High prices for petrol and diesel encourage fuel theft. SUVs in particular are the focus of new crook methods.
With increased diesel prices and fuel costs, theft of petrol or diesel is becoming more and more interesting. In the past, thieves used to suck the fuel out of cars and construction machinery with canisters and garden hoses. Today, it is not uncommon for a drill to be used.
From the USA to report Media that cases of a new type of fuel theft are piling up. In view of the high prices for petrol and diesel, petty criminals are increasingly using full tanks from parked cars.
The report came from Pennsylvania that a thief had drilled a hole in the side wall of a Nissan SUV with a cordless drill in an unobserved moment in order to steal the currently particularly sweet nectar from the tapped tank. The owner had parked her car in front of her own house and is now not only left with an empty tank, but also with towing and considerable repair costs. There are other identical descriptions in California, Missouri and Wisconsin. The method is now also rampant in Germany, as reported by the “Kölner Stadtanzeiger”.
Gasoline and diesel prices are at peak levels, and not just in Germany (the picture shows the petrol station in Viersen). Fuel becomes a luxury item and attracts thieves.
Fuel theft is nothing new, it occurs with particular frequency when gas prices are soaring. This is currently the case; there were comparable phases before, for example in the economic crisis of 2008 and above all in the oil crisis of the 1970s. In the past, a rubber hose that was inserted into the open tank was sufficient to pump the fuel to the surface after sucking it in with your mouth. The thief left the crime scene with a full canister and a rubber hose in his sack.
These days, stealing fuel isn’t that trivial. In most cases, modern cars have a lock for the tank opening, but at least a valve that is intended to prevent fuel from leaking out if a vehicle rolls over. The valve also prevents fuel from being siphoned off.
With a drill and a long drill, however, thieves can drill a hole in the vehicle sheet metal and in the elastic security tank. There is no remedy against this – the car is less protected against this type of theft than against marten bites on rubber parts.
Long-legged SUVs in particular are prone to the petrol robbery. In order to be able to tap half-full or almost empty tanks, you have to drill through the tank wall from below, which is much easier if the car has a higher ground clearance than, for example, with low-lying sports cars. The US police therefore recommends parking SUVs only in well-lit areas and – if possible – with the rear close to a wall for safety reasons. Police recommendations to attach tank locks, on the other hand, come to nothing.
A small drill hole in the body is quickly repaired. The hole in the tank, on the other hand, entails a major repair because the entire tank has to be removed and sealed or replaced. A quick repair with caulk by the car owner himself is not recommended, as there remains a high risk of fire due to the spilled fuel.
At least it is comforting that the damage to the car caused by drilling holes is usually paid for by the car insurance. The probability is high that the drilling damage will be covered by the policy. According to the Axa media spokeswoman Marion Fehr, there are hardly any cases of this type in Switzerland, but insurance coverage for theft or parking damage would be an option. However, the loss of fuel could at best be covered as a gesture of goodwill.