EugenesAJeep
Well-Known Member
- First Name
- Jeff
- Joined
- Sep 23, 2020
- Threads
- 0
- Messages
- 98
- Reaction score
- 318
- Location
- Palm Springs
- Vehicle(s)
- 2020 Willys
- Vehicle Showcase
- 1
Better order that gas tank, sounds like you have it all planned out.So...one troubling and unexpected result of skyrocketing gas prices has been the dramatic increase in gas theft by idiots drilling holes in our vulnerable plastic gas tanks. As soon as I heard about this, I took a close look at mine and noticed the many possible places that one could easily drill into the tank, even though it has the standard factory skid plate. Obviously, plastic tanks are much more difficult to repair than steel or aluminum, and usually have to be replaced. To make matters worse, I checked on replacement tank availability with my local Jeep dealership, and they advised that the lead time is currently 12 days and rapidly getting worse due to typical supply chain issues. Should this trend continue, gas tanks will soon be as scarce as microchips.
Unfortunately, the few gas tank skid plates that I have seen are designed only to protect the underside from impact, and offer limited to no protection for the sides/rear, leaving them extremely vulnerable. This is reasonable, as they were designed for off-road protection, NOT a$$hole gas thieves who drain the life out of beloved Jeeps. A car alarm doesn't necessarily help in this situation, as the thieves will just run away after they drill a hole and trigger the alarm; even though they won't get your gas, you'll still be left with a hole in your tank. While thieves could feasibly drill through a metal enclosure or gas tank, the additional time, effort, and risk would probably be sufficient to just make them move on to another unprotected vehicle.
Just wondering if anyone has seen a complete enclosure, metal tank, or anything else that might discourage gas theft. Look forward to learning/sharing more with the group so we can protect our investments in both vehicle and gas!
I’m not going to worry about it.
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