MDchanic

Hi. Just talked to my old man. He just got settled in his time share on Key West. 83°. Grrrrrrrrr .

He told me that he noticed 2 light bezels missing from the front of his new top-of-the-lineToyota minivan that he knows were there two days ago. He says he looked at them, and he can't see how they could have popped off on their own, so he thinks they may have had some "help" while he was parked at a motel overnight.

Anyone ever hear of this?
Are thieves out prowling the streets of the South looking for new car trim?
Are they actually after something more, like light assemblies?

We're both kind of baffled, and of course, now he's got to go to the dealer and "assume the customer position" in order to get new ones .

Thanks,

- Eric

projectheaven

Unfortunately it's a high possibility that he has become a victim. You'd be surprised at what thieves will steal be it new or old. I've had friends and family come out in the morning and be missing trim,lights,fender flares and so on.
The worst is I've been to a few Good Guys car shows out my way and when the spectators return to their beautiful classic cars in the parking lot theres parts missing. I remember a few years back one Olds guy who had a beautiful convertible 70 cutlass parked in the spectator lot and was robbed of his intake and carb. That was not a very good day for him to say the least.
We have one going on this weekend which i plan on attending tomorrow and I'm going to click the alarm twice and remove my steering wheel. (Thank you Grant security systems)

Oldsmaniac

Nothing new here in Trenton NJ, of course steelin hubcaps goes way back, batteries, alternators. A neighbor got in her car to go to work and half way there the engine didnt seem right. She pulled into a gas station and the guys popped the hood to see her radiator was gone!



Some years ago my wifes 96 Fleetwood was parked on the street. During the night I heard something so I looked out the window. Saw a car there behind hers with the headlights on and the car was angled strangely. I turned on my porch light and they sped away. Next morning I saw the rocker molding almost totally off.

MDchanic

I've heard of things like batteries and fancy wheels, and of using a battery powered SawzAll to cut out the catalytic converters for scrap value, but I guess I'm a bit surprised by people stealing minor trim parts.

- Eric

Aron Nance

During the early monring hours last night someone broke into a Jeep across the street and stole $1000 of new/cleaned clothes; then stole the '09 Ford P/U sitting beside it! And we live in a pretty nice neighborhood, by the way. Odds are the pick-'em-up-truck is either parted out, or in Mexico as we speak. What a world we live in today. Sad, but true.

Rickman48

Whie working at an exhaust warehouse, I got a call from a Chevy dealer about new catalitic converters.
Seems a truck, while parked, making deliveries, had his converters cut off, obviously with a portable sawsall!
They were the 1st year, and since the truck was still in production, were on national backorder! ALONG WITH 30 OTHERS ACROSS THE COUNTRY!
How do you stop that??
Frikkin thieves!!!!!!!!

Indy_68_S

We have that here too. Every month or so there's another TV news story about it. Seems like Tundras are the target of choice...

With the price of even small trim pieces, I'm not surprised.

Catch them & remove their hands. 0 recidivism rate.

MDchanic

Can't argue there. The B$#%ch of it though is when they steal them from an out of state car parked at a motel - nearly zero risk that that person will ever catch them, or even file a complaint if, as in this case, the theft wasn't even recognized until a few days (and sates) later.

- Eric

Wyze

x2!!!!!

Lady72nRob71

I have heard of this a lot. Nothing is safe around here...
My Caddy lost a center cap when at a restaurant about 5 years ago. I was then ripped off by an ebay scammer when I tried to get a replacement cap.

Hmmm.... List new car part on ebay, wait until someone wins it, then steal that part off someone's car, drop in mailbox.................
Makes me wonder...

Texas442

Yes, last year, my F250 was stolen in the daylight from a restaurant parking lot. It was found on the border of Mexico a little over 2 weeks later, partially stripped

Bluevista

Since when is thieves removing parts from parked cars a new thing??

Whenever they start removing parts from moving cars would be the time to start worrying.

ELY442

and of using a battery powered SawzAll to cut out the catalytic converters for scrap value

That's right. Its been happening in Long Island, NY. People will park their cars or SUV's in the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) parking lot to go to work and when they come back from work, they start their car up and it will sound like they have open headers. The converters have precious metal (magnesium, titanium, etc) in them and when they sell it to the scrap metal yard, they can get $250-$300 a piece. Now SOME scrap metal yard will not accept them if you come in just a converter in your hand. They know its been stolen off a person's car.
I also been hearing that with this gas prices going up to $5 a gallon soon, be prepared that they will drill a hole in your gas tank (while you're sleeping, shopping, etc) just to steal gas out of your cars. No more sucking gas out of the fill tube. They get a cordless drill and a drain pan and drill a big hole in your plastic gas tank.

Texas Jim

The thieves take orders and then go out and steal the items ordered by people through other people. These thieves don't even have to stock inventory. If you knew the "hustlers" in your area, you'd beable to find out who took your parts when they're missing.
Also, who steals from crumby neighborhoods? The thieves go to the good neighborhoods and steal the good and new stuff. So, rich suburbia is the "target." As a kid in the '60s and early '70, no one ever touched my Mom's car because we lived on the "less desirable" side of town and I knew all the thieves, they went to school w/ me. Yes, back then most of the thieves' mothers made them go to school. LOL! Now days, kids are running more wild then ever, can't spell "school," and your valuables are at greater risk. (And these days, young adults, in many cases, don't have the brains of yesterday's kids, so they're out there stealing too.)
It really sucks!

coltsneckbob

I have installed a new anti-theft device in my vehicle. If you try to remove a part or steal the car a group of spiders with a paralyzing venom are released. The bite won't kill you but you can't move. Soon thereafter a nest of flesh eating ants is released they will slowly consume the thief over the course of the next several hours.

bccan

When Acura came out with the 99 TL the HID headlights became a hot item to steal. Thieves usually ruined the fenders & bumper cover, sometimes the hood & radiator suport too. Repairs averaged $3500-5000. Seemed to happen mostly @hotels in NY & NJ. We fixed a lot of those back then.

Drilling gas tanks has gotten less risky, most of them are plastic now - no noise & no chance of spark. Most necks have had a check valve or are restricted as of late so syphon hose won't usually get into tank.

Dealer lots have been getting killed for wheels & converters for years. Tough to keep up w/ motivated thieves.

coltsneckbob

I know what you're saying, but "motivation" is a word I find hard to associate with a thief.

citcapp

backup cameras are a hot item. On ford pickups the thieves steel the whole tailgate. The replacement tailgate is 4K or higher installed

ozoneblue

Glad we live in the boonies.We dont have alot of problems with our vehicles as 99.9% homeowners are armed Its our livestock out in the pastures we have to worry about. Yes cattle rustling

mike's88

As said, if it's not bolted down, some azz will steal it. Sad state we live in today.

Cameo White

When I lived in LA in the 90's that was a common ploy to see if you noticed your alarm going off or not. Friend of mine had the headlight trim rings on his 911 stolen one night. The alarm did go off, but nobody paid attention. The night after the new ones were put on, they came back and took the whole car.