Gas Capless car

[Gary Fowler]

tad un-easy of a non-lockable gas cap. been waves of thieves over years siphoning out gas.

Most locks are just giving the user piece of mind that something is safe. A few months back we put in a gate to get outside our property on the wooded side so we could clean the fence line on the back side. While we were putting it up, brother in law unknowingly dropped the lock key on the back side of the gate and didn't find it till after he locked the gate. While he was searching around in pockets etc looking for said key, I took some pliers, cut off a piece of electric fence wire, bent the end and opened the lock. He did find his key on the backside of the fence once I opened the lock. Some folks at a job made a lock pick that would open just about any padlock, including file cabinets and desks. It was made from 2 pieces of 1/8" electrical "fish tape) One piece was the lever to turn the lock and the other fit on top of it and you simply moved it back and forth stroking the tumblers till it popped the lock. It worked just like the battery vibratory type that you see the folks use on TV where they stick it in the lock, push the button and the lock pops. Most key locks work the same way with only one tumbler holding the lock closed. I saw a locksmith make a key for my jobsite truck once using a three cornered file and a pair of vise-grips with a blank key. He just gripped the blank with the pliers, put it in the lock, twisted it back and forth then filed out the areas that showed contact. Repeated that a couple times then opened the door and did the same thing for the ignition. Once he got the key filed down to work, he then took his hand key making machine that had a series of numbers that dialed in the cutters, set it clipped each tumbler location and keys were made. Had to do it on both sides for the Ford key but only needed one side cut for it to work. Took him all of 5 minutes to make both door and ignition keys and an extra set for the key box.

 

[k0ua]

Most locks can be easily defeated with some thought and expertise... I wrote out a bunch of other "examples" but decided perhaps that was not a good idea.

 

[LD1]

If anyone has ever tried to siphon gas out of a newer vehichle (for legal reasons like replacing a fuel pump) it is a PITA. There are anti-siphon screens in the filler neck that takes a pretty stout hose and some time to get throught. And that stout of a hose usually dont flex enough to make the bends and turns. So now thieves just crawl under the vehichle (usually a truck or suv) and punch a hole in the tank. Thieves are lazy. And it is easier. Personally, I'd rather they siphoned my tank. Its cheaper in the long run.

 

[mjncad]

Personally, I'd rather they siphoned my tank. Its cheaper in the long run.

Plus you get the satisfaction of knowing there is a good chance they got a mouthful of gas, and hopefully swallowed it.