might as well stick a gun in someone’s side & steal the gas car & all).. Twisty Link to comment
4wheeldog Posted March 12, 2008 Share Posted March 12, 2008 Wow, drilling a hole in a full tank of gas??? Ever see the arc flash in your cordless drills? Don't think they're gonna last long doing that!!! Darwin was right! I doubt they are drilling.....Punching a hole with a chisel would be faster/easier/make a bigger hole. Still risky, but it would be safer than the 'lectric method. Link to comment
zbassman Posted March 12, 2008 Share Posted March 12, 2008 Wow, drilling a hole in a full tank of gas??? Ever see the arc flash in your cordless drills? Don't think they're gonna last long doing that!!! Darwin was right! Of course if the thieves do blow themselves up while drilling a hole in a gas tank I am sure their surviving relatives will sue the manufacturer of the gas tank, the car manufacture, the dealer who sold it, oh and the owner for neglicent homicide. They should've put a sticker on the gas tank saying its dangerous to drill holes in the gas tank. Link to comment
Joe Frickin' Friday Posted March 12, 2008 Share Posted March 12, 2008 It also seems the thieves have only been going after pickups and SUV which provide easier access to the gas tank due to their higher clearance, and these vehicles also have large gas tanks. Indeed. How do you go about collecting 30+ gallons of fuel if you happen to pick a Navigator (or some other such monster vehicle) with a full tank? Can't fit a 30-gal bucket under there. They'll show up with six empty five-gallon gas cans? And then sit there for 10+ minutes to monitor the process? I thought thieves liked to be quick? Seems like a lot of risk for about $100 worth of fuel... Link to comment
Lets_Play_Two Posted March 12, 2008 Share Posted March 12, 2008 It also seems the thieves have only been going after pickups and SUV which provide easier access to the gas tank due to their higher clearance, and these vehicles also have large gas tanks. Indeed. How do you go about collecting 30+ gallons of fuel if you happen to pick a Navigator (or some other such monster vehicle) with a full tank? Can't fit a 30-gal bucket under there. They'll show up with six empty five-gallon gas cans? And then sit there for 10+ minutes to monitor the process? I thought thieves liked to be quick? Seems like a lot of risk for about $100 worth of fuel... You are assuming thieves are logical and intelligent. Link to comment
SageRider Posted March 12, 2008 Share Posted March 12, 2008 It also seems the thieves have only been going after pickups and SUV which provide easier access to the gas tank due to their higher clearance, and these vehicles also have large gas tanks. Indeed. How do you go about collecting 30+ gallons of fuel if you happen to pick a Navigator (or some other such monster vehicle) with a full tank? Can't fit a 30-gal bucket under there. They'll show up with six empty five-gallon gas cans? And then sit there for 10+ minutes to monitor the process? I thought thieves liked to be quick? Seems like a lot of risk for about $100 worth of fuel... You are assuming thieves are logical and intelligent. You also assume the thieves care. Most likely, it's punch the tank, fill whatever container is at hand, and then just let the rest dump on the ground. Link to comment
Francois_Dumas Posted March 12, 2008 Share Posted March 12, 2008 Perhaps they export it to Europe where we pay twice as much for a gallon/litre..... Link to comment
Rob L Posted March 12, 2008 Share Posted March 12, 2008 what is the price in Europe these days? Link to comment
leikam Posted March 12, 2008 Share Posted March 12, 2008 They'll show up with six empty five-gallon gas cans? With 3 people, a couple screwdrivers and a cargo van full of gas cans/containers, it wouldn't be hard to make off with a lot of gas. Link to comment
Boffin Posted March 12, 2008 Share Posted March 12, 2008 what is the price in Europe these days? Current UK price is $2:15 per litre for 95RON = $8;10 per US gallon. 98RON is $2:40 per litre = $9.09 per US gallon. Diesel is $2:30 litre = $8:70 per US gallon. The chancellor has just announced that he is deferring a 2p per litre increase in duty until October. Oh, that 2p will have 17.5% sales tax added.... Tea anybody? Andy Link to comment
g_frey Posted March 12, 2008 Share Posted March 12, 2008 It is very simple and cheap to use silicon rubber cement or aquarium sealer to plug a gas tank hole. My first fix has lasted over 20 years. If the hole is very big use a slightly smaller short pan head screw or bolt with the cement. The gas tank has to be empty and the hole area clean. I give it 24 hours to dry. Link to comment
big-t Posted March 13, 2008 Share Posted March 13, 2008 And then sit there for 10+ minutes to monitor the process? I thought thieves liked to be quick? Depends on the size of the drill bit Link to comment
catmandoo Posted March 13, 2008 Share Posted March 13, 2008 thats why i drive diesels.must punks drive gassers.they can steal my "gas" but they ain't gonna make it far. Link to comment
Francois_Dumas Posted March 13, 2008 Share Posted March 13, 2008 what is the price in Europe these days? In Holland even 3 cents more per litre than Andy's prices show.... I started putting 95 in the BMW again..... Link to comment
stu650 Posted March 13, 2008 Share Posted March 13, 2008 what is the price in Europe these days? I just spent $138 filling up our X3 this morning Stu Link to comment
tallman Posted March 13, 2008 Share Posted March 13, 2008 It also seems the thieves have only been going after pickups and SUV which provide easier access to the gas tank due to their higher clearance, and these vehicles also have large gas tanks. Indeed. How do you go about collecting 30+ gallons of fuel if you happen to pick a Navigator (or some other such monster vehicle) with a full tank? Can't fit a 30-gal bucket under there. They'll show up with six empty five-gallon gas cans? And then sit there for 10+ minutes to monitor the process? I thought thieves liked to be quick? Seems like a lot of risk for about $100 worth of fuel... You are assuming thieves are logical and intelligent. You also assume the thieves care. Most likely, it's punch the tank, fill whatever container is at hand, and then just let the rest dump on the ground. 20 gal minute hand powered Add a 50 or 100 gallon fuel storage tank in the van or pickup bed and easy to "make" $150 to $ 350 in a short time Link to comment
Husker Red Posted March 13, 2008 Share Posted March 13, 2008 Tim's got the right idea. If your going to do it, do it right. A pump and a huge tank on a truck are the way to go. Drilling a hole in the tank is for punks. Link to comment
Lineareagle Posted March 13, 2008 Share Posted March 13, 2008 Now IF I was of a mind to. I would be thinking like a parasite. Find a handy big rig, SUV, Pick-up. Install an auto tap in the tank in a handy location. Then tap the tank for 5 or 10 gallons every other day. Not enough to be noticed but enough to top up the bike. Latch on to a couple of vehicles and you could fill er up whenever you wanted. Not enough to cause more than a little concern about mileage on the part of your 'donor'. Link to comment
steve.foote Posted March 13, 2008 Share Posted March 13, 2008 Were I a crook, I'd go straight to the middleman. Link to comment
Husker Red Posted March 14, 2008 Share Posted March 14, 2008 True, that tanker makes my hand pump and a truck mounted tank look weak, but it's pretty hard to hide that tanker in the garage! Especially if you still live with mom. I started thinking about the logistics of stealing gas. It's not so easy. Everybody's broke these days, so most of the dang cars would probably be almost empty. I'd have to use a smaller diameter hose, so pumping would be slow work. Even with the big hand pump and two 75 gallon tanks I would be doing pretty good to get away with 150 gallons a night. I would have to sell it to folks at a nice discount so they are interested in "hot" gas, say at best $2 a gallon. Distribution is a hassle and greatly increases my chances of getting caught. 150 gallons x $2 = $300 a night. Divided in two with my accomplice. Dang. $150. Maybe I should just kill him instead? - $40 for beer cuz I ain't stealing gas sober. - $20 for munchies. - $30 for stimulants so I can stay up all night. - $5 for vehicle depreciation, tires, oil changes. (gas is free) - $20 payments on pump and tank. I just made $35 and had to work really hard all night to do it, plus risk going to jail and/or getting shot! Dude, crime really doesn't pay. I guess I might as well just stick with my day job. Link to comment
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