Author Topic: Fuel Thieves (Read 2818 times)

Toolman · « **on:** May 28, 2008, 01:55:53 pm »

Heard a warning on local news today. Locking fuel caps won't always work. If you own a vehicle with high ground clearance (pickups, Vans, etc) . Crooks are using pointed chisels to poke holes in fuel tanks and draining fuel into fuel cans.
Some cases have been reported where cordless drills used on diesel tanks. Alot of newer cars with plastic tanks are also being drilled. One guy had a 38 gal. tank that was full. Someone appeared to fill five gallon can and let the rest drain out onto the ground. It was a diesel pickup. If you see anyone walking around with cordless drill, hammer and chisel and fuel can, be suspicious. Geez, what's next.

ely · « **Reply #1 on:** May 28, 2008, 02:25:20 pm »

i hope they have the toughtfulness to have quality tools with them. i do not really want any cheep cordless drills. as i intend to confiscate them on site.

flip · « **Reply #2 on:** May 28, 2008, 02:59:13 pm »

I have been working dad to put in some security cams at work to catch lot damage on customer cars. Now that fuel is so high it becomes more of a necessity. We have a couple hundred cars, trucks and big trucks on our lot that are easy prey for these scuz ball petro. thieves. Easy to do several hundred or even thousands of dollars of damage in just a few minutes.

zopi · « **Reply #3 on:** May 28, 2008, 03:13:14 pm »

Shoot 'em on sight...with a nail gun.

Tom · « **Reply #4 on:** May 28, 2008, 04:19:21 pm »

High fuel prices have brought on another "business" venture to the filling stations too.

Almost every time I fill up now, there is at least one person that will confront me and ask for money or gasoline to get their poor sick mother home. Example: They live in Daytona and had to go to Pa. to pick her up from an abusing situation. They got this far back and don't have enough gasoline to get any further. She is an invalid. Her parking tag is hanging from the mirror. They haven't had anything to eat in three days.

I hate to turn people like that away, but why are there so many of them hanging around the pumps now? Where is their car?

One girl was out of gas and wanted enough (about $20) to get to a nearby community because she was worried about her Daddy. She'd been calling him on the cell phone and it keeps going to "message".

One guy drove up and asked for money to get to the Navy Base on the other side of town. He obviously wasn't military. If he was, he needed to be sent back to Boot. All the time he was delivering his spiel, his engine was running. The inside of the car reeked of "mary-jo-anna". He should have at least taken down the roach clip from his mirror.

This is beginning to remind me of the fellow holding the sign at the Expressway exit, "will work for food".

It's not like you can flip the guy a quarter for a hamburger anymore. Being a good Samaritan costs a lot of money today.

Dave Shepard · « **Reply #5 on:** May 28, 2008, 08:25:24 pm »

As tough as it is too buy fuel, I don't see too many people changing their habits. Tom, I would have told that guy to see if his car would run on that reefer and to budget his money better.

Dave

zopi · « **Reply #6 on:** May 28, 2008, 08:44:44 pm »

a good panhandler, can make upwards of sixty bucks an hour.....FWIW.

Don_Papenburg · « **Reply #7 on:** May 28, 2008, 11:48:13 pm »

Someone tried to steal gas outof my diesel tank a while back. I got to thinking that I should set up a gas barrel just for the unjust . Fill the hose with gas and the fill set up with a pipe pluged at the bottom and put gas in that . a flimsy lock on the valve so that they can enjoy the act of thivery and tell their friends how dumb I was to put such a flimsy lock on the gas tank. Then I was thinking that I would fill the tank with use antifreeze. Think it will work?

ely · « **Reply #8 on:** May 29, 2008, 08:44:36 am »

i have a friend that keeps losing gas out of her suburban, i think i am going to put a five gallon can of gas out by the lawnmower in the yard to save them the trouble of siphoning it out of her truck. i figgure if i put 4 pounds of sugar in that jug it should fix the problem of whomever is using the gas.

flip · « **Reply #9 on:** May 29, 2008, 09:43:24 am »

One of our sales ladys has a truck that her husband drives and it was mysteriously losing gas. They knew becuase hubby used a gas card and filled up when he was empty montly bill was around $300. Come to find out in the end the little delinquents that drove the 4 wheelers and motor bikes around at night were making pit stops with a suction hose. She never caught them but after putting locking gas caps on monthly fuel bill went to $150. I told her to put out a can of "gas" that was easy to get to and put in 3lb of sugar and the first guy she saw pushing a 4 wheeler home was her guy. Way the laws are she probably would have been sued

ely · « **Reply #10 on:** May 29, 2008, 10:51:24 am »

i will take my chances in the court flip. i would almost bet money it will be someones dad who gets the ruined engine in my case. and i would like to have some alone time time with them to discuss parenting skills amoung other things.

flip · « **Reply #11 on:** May 29, 2008, 11:16:00 am »

Society is so messed up that I could easily see the dad blaming the victim and at least trying to sue in open court. You know, little Johnny is an angel and would never do anything like that

ely · « **Reply #12 on:** May 29, 2008, 11:31:04 am »

i know exactly what you mean, you see that sort of frivoluos lawsuit all the time. mostely from the fine folks that draw their nickel from state checks and the sort. seems there is always a lawyer that is more than ready to pursue that trek for them. no offense to our lawyers here, i'm just sayin........................

Modat22 · « **Reply #13 on:** May 29, 2008, 01:12:39 pm »

This might be awful but lately when I'm approached by a needy person at the pump I pretend to be deaf and dumb.

Toolman · « **Reply #14 on:** May 29, 2008, 03:37:58 pm »

Was approached last night across the street from a gas station while walking into Tractor Supply. You should have heard the line of crap some creep layed on me as to why he needed $10.00 for gas. His car out of gas 2 blocks away, his mother is in jail and needs to bail her out.....it went on and on.

I finally chuckled and told him he needs practice on the art of Bulls....in. This guy must of thought I rolled off of a turnip truck. I call it cheap entertainment.

Timburr · « **Reply #15 on:** May 29, 2008, 07:41:32 pm »

In the UK, a large proportion of our cars have diesel engines and fuel theft from central heating tanks seems to be the new trend.

Whilst we were having lunch today, a fuel theft discussion came up on the radio. Some bloke emailed into the station to report an attempted fuel syphoning out of his motorhome. He was asleep and was disturbed by them fumbling. Not confronting them, because he was an elderly gentleman, he stayed put until the coast was clear. He then investigated the damage and discovered they had only dropped their syphon pipe into the motorhome's toilet tank....

StorminN · « **Reply #16 on:** May 29, 2008, 09:03:39 pm »

Timburr,

That sounds awful! Talk about instant karma!

Just curious... how much have fuel prices gone up there in the UK in the past six months?

-N.

Furby · « **Reply #17 on:** May 29, 2008, 11:10:01 pm »

Mythbusters proved that sugar in the gas tank doesn't do anything, so don't waste your sugar/$.

Cedarman · « **Reply #18 on:** May 30, 2008, 05:01:05 am »

Now just what would happen if you put a couple handfuls of fine sawdust in that gas jug? Would it hurt the fuel pump or just clog the filter? Anyone ever have their sawmill engine sputter trying to suck gas through a clogged filter?

Toolman · « **Reply #19 on:** May 30, 2008, 06:20:08 am »

I'll bet sand will do the job. Those injectors don't like that.

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Author Topic: Fuel Thieves (Read 2818 times)