Gas tank drilled

[MJB4450]

that drill and bit is worth more than any gas they could have stole. thieves aren't very smart.

I'm sure they didn't pay for the drill and bit either. They'll just steal another one. I was in a Lowes a while back, at the cashier at the end of the store with the roll up door. Suddenly three clowns run out with a bunch of looked like power tools in their hands. The alarms went off. None of the employees batted an eye so I asked my cashier, isn't anyone going after them? She said no, we're told to just let them go. Now I know why their prices are so high. One would think paying an off duty cop or two to hang around would be far more cost effective than the theft. But I've realized long ago we are now in a lawless society after seeing all the scum that get a free pass for their crimes.

 

[Turin]

I was in a Lowes a while back, at the cashier at the end of the store with the roll up door. Suddenly three clowns run out with a bunch of looked like power tools in their hands. The alarms went off. None of the employees batted an eye so I asked my cashier, isn't anyone going after them? She said no, we're told to just let them go.

That's pretty common. Cost of theft <<< cost of medical treatment/lawsuit. That's not just in case the employee gets injured, either; they could be held liable if the employee beat the hell out of the thief. The employees aren't trained for that, it's not in their job duties, and $10/hr (or whatever the typical wage is) isn't enough to risk getting injured or killed by trying to protect property that doesn't even belong to you.

Edit: The decision to hire security or not is probably based on a cost/benefit analysis.

 

[RammyShand]

I agree with Gusman4, excellent excuse to upgrade to 33 gal tank

 

[Jtr]

What strikes me is they decided to mess with drilling the tank and did not find other vehicles with the older fuel cap and siphon the fuel the old fashion way.

 

[Rob5589]

That sucks sorry! On a bright note maybe you can replace with the 33 gal tank. It’s the one thing I didn’t get and wish I had.

Great idea. At least the op can put a positive spin on this BS, sort of.

What strikes me is they decided to mess with drilling the tank and did not find other vehicles with the older fuel cap and siphon the fuel the old fashion way.

Far easier to tap the plastic tank. No hoses to snake, no screens to try and bypass.

 

[Edwards]

That sucks.

It would probably have been comical to see them try to figure out your capless fill. I'll bet they got stumped there and then broke out the drill. You might double check that and see if they jimmied it up in any way.

 

[Gottabdxheese]

That sucks sorry! On a bright note maybe you can replace with the 33 gal tank. It’s the one thing I didn’t get and wish I had.

About that....is that possible? I found 1 post that someone was going to attempt but haven’t seen if they actually finished the job.

 

[ramhead]

About that....is that possible? I found 1 post that someone was going to attempt but haven’t seen if they actually finished the job.

Might be but I'm sure insurance co. and/or dealer will not authorize anything other than what came with the truck esp. if it requires alteration to have installed. Ins. co. will only cover cost of what was originally spec'd for your specific truck.

 

[Pressgrove]

Did a little looking and found this. One 'real' suggestion was to put diesel badges on to discourage theft...and if they do steal the gas and put in their diesel auto it will screw them up.

My dad told me a story from when he was teenager. The farmer he worked for had problems with stolen gas. He just swapped the labels between his gas and diesel storage tanks. One day a few weeks later, they were driving along and saw a car parked on the side of the road. The farmer stopped, got out, removed the car's gas cap, and smelled it. He got back in the truck and said, "Yep, diesel".

Dad did say they wore out the starter rope on a chain saw one day before they realized they also fallen prey to the swap.

 

[airgas1998]

^^^love that^^^

 

[jdmartin]

My dad told me a story from when he was teenager. The farmer he worked for had problems with stolen gas. He just swapped the labels between his gas and diesel storage tanks. One day a few weeks later, they were driving along and saw a car parked on the side of the road. The farmer stopped, got out, removed the car's gas cap, and smelled it. He got back in the truck and said, "Yep, diesel".

Dad did say they wore out the starter rope on a chain saw one day before they realized they also fallen prey to the swap.

That's awesome. The only thing that would have made that story better is if the car somehow caught fire and incinerated the dirty bastards who stole it, leaving the charred remains there as a warning to the next fuel thief

 

[ForTehNguyen]

people are stealing gas when its this cheap?

 

[jdmartin]

people are stealing gas when its this cheap?

Some people will steal 5 cents if they can.

 

[Ellisstrong]

Left church to find that someone had drilled my tank to steal some gas. Wish they would have just asked! Now I’m left dealing with the repair. I plan on replacing the tank vs patching. Truck only has 4,000 miles on it and would rather not worry about leaks down the road. They used a 3/4 hole drillbit...I know because they forgot the drill...so one positive is they won’t be drilling anymore tanks today. I want to get opinions on the shavings that fell into the tank. Do you think it’s also worth replacing the filter/fuel pump?

So they did this at church???? Took the time to drill a gas tank to get $60 bucks worth of gas with the potential of someone coming out and catching them... and the amount of noise this would make seems it would be at least a little noticeable right? I’m confused. This has to be one of the dumbest thieves in history

 

[Dontfront82]

Put a plug in it!
If it messes up.. then replace it

 

[thabiiighomie]

If you are already paying your deductible on an insurance claim, absolutely get the fuel pump replaced. A claim is a claim. May as well max it out.

 

[zdeckich]

sell the drill to pay of the tank lol.

 

[odhinnhrafn]

I'm sure they didn't pay for the drill and bit either. They'll just steal another one. I was in a Lowes a while back, at the cashier at the end of the store with the roll up door. Suddenly three clowns run out with a bunch of looked like power tools in their hands. The alarms went off. None of the employees batted an eye so I asked my cashier, isn't anyone going after them? She said no, we're told to just let them go. Now I know why their prices are so high. One would think paying an off duty cop or two to hang around would be far more cost effective than the theft. But I've realized long ago we are now in a lawless society after seeing all the scum that get a free pass for their crimes.

Having worked at Best Buy, I know, too, that if they make it out the doors, employees aren't allowed to touch them in the parking lot, as that's public property. They have no legal right to apprehend someone, other than the gray area of citizen's arrest. It's a liability issue, though. If you can stop them before the door, you're ok. If they've made it to the door, let them go.

 

[deanfx]

Thief left the drill, but took the battery from the drill? I noticed there was no battery on the drill. Weird.

They're prob using the battery to make meth.

 

[Dusty1948]

Thanks everyone. My next decision is how to repair. Insurance covers this under vandalism. I have the option to take it anywhere I want. I can take it to the dealer, which I’m inclined to since I assume they know what they are doing on this type of repair. Or I can use the insurances body shop which would offer a lifetime warranty. But I don’t know how much experience body shops have with these types of claims.

Very sorry. That's a sad story. In a church parking lot, no less.

The only thing that would give me pause to have the insurance company's recommended place do it in this situation, is there might be a temptation to use aftermarket or used parts. Of course, because the DTs are so new, maybe there isn't an aftermarket available.

Best regards,
Dusty
2019 Ram DT 1500 Silver Billet Laramie, Quad Cab, 2WD, 5.7 Hemi, 8HP75, 3.21 axle, 33 gallon fuel tank, 18 inch wheels. Build date: 17 April 2018. Now at 021527 miles.