Posted on 03/08/2005 6:41:04 PM PST by nicollo
HEADLIGHT THEFT:
A man reported an attempt to steal headlights from his car while it was parked at his home on Short Beach Road in Stratford. The man told police Wednesday morning his 2004 Nissan Maxima had been damaged in the area of its headlights the previous night. Officers reported seeing pry marks and scratches on the car from an effort to remove the lights. The left headlight had been removed but the right one was still in place, police said. The man estimated the damage at about $2,000.
As ever, it's driven by the car shops that traffic in stolen parts.
I'm curious about individual stories and thoughts on what's really at stake here, and what role in it the mfg.'s ought to play.
This one time in band camp....
That's not really that odd to hear. I found the screws removed from the headlight bezel on my '85 Lincoln. They're chrome and apparently not easy to find in good shape. Luckily, Charger the wonder chihuahua must have scared them away. He was barking like crazy that night so I went out to check the perimeter. Maybe it was the sight of a 290 lbs angry guy walking around in his boxers that scared them off.
Here's another story of a hit on a NJ dealership -- they took 36 pairs of lamps:
Expensive headlights stolen from dealer lot
Police are investigating the theft of 36 pairs of Xenon head lamps from an Acura dealership on Route 18. The thefts took place around 9 p.m. Feb. 6. In addition to the headlights, suspects stole a brown Acura Integra from the dealership and damaged another vehicle while attempting to steal it, according to police .... The estimated value of the theft and damage is $200,000. The theft of Xenon head lamps has become common in the region, with several towns experiencing similar strings of thefts.
I'm curious about individual stories .....
When I was about 8, I had a turtle named Timmie........
Maybe it was the sight of a 290 lbs angry guy walking around in his boxers that scared them off.I'm trying to figure out if you'll make more money by hiring yourself out to defend the neighborhood that way, or by being paid NOT to...
Great story, lol.
BTCOOM; I've been an amateur photographer for almost 40 years and all my strobes use Xenon tubes.
This is the crap that really pisses me off! Some effing crackhead thief does far more in damage than the cost of replacing what he stole in the first place.
There was a bunch of stereo thefts by where I used to work. The thieves would smash windows and destroy dashboards for car stereos that maybe netted $20 at the pawnshop --enough to buy a couple of rocks!
It would be worth it to catch one in the act just to beat him within an inch of his life!!!
Leo, I think Old Professor answers your question...
Btw, anyone want to join my billion-dollar liability and trillion dollar damages class-action lawsuit against the American Trial Attorneys for maliciously draining the economy and the nation of money and reason?
And we all end up paying for it through insurance premiums. Any solutions? How 'bout this: what ought the manufacturers do?
I don't know what manufacturers can do about car stereos. In one instance a coworker's window was broken *despite* the fact she left her door unlocked! Her rational was that if they are going to steal her stereo they can at least not break her windows. Wrong! They broke them anyways. Another co-worker had a $90 removable faceplate stereo stolen. They took the faceplate and left the rest of the stereo --and broke his window!
The only thing I can think of is to have someone manufacture a car stereo that resembles an 8-track player circa 1974.
But I digress. This thread was about headlamps.
Well, actually, you make a good point in stereos. Mfgs actually did make adjustments -- remember the removable player? That was a big deal to the markets.
I'm thinking that since the Xenon lamps and all the damage are covered by insurance, and since their fix costs are well above the deductibles, there's no pressure on the industry to do anything about it. With radios, there was no insurance coverage, other than to fix broken windows, which, I'd bet, generally went for less than deductibles.
Turned on my '98 TransSport headlamps one misty evening last fall and the lights burned out almost immediately. Next day I found that someone had stolen (I guess) the plastic shields covering the lamps. No pry marks - I guess they used a toilet plunger or something to pop the suckers off. The mist had popped the unprotected bulbs. $369 to fix it.
On which side?
< ]B^)
I have had this problem with my headlights 3 times in 2 years and honestly, I'm sick of it. Not only, do you have to wait for the Acura parts, but your insurance goes up. It's annoying and Acura should be held responsible somehow. I own a 2000 3.2TL and I love the car, except for being scared that every time I come up to it, it has its headlights missing. I'm looking for a class action suit, so if you know of any please, let me know.
dcgatison@hotmail.com
My last vehicle had Xenon headlights and it's by far the feature I miss most. BY FAR. Weird how it doesn't bother me a bit to meet them at night.
MM
I'm curious as to why automakers ditched halogen lights.
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