Where can you get a locking gasoline cap?

[ImaFunMom]

Can you get them at an auto parts store or do you have to get one to fit your vehicle (like from the dealership)?

TIA!

 

[phins_jazy]

i'm pretty sure you can get them from autozone or somewhere like that.

 

[Hedy]

I was able to get one for my old car at autozone. It was around $17...I'm trying to decide if I want one for my new car. I mainly got my old one b/c at the time my car was at college and in a far lot, so I wanted to avoid siphoners-I knew someone in hs who got siphoned in the hs parking lot.

 

[disney1990]

There was a story on the new the other night about a car here in Maryland. They had a locking gas cap on their car. So the thieves punched a hole in their gas line to get at the gasoline. So instead of being out the cost of a tank of gasoline, they had a $1,000 repair bill for their automobile.

Oh my!

 

[bumbershoot]

Since we had our gas stolen something like 3 times about 2 years ago when this first started, we're definitely getting the locking gas cap.

If someone is malicious enough to puncture a tank, thereby causing the owner to take HUGE measures to protect their car in the future (and ending the potential cash cow like we were until we figured it out), they probably won't even check, and will just puncture it. So I'm not sure that having or not having a locking gas cap will bother that person.

As I mentioned in the thread about this started by someone who had their gas stolen at the Poly the other night, just go to an auto store, and either look up your car in their books for locking caps, or ask the employees to do it for you. Easy.

Just went to an online parts store, looked up Fuel Cap, and it brought me to a page to start looking for one for my car: http://www.autozone.com/N,16000145/shopping/partTypeResultSet.htm


Have fun!

 

[bluesaturn]

My gas cap was stolen when it was parked in a far lot on a college campus. My dad was able to pick up a locking one at an auto parts store, without fitting it to the car. Just want to warn you mine can be difficult to unlock during the winter, I guess because the lock freezes or something.

 

[polineedyan]

There was a story on the new the other night about a car here in Maryland. They had a locking gas cap on their car. So the thieves punched a hole in their gas line to get at the gasoline. So instead of being out the cost of a tank of gasoline, they had a $1,000 repair bill for their automobile.

Oh my!

$1000 bucks? For a broken fuel line? I got ALL new brake and fuel lines on my truck last year for $200..INCLUDING labor..

 

[iNTeNSeBLue98]

You can buy a locking gas cap from an auto parts store, but if you have a newer vehicle it's probably not necessary. DH has a 1988 Chevy S-10 truck. He had his gas stolen two or three times while will lived on a city street, so we bought the locking cap for about $18 to prevent further siphons. We have a 2003 Pontiac Grand Am too, and the thieves didn't target that car.

DH is a mechanic and says newer vehicles are designed to keep the gas inside the tank, which prevents pulling the gas back out in traditional manners, like siphoning with a hose. So you may not need to spend the $20 or so for a locking cap.


From Popular Mechanics:

An End to Gas Guzzling
Starting right after the 1973 oil crisis, most car manufacturers designed the filler necks of their new cars with a baffle a few inches down to prevent people from siphoning fuel. And just as well—the traditional method of starting a siphon by sucking on the end of the hose is a good way to aspirate gasoline and give yourself a case of chemical pneumonia.

Actually, this wasn't implemented on new car models until the mid-1980's (according to what I read online).

Also, many cars now have remote gas cap doors that open from the interior of the car or from the key fob, so those would not necessarily need a locking cap either since a thief wouldn't have access to the fuel filler without breaking the door.

 

[Belle1962]

You can buy a locking gas cap from an auto parts store, but if you have a newer vehicle it's probably not necessary. DH has a 1988 Chevy S-10 truck. He had his gas stolen two or three times while will lived on a city street, so we bought the locking cap for about $18 to prevent further siphons. We have a 2003 Pontiac Grand Am too, and the thieves didn't target that car.

DH is a mechanic and says newer vehicles are designed to keep the gas inside the tank, which prevents pulling the gas back out in traditional manners, like siphoning with a hose. So you may not need to spend the $20 or so for a locking cap.

That's what my son (former mechanic for GM) told me when I wanted a locking cap for my 2006 Malibu--that it wasn't needed. Now the vans at our park n ride have had gas siphioned out of them and they thieves did go in from under the vehicles. So that must be why (these are 2004 and newer vans) That is why we now leave our van almost empty over the weekend, adjust our time to leave ten minutes early Monday morning and gas up then for the week. If we stop midweek we try to put just enough in to get us through the week.

 

[WDWorBUST]

Wow!!! That's all I can say....it hadn't even crossed my mind that people would start stealing gas out of cars now. I guess I am just too trusting. I don't think where we live it's "likely" - however I will be watching my gas gauges and usage closer so that if I get "hit" I'll know it and I guess at that point I will consider a locking cap.

 

[sandisuze]

there are rotten people all over- we had a church in the next town have all their church vehicles/buses siphoned. At a church a bit south of us people were caught in the parking lots siphoning gas during worship services.

we have locking gas caps-
My FIL doesn't have one as he thought his was "siphon proof" and the other day his van read empty and he had just filled it up - well he thought that the gas was stolen - hubby went out and found it wasn't reading right did something and fixed it- even tho FIL has a newer van he went and got a locking gas cap. as a police office told me that crooks will find a way if they want it bad enough.

 

[momof1princess]

my grandmother's gas was siphoned out of her 2002 ford windstar a couple of times, so DH bought her a locking gas cap at advance auto parts. didn't stop the thieves-they just crawled under her front porch and stole the little 2 gallon gas jug she keeps filled to run her riding lawnmower instead. now when DH mows her yard, he takes his own gas jug and buys just enough gas to do the job, so they won't get much, if anything, when they try to siphon the lawnmower. IMHO, you have to be a real low-life to steal 2 lousy gallons of gas from an elderly widow.

 

[bumbershoot]

my grandmother's gas was siphoned out of her 2002 ford windstar a couple of times, so DH bought her a locking gas cap at advance auto parts. didn't stop the thieves-they just crawled under her front porch and stole the little 2 gallon gas jug she keeps filled to run her riding lawnmower instead. now when DH mows her yard, he takes his own gas jug and buys just enough gas to do the job, so they won't get much, if anything, when they try to siphon the lawnmower. IMHO, you have to be a real low-life to steal 2 lousy gallons of gas from an elderly widow.

You also have to be a neighbor, or staking out the neighborhood, to know about little gas cans under a porch. SCARY.


That's what was the worst for us, is that it had to have been one of our neighbors doing it. Many people were having their gas stolen in the night, it was a BIG apartment complex so it wasn't like we had *friends* there, but to think that someone you passed at the mailboxes and were friendly with could be doing that to you...just an awful feeling.

 

[DisFlan]

We've had several night time incidents of gas stealing in our neighborhood over the last month. (We're sure it's someone in the neighborhood.) I too was going to get a locking gas cap, but was told not to bother - I have a newer Dodge Dakota. My DH has an older Jeep Cherokee and aready has a locking cap. NOW I'm worried about someone going in from underneath my truck, or ripping up the side of my DH's Jeep. We've also not been leaving them full.

Maybe if we leave a $50 taped to the side, they would just take it and go away? (Like that's gonna happen.) Or maybe a sign that says, "No Gas Left in Tank Overnight".

DisFlan

 

[Illuminations_Rocks]

We've had several night time incidents of gas stealing in our neighborhood over the last month. (We're sure it's someone in the neighborhood.) I too was going to get a locking gas cap, but was told not to bother - I have a newer Dodge Dakota. My DH has an older Jeep Cherokee and aready has a locking cap. NOW I'm worried about someone going in from underneath my truck, or ripping up the side of my DH's Jeep. We've also not been leaving them full.

Maybe if we leave a $50 taped to the side, they would just take it and go away? (Like that's gonna happen.) Or maybe a sign that says, "No Gas Left in Tank Overnight".

DisFlan

Time to install some motion-sensored sprinklers around your vehicles..
I couldn't resist!

 

[bluesaturn]

I know some posters said a locking cap wouldn't be necessary for a newer car. This is probably true in terms of actually getting the gas out, but I have a 2005 and someone still stole the cap. We don't think they got any gas, but I still had to buy a new cap anyway.