Lockable Gas Cap?

[Rlaf75]

I haven't heard of any vandalism that involves people dumping anything into them and I live just outside the sh!thole urban city that I happen to work in. If they actually want to steal the gas they'll just tap a hole in the tank and drain it but I haven't even heard of that happening. A lot of manufacturers have been using the cap less fill tubes for decades now. I'd be more concerned about them failing to seal and causing evap leaks before I'd worry about vandalism

 

[Florida RAM]

Is this really an issue? Has anyone here ever had their gas stolen or their gas contaminated? Seems like a solution to something that almost never happens.

 

[Darksteel165]

I haven't heard of any vandalism that involves people dumping anything into them and I live just outside the sh!thole urban city that I happen to work in. If they actually want to steal the gas they'll just tap a hole in the tank and drain it but I haven't even heard of that happening. A lot of manufacturers have been using the cap less fill tubes for decades now. I'd be more concerned about them failing to seal and causing evap leaks before I'd worry about vandalism

The problem isn't the cap less necks, its the non-locking fill door.

Ford locks their gas doors, and most other manufactures also but not Ram.

 

[Florida RAM]

The problem isn't the cap less necks, its the non-locking fill door.

Ford locks their gas doors, and most other manufactures also but not Ram.

But is it a problem that needs to be fixed?

 

[Darksteel165]

But is it a problem that needs to be fixed?

I would say so.
How detrimental could it be if someone poured something very bad into the tank and you ran it without knowing.
Is is possible to blow the engine and have the warranty voided if you put something besides fuel into the gas tank (I don't know)

It would be extremely rare yes, but leave your house unlocked at night because no one has ever tried to break in and just assume well it's rare it's never going to happen to me?
I always lock my house at night...

Most dealerships give you locking lug nuts so people don't steal the rims, but for some reason they don't lock your spare tire. Getting your spare tire stolen is a lot eaysier then jacking up a pickup to remove wheels\rims but they didn't put proper security on that either.

When I bought my truck I didn't see if it included locking front and rear cab doors, because I damn well assumed it did. I would assume the gas tank would also lock, and the spare tire maybe (but that is an outside lock so I would say not providing a lock from the factory is fair even if it is dumb).

Personally i'm not going to bother with the lock on my gas tank because of where I live now. Where I lived years ago 5 miles way you best believe I would get a locking gas fill door, or cap.
Locking fill doors or caps or some kind should be include on every vehicle or at a bare minimum be an additional package.

 

[HSKR R/T]

I would say so.
How detrimental could it be if someone poured something very bad into the tank and you ran it without knowing.
Is is possible to blow the engine and have the warranty voided if you put something besides fuel into the gas tank (I don't know)

It would be extremely rare yes, but leave your house unlocked at night because no one has ever tried to break in and just assume well it's rare it's never going to happen to me?
I always lock my house at night...

Most dealerships give you locking lug nuts so people don't steal the rims, but for some reason they don't lock your spare tire. Getting your spare tire stolen is a lot eaysier then jacking up a pickup to remove wheels\rims but they didn't put proper security on that either.

When I bought my truck I didn't see if it included locking front and rear cab doors, because I damn well assumed it did. I would assume the gas tank would also lock, and the spare tire maybe (but that is an outside lock so I would say not providing a lock from the factory is fair even if it is dumb).

Personally i'm not going to bother with the lock on my gas tank because of where I live now. Where I lived years ago 5 miles way you best believe I would get a locking gas fill door, or cap.
Locking fill doors or caps or some kind should be include on every vehicle or at a bare minimum be an additional package.

Locking fuel doors are a fairly modern addition. My 2002 Volvo has one, but I don't think I've ever owned a domestic vehicle that has one. My wife's 2020 Traverse RS definitely doesn't and her is capless fill tube as well.

As I mentioned earlier, unless you **** someone off, the chances of someone randomly picking your vehicle to pour something into your fuel tank is slim to none. Does it happen? I'm sure someone, somewhere has had it happen to them. But as Florida Ram said is it really a problem that needs solved? Probably not.

I'd be willing to bet 90+% of vehicles on the road today do not have locking fuel doors or gas caps, and most people will never have an issue because of it. Is it something that can be done. Sure, for a cost. Is it something that would prevent people from buying a vehicle, unlikely. As most people would probably never even think to check.

 

[Rlaf75]

I would say so.
How detrimental could it be if someone poured something very bad into the tank and you ran it without knowing.
Is is possible to blow the engine and have the warranty voided if you put something besides fuel into the gas tank (I don't know)

It would be extremely rare yes, but leave your house unlocked at night because no one has ever tried to break in and just assume well it's rare it's never going to happen to me?
I always lock my house at night...

Most dealerships give you locking lug nuts so people don't steal the rims, but for some reason they don't lock your spare tire. Getting your spare tire stolen is a lot eaysier then jacking up a pickup to remove wheels\rims but they didn't put proper security on that either.

When I bought my truck I didn't see if it included locking front and rear cab doors, because I damn well assumed it did. I would assume the gas tank would also lock, and the spare tire maybe (but that is an outside lock so I would say not providing a lock from the factory is fair even if it is dumb).

Personally i'm not going to bother with the lock on my gas tank because of where I live now. Where I lived years ago 5 miles way you best believe I would get a locking gas fill door, or cap.
Locking fill doors or caps or some kind should be include on every vehicle or at a bare minimum be an additional package.

As I said previously, it's not a common occurrence that someone puts something in the gas tank. I've been an automotive mechanic for 30+ years and only heard of it happening maybe twice my entire career

 

[bigdodge]

The problem isn't the cap less necks, its the non-locking fill door.

Ford locks their gas doors, and most other manufactures also but not Ram.

yup

 

[bigdodge]

As I said previously, it's not a common occurrence that someone puts something in the gas tank. I've been an automotive mechanic for 30+ years and only heard of it happening maybe twice my entire career

we used to do it all the time to our enemies in the 60's and early 70's

 

[Darksteel165]

As I said previously, it's not a common occurrence that someone puts something in the gas tank. I've been an automotive mechanic for 30+ years and only heard of it happening maybe twice my entire career

So you saw 2 trucks that got ruined, 80k truck so that's almost 200k of hardware ruined?

 

[HSKR R/T]

So you saw 2 trucks that got ruined, 80k truck so that's almost 200k of hardware ruined?

Doesn't ruin the whole truck, $5-10k, per vehicle, for engine and fuel system. Depending on engine in the vehicle and if you go with crate e fine or used. And contrary to popular belief, dumping sugar in doesn't do anything, other than clog your fuel filter, as long as your fuel filter is working.

 

[Rlaf75]

we used to do it all the time to our enemies in the 60's and early 70's

Well in the past few decades there hasn't been much about it

 

[Rlaf75]

So you saw 2 trucks that got ruined, 80k truck so that's almost 200k of hardware ruined?

First of all I saw it 20+ years ago and they happened to be compact cars. If you feel paranoid about it then by all means do whatever you need to do to make you sleep at night. These cap less systems have been around for quite some time on other manufacturers vehicles and I have never heard of it happening. I'm sure it still does happen but is it really worth stressing out over? Apparently some people think it is so you do you bud

 

[Florida RAM]

I think it's another example of the media getting people freaked out over nothing.

 

[Rlaf75]

I think it's another example of the media getting people freaked out over nothing.

Exactly. The media said it so it must be true lol

 

[bigdodge]

I think it's another example of the media getting people freaked out over nothing.

NO!!!!

 

[Liquid Li0n]

the more it comes in the media, the more people will be brought on ideas I guess. They can better keep quiet about the fact that fuel caps or doors cannot be locked in certain cars, like our Rams. Especially with these crazy fuel prices, sucking the fuel out of a car is becoming a good business .

 

[Florida RAM]

the more it comes in the media, the more people will be brought on ideas I guess. They can better keep quiet about the fact that fuel caps or doors cannot be locked in certain cars, like our Rams. Especially with these crazy fuel prices, sucking the fuel out of a car is becoming a good business .

But is it really? I mean, it kind of makes sense....but is it really happening? What's the resale on gas? Is there a market for stolen gas? I'm sure there are examples of it going on, but it doesn't seem to be widespread.

 

[SD Rebel]

Probably depends on where you live, I live in one of the largest cities/counties in the United States, over 4 million people here, and I don't know of anyone personally who has their gas stolen or tanks messed with.

I'm also on that neighborhood app "Nextdoor", which is full of people in my local area, and trust me, with the level of "Karens" on that app, if people where stealing gas and messing with gas tanks, we would know about it.

Again, that doesn't mean it isn't a big deal in other areas or neighborhoods. Probably the biggest car related thing I hear is either thieves stealing stuff from unlocked cars late at night or the somewhat occasional catalytic converter stolen off a Toyota.

Most gas thief on a single car level is a druggy who needs quick cash and drills a gas tank to make a few bucks or power their own vehicle. The big theft comes at gas stations, with fake utility trucks hiding big sumps to steal large amounts of fuel with fake credit cards.

 

[HSKR R/T]

the more it comes in the media, the more people will be brought on ideas I guess. They can better keep quiet about the fact that fuel caps or doors cannot be locked in certain cars, like our Rams. Especially with these crazy fuel prices, sucking the fuel out of a car is becoming a good business .

Theres not a lot of siphoning of gas going on. You can't get a large enough tube into the tank to really work. Electric pump, maybe. But most stealing gas just drill the tank.