What can you put into Gas to screw up an engine?

[EMom]

So, OP, the moral to this whole story is put something in the gas can that could possibly be in there that will still wreak havoc with his car &/or engine.

Such as water or diesel fuel.

It's pretty clear...

OK Things
Diesel fuel
Water

Not OK Things
Sugar
Maple syrup
Honey
Sand

The average person does not tend to store their maple syrup in a gas can. This is not OK.

Having to change where I store my things on my property because I have a lowlife thug scum living down the street...also not OK.

Does anyone actually think that the LA police are even going to give the OP the time of day if he calls and says the nbeighbor kid stole my gas can? I would imagine the LAPD has much bigger fish to fry.

And quiksilver, this..."All I'll say is that if you have a law degree and you managed to pull anything but Bs in your 1L classes you should know that the intent issue for the OP does not necessarily turn on the intent of the thief to steal"....is a snarky comment.

At the risk of out-snottying quiksilver, (Is that possible? ) I graduated from a law school that most aspiring law students can only dream of attending. My grades were just fine. Sorry to burst your very overblown bubble. At said law school, we were taught not only theory, but how that theory functions in reality.

You can harp all you want about the OP intending to mess up the thief's car by putting diesel in a gas can, but unless she runs screaming that confession through the neighborhood, she's home free. No one would bat an eye at diesel in a gas can in the OP's own yard. What of it? Water in a gas can? Careless mistake of leaving the cap off. Again, what of it?

What is the thief going to say? They set me up because they know I've stolen from them twice before? (Well, being a *******, he just might. ) That would be confessing to stealing on THREE occasions. I'm sure the local police would give him a big thank you for making their job easier.

Again, there is no law against putting diesel in a gas can or leaving the cap off. Total deniability there. Did the OP know the kid would steal the can? No, she did not. And considering the law gives her the right to not incriminate herself, she doesn't have to say she halfway hoped the little demon would come back. The OP could have used that diesel at some point.

That is reality. Theory is what you yak about at dinner parties. Reality is what thwarts a gas thief. It also taught some scab in my dorm overseas to stop stealing my food from the fridge on the weekends, after I loaded it with somethin akin to Ex-Lax. I confess....I intended for anyone who stole food (with my name clearly labeled on it) to get horrible cramping diarrhea because I was tired of going hungry on the weekends.

 

[Jennasis]

I think "intent" refers not to the OP "intending" for the can to be stolen, but rather she the substance in the can with the "intent" of damaging the punk's car.

Like I said before, we'll theorize and huff and puff all day, but at the end, nobody here would really do what the OP is suggesting. We'd all go and put our gas cans away, MAYBE set up a hidden camera, MAYBE call the cops and file a report, and MAYBE confront the punk and his parents.

But the thread sure is fun anyway!

 

[EmmersIsTheMommy]

Um. I'm not so sure I wouldn't

 

[EMom]

Um. I'm not so sure I wouldn't

Ditto. Double ditto for DH.

It's Texas. Don't steal our stuff.

 

[HeShootsHeScores]

If you mess w/this kid and ruin his car, what's to stop that kid from slashing your tires? Keying your car? Smashing the car windows? Slashing the seats?

You put sugar, water or anything else into a gas can and he steals it and it trashes his car, he's going to know you sabotaged him and he will come back and do something even worse to your car. Is that what you really want!??!

Lock up the gas and be done with it. Better yet, don't leave gas around at all. And remember that while revenge can be sweet ... what goes around comes back around. Karma, baby.

 

[In a hurry]

If you mess w/this kid and ruin his car, what's to stop that kid from slashing your tires? Keying your car? Smashing the car windows? Slashing the seats?

You put sugar, water or anything else into a gas can and he steals it and it trashes his car, he's going to know you sabotaged him and he will come back and do something even worse to your car. Is that what you really want!??!

Lock up the gas and be done with it. Better yet, don't leave gas around at all. And remember that while revenge can be sweet ... what goes around comes back around. Karma, baby.

Karma? All the op would be doing is "messing" with her own gas can.

And we ALWAYS have gas around. That is what we use for the tractor, and the mowers, etc. We shouldn't be able to keep what we need, because some thief might grab it. Talk about blaming the victim!

 

[Cogswel_Cogs]

Well if you ever got brought to court and they asked you if you had a snail named Ralf.
I would deny it!
I would think that would be pretty incriminating evidence that yopu started this link!
I mean to cant be to many owners of a snail named Ralf with gas stealing neighbors.

 

[Cogswel_Cogs]

I would also think that there is a good chance that he is filling the car up for his dad/mom and then taking the money to buy drugs.

 

[eowensby]

I think it would be funny to remove the gas can but leave a 5lb bag of sugar, a gallon of water and whatever else might tear up the innerds of a fuel tank sitting in the place of the gas can...just to scare him if he did come back. Maybe it would cause him to think twice or at least scare him.

 

[N.Bailey]

Just wondering...

If someone breaks into my house and gets bitten by my guard dog, can the bitten-up trespasser sue me for his injuries?

If someone comes onto my property, steals my can of what he thinks is gasoline and it ruins his car, can he sue me?

What's the difference?

I can see the thief telling the judge, "she misled me into thinking it was gasoline because it was a gas can."

And the judge throwing the book at me, "madam, the law says you have to properly and correctly label your stealable items!"

You can sue anyone you want. If you don't like the way someone looks, you can sue them because you had to look at their ugly face if you wanted to. It certainly doesn't mean you'd get anywhere with such a suit, though.

As repulsive as it is, people have won suits after breaking into someone's home. I'd imagine most wouldn't get far though.

 

[In a hurry]

I think it would be funny to remove the gas can but leave a 5lb bag of sugar, a gallon of water and whatever else might tear up the innerds of a fuel tank sitting in the place of the gas can...just to scare him if he did come back. Maybe it would cause him to think twice or at least scare him.

You can't do that...they might be diabetic, go into a coma and then sue you...a "karma" thing, you know?

 

[Aisling]

You can sue anyone you want. If you don't like the way someone looks, you can sue them because you had to look at their ugly face if you wanted to. It certainly doesn't mean you'd get anywhere with such a suit, though.

As repulsive as it is, people have won suits after breaking into someone's home. I'd imagine most wouldn't get far though.

I can imagine this kid suing and Judge Judy having the case. She'd throw him right out after giving him a BIG piece of her mind!

 

[N.Bailey]

snip

*I should be able to order a hot cup of coffee and then sue you when I spill it on myself because the cup didn't say "hot" on it and who would have guessed that COFFEE IS HOT?*
snip

I concur with most of what you said, but the coffee issue wasn't as simplistic as you've stated here. There were major medical costs involved with skin grafting and such because the coffee was excessively hot. While I know it sounded pretty frivolous, it really wasn't.

The woman however wasn't awarded what she'd asked for because she was indeed partly to blame.

Compare that to the lawsuit of getting fat by eating there. It was tossed out due to the fact that it couldn't be proven that Mickey Dees was the only establishment responsible for the obesity. IMO, that was as frivolous as a suit comes and it was tossed for good reason, IMO.

 

[DisneyKT]

Wow - So you would screw up the parent's car - and possibly ruin it for good, because this kid stole some gas? Now, how is that getting back at him? Seems even more immature than the kid that stole the gas to me.

Very immature.

 

[In a hurry]

Very immature.

Originally Posted by Jenvenza View Post
Wow - So you would screw up the parent's car - and possibly ruin it for good, because this kid stole some gas? Now, how is that getting back at him? Seems even more immature than the kid that stole the gas to me.
Very immature.

Excuse me, but the OP wouldn't be doing anything to anyone's car. The thief would be, however.

 

[darlak]

This thread has been a very interesting read. I honestly can't believe that so many posters are concerned about what will happen to the thief's car.

I would go with adding the sugar...and my conscience would be clear. As for karma, well in this case, it would pretty much mean that the next time the OP steals something, they may well be in for an unpleasant surprise. So unless the OP is a thief, I’m thinking they’re safe from this one.

 

[EmmersIsTheMommy]

You know what WOULD be gold...watching the theif explain to his parents why their car won't work.

"Well you see..I stole some gas..."

 

[DisneyKT]

Excuse me, but the OP wouldn't be doing anything to anyone's car. The thief would be, however.

Excuse me, I could care less about the thief and I feel for the OP no one should be stealing your stuff. I don't care if its a used tissue. But act like an adult and call the police or talk to the parents.

 

[In a hurry]

Excuse me, I could care less about the thief and I feel for the OP no one should be stealing your stuff. I don't care if its a used tissue. But act like an adult and call the police or talk to the parents.

The police are busy (in most towns) dealing with things other than gasoline stake-outs. And the parents have already proven themselves to be lacking.

 

[phorsenuf]

Why not just put the gas can away instead of leaving it out? That way it can't get stolen, you still have your gas and it eliminates the possibility of getting in trouble.
Besides if something happens to the car and he goes after you he could always say you gave him the gas. It would then be your word against theirs. He could say that you have some grudge against them and you deliberately sabotaged them. Its really not worth it.