It’s tough times out there. Everybody is looking for ways to save money. Unfortunately, some of those people are accomplishing their goal dishonestly.
One of the new trends in the criminal community is to steal gas from cars and trucks. And the way they’re doing this is by crawling underneath the vehicle, drilling a hole in the gas tank and draining the fuel into a container.
Repair shops all over the country are reporting a sharp increase in fuel tank repairs and replacements as a result, too. Dale Fortin, the owner of an auto repair shop in Detroit, has been replacing a larger number of gas tanks in recent weeks. It’s almost becoming as common as driving off from the gas station without paying and siphoning gas out of gas tanks.
But this isn’t anything new. Mechanics and police officers who have been in the business for decades remember a similar fad that happened during the first oil crisis in the 1970s.
Unfortunately, Ford trucks and other large vehicles are the target of thieves. The main reason for this is because they sit higher off the ground. As a result, these derelicts of society can easily crawl underneath the vehicle and get what they want in a matter of seconds.
If you ask me, it really stinks that you can’t even have anything decent. Fortunately, there are a few things you can do to lessen your risk of being a victim, including:
• Parking in a well-populated and lighted area.
• Parking in an attended garage or parking lot.
• Park in different places so thieves can’t “case your truck.”
• Check the fuel gauge when you return to your vehicle to make sure you still have all your fuel.
