Thieves are now drilling gas tanks?!?

[Even Steven]

Just watched a news story here in NY and it seems that thieves have started DRILLING holes into gas tanks to drain the fuel. And of course SUVs and trucks are prime targets because of their large fuel tanks.

If someone drills a hole in my gas tank, I hope it blows up in his face!:bash:

 

[PaulSula]

first of all, I don't know you but I am glad to see that you are posting something besides that silly squabble with Thai. Welcome back.

I am not really surprised that people are stealing gas by drilling holes, I mean they have been siphoning gas for years. I was really surprised when I read that people were stealing used oil from fast food restaurants to brew bio-diesel.

I will admit though, once Toyota does us all a favor and brings a good diesel engine to America I will probably be close to doing the same thing. :biggrin2:

 

[Ryan32]

Atleast where I live, i don't think the thiefs are intelligent enough to find the gas-tank.

 

[T?@\7]

most likely crack heads!

 

[Fo_SheeZy]

Got a link to the story?

 

[Even Steven]

Got a link to the story?

It was on CBS here in NY, but a quick web search came up with this AP story:



http://www.dailypress.com/business/dp-biz_punctured-gastanks_0528may28,0,2534358.story

 

[Even Steven]

So now we have three things to be worried about with our 4Runners:

1- Stolen spare tire/wheel
2- Stolen catalytic converter
3- Punctured gas tank

WTF?:bash:

 

[V8Limited4wd]

it seems like they target plastic tanks... anyone get their gas stolen? im sure its a matter of time before it happens to someone on this board. seems like thieves like targeting the 4runner.

 

[Even Steven]

Do we have plastic tanks? I know there is a plastic liner on the outside, but is it metal on the inside?

 

[V8Limited4wd]

Do we have plastic tanks? I know there is a plastic liner on the outside, but is it metal on the inside?

i believe 4runners started having plastic tanks starting in 2005 when they updated the v8 to vvti.

 

[Even Steven]

i believe 4runners started having plastic tanks starting in 2005 when they updated the v8 to vvti.

Source?

I'm not saying you're wrong, but I'm surprised that Toyota would switch over to plastic tanks in the middle of a generation. So the '03 and '04 models have metal tanks and the '05 to '08 have plastic tanks?

 

[V8Limited4wd]

i might be wrong... i thought i read that somewhere on this site.

 

[Kmvreter]

I haven't crawled under to look so I'll ask...

Don't we also have a metal gas tank skid shield? One more layer to drill through may act as a deterent.

 

[V8Limited4wd]

I haven't crawled under to look so I'll ask...

Don't we also have a metal gas tank skid shield? One more layer to drill through may act as a deterent.

yup the gas tank has a metal shield to protect it when offroading.

 

[Even Steven]

I haven't crawled under to look so I'll ask...

Don't we also have a metal gas tank skid shield? One more layer to drill through may act as a deterent.

I think you may be right. Here's what I found from Toyota:

7-layer plastic fuel tank, w/ steel outer liner

 

[Thai]

Most modern gas tanks are indeed plastic for safety reasons...less reason to spark or something like that in an accident. The plastic used is also harder to puncture...and lasts longer. Mercedes has been using plastic gas tanks for a while now.

My theory on why they target plastic tanks: Thieves appreciate the plastic tank because when you drill into a plastic tank, there is less chance of a spark. You would need to be ballsy to do so with a metal tank.

 

[Net4n6]

I hope car manufacture still use metal tank so it can blow up the thieves whom try to steal gas.

 

[mikehinthehouse]

that is crazy... the crap people come up with! hopefully they will leave or Runners alone... maybe they know we dont have large tanks and will target something like a Suburban or large truck

 

[Even Steven]

that is crazy... the crap people come up with! hopefully they will leave or Runners alone... maybe they know we dont have large tanks and will target something like a Suburban or large truck

I don't know about you, but my 4Runner has a 23-gallon gas tank, which is definitely considered large in this day and age. That's plenty of gas for the thieves to steal.

I wonder what they put it in when they drain it? Do they catch it in a pan? Imagine trying to pick up a pan full of more than 20 gallons of gas? LOL

 

[Fo_SheeZy]

Check this guy out....

Truck with trap door used to steal underground gas in Mercer

By Terry McCoy
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Wednesday, May 28, 2008

A gas thief had an "ingenious" scheme, but went back to the well once too often.
Police have seized a truck and trailer equipped with a trap door that was used at least three times to siphon thousands of gallons of diesel fuel from the underground storage tanks of a Tic Toc Food Mart in Mercer County, police said today.

"You got have a little respect for this," said Hermitage police Deputy Chief Edward Holiga. "It's a very ingenious way of doing things and I've never seen anything like this. Just ingenious."

After the most recent theft on April 28, the police department asked local television stations to broadcast a photo of the truck, which was captured by the gas station's surveillance cameras.

On Wednesday, investigators learned the rig was on the property of a man who owns an asphalt and trucking company across the border in North Bloomfield, Ohio.
No one has been charged, Holiga said.

Police suspect the thief parked the vehicle over storage tanks, opened a trap door veiled by rubber flaps that hang to the ground, and began sucking out the fuel with a make-shift tank hidden in the trailer. The vacuum was powered by the truck's engine, which masked the sound of the operation.

The fueling station lost nearly $5,000 in three thefts dating back a year.