Left in the dark - Headlight thefts increasing

Left in the dark Boston Globe

Don Lufkus of Roslindale was typing at his computer one
quiet Friday night last month when a loud and ominous
"CRACK" rang out from his driveway.

Looking out his bedroom window, he saw two young men
standing in front of his prized Audi S4, each holding a
round object in his hands.
....
Headlight thefts were first reported a few years ago in
Florida, where thieves were pilfering Porsches of their
xenon, or high-intensity, discharge lights, which are three
times more powerful than halogen lights,

and far more expensive. Halogen light bulbs cost about $14,
according to auto repair shops. The thieves installed the
xenon lights in other cars, such as older Hondas. The trend
was seen last summer in New Jersey and on Long Island in New
York, and last fall in Boston.

Full Story:
http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2004/02/26/left_in_the_dark/

 

I posted this issue last year when it happened twice to my parent's
neighbor's Nissan but our resident lighting expert said there was nothing
special about the lights. Normally I don't write nasty stuff (he often
provides great information to this group) but he has been a bit bitchy to
people in this group lately so perhaps if he discovers he's imperfect he
will tone it down a bit.

 

He's always been "like that" as long as I can remember... but I can't
remember an instance where he's been wrong about a lighting issue. I'm
sure it's happened, but VERRRRRY infrequently.

You may both be correct: I posit that there is nothing special about
the lights, but that they still have been stolen. The reason for this
is some theives just aren't that smart.

nate

 

I'm missing something here, what models are you saying have super expensive
lamps?

Keep in mind thieves are usually drawn from the most unintelligent sections
of the
community. I had a college friend who used to get rid of his garbage by
boxing it and
leaving the box taped up outside the door, it was usually stolen that
afternoon.

Ted

 

You are.



John

 

It works better if it's addressed to someone, like you're getting ready to
ship it. -Dave

 

BS - another urban myth. Nobody's gonna steal headlights.

 

I might've or might not've. But I don't believe I ever posted that I
didn't believe your neighbor's Nissan's lights got stolen. Thieves are
dumb; the specialness of the lights doesn't necessarily have anything to
do with whether they'll be stolen or not.

 

Try actually reading the article.

 

I take it that both halogen and HID headlamp assemblies are around the
same price. It's the difference between the cost of the bulb versus
cost of the capsule plus ballast that would make a difference in overall
price.

I seriously think that these car owners should invest in a firearm along
with training to deal with the situation appropriately.

 

Why? To shoot out the headlights before they are stolen? And what type of
firearm are you suggesting to use? Rifle (single shot, repeater (manual or
semi automatic or fully automatic Class III); Pistol (same variations as for
rifle - yes, there are fully automatic "pistols"); Shotgun (same variations
as for rifles, but I haven't heard of a Class III shotgun); Machine gun
(clip fed, belt fed).

Then of course, why bother with shooting out the headlights and perhaps
causing damage to the rest of the vehicle. Manually remove the headlights
and bring them into your house whenever you park your vehicle at home. If in
a "public parking spot", just put the headlights into a pack sack or gym
bag.

You should elaborate on what you wrote. Then of course, you realize that you
will have to face some legal consequences if you shoot out the headlights.
Sort of like the song of a few years ago with the line "Bubba shot the
jukebox...."

We await your further wisdom

Ken

 

I guess Mercedes hood ornaments are out of fashion....

 

Why call these thieves dumb?.. while the average guy on the street may see
it as dumb behaviour, the thieves know how to remove the lights, fit them to
their own rides and sell any overstock back to the original owners at a
fraction of the cost of new ones..

 

Thanks for noticing, Nate -- I strive for consistency. ;^{)}

DS

 

That is great thinking!

DAS

 

I like the idea of pumping a thief's rear end full of buckshot. Not fatal
but very painful...

DAS
--
For direct contact replace nospam with schmetterling
---

[...................]

 

Here is a great true story.

In Philadelphi they apparently pick up garbage 1 time per week. A person I
know moves there and the first time she puts out the garbage, couldn't
believe how ripe it was until it was collected.

So she comes up with a plan. She buys storage containers for her freezer
and puts all food garbage in the freezer until the night before collection.
Then she puts in out in the garbage. Sounds wierd right?

So she's dating a guy and one night decides to make dinner for him. After
dinner he says he'll clean up. He gets started and then confides that in
his home he puts food garbage in the freezer until the night before
collection.

The 2 just got married.

No joke.

 

They must have a large freezer. A better idea would be to get a food
disposer and then you don't need to worry about storing food/garbage or
even taking it out.

 

According to Consumer Reports, NYC is now debating which is worse.... food
scraps in the sewage system or in landfills.