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Fuel stolen! New trick vulnerable sump?


Kobayashi

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Hello all

 

Not seen this fuel stealing trick before but seems too easy and simple to get away with.

 

Wife was parked on slight incline across from our house and someone has put a screw into the fuel sump and drained almost all the fuel, anyone got suggestions how to stop this occuring again? Is there an alternative harder fuel sump? The plastic looks so soft you could this by hand with a long Posi screwdriver.. We can try park on the flat outside house but we have 2 cars, seems a crime you cannot defend against....

 

We are claiming on insurance but what can we do to protect the little citigo.....

On Monday night  a Quad bike on same street run out of petrol usual chavvy hoodlems, too much of a coincedence (i know who they are) but its proving, the police on the phone have told the wife...

 

''you must have driven over a screw or something'', i explained the flow rate of the fuel would be dribbling out continously, not in patches as it has been transferred from a tray to other containers! The police dont want to know so we are on our own with this.

 

any helpful suggestions..?

Fuel trail.jpg

screw in Fuel Sump.jpg

Edited by ColinD
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These people who do this are scum! Sorry to hear of your plight. I don't think you can defend by putting any type of different fuel tank on the car, but cameras could give a positive id of any future perptrators. I leave a discrete camera running inside the car when I leave it in unknown territory. You could have one front and back. Just bought a Maplins cheapo and plugged it in. Works a treat. 

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The offroad and stolen bike northface ninja's do that round here **** a screwdriver or something into the tank or cut the fuel line what the don't take they let it run off down the street waiting to cause a fire.

 

 

Mike

 

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21 minutes ago, Estate Man said:

These people who do this are scum! Sorry to hear of your plight. I don't think you can defend by putting any type of different fuel tank on the car, but cameras could give a positive id of any future perptrators. I leave a discrete camera running inside the car when I leave it in unknown territory. You could have one front and back. Just bought a Maplins cheapo and plugged it in. Works a treat. 

 

hi have you got the link does it run off its own battery? be good to have. 

 

On the plus side police have turned up now, fuel trail leads to run down chav house, must have used a tray then tried transferring into other containers...

 

 

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  • ColinD pinned this topic

 

2 hours ago, ColinD said:

Pinned abd title altered slightly.

Police have arrested 2 suspects as the spilt fuel led to there house which gave the rented owner power to unlock the door to a smell of petrol and they found 2 x  4.5l of petrol cans inside and some youths skulking around. Had they not took the fuel to there own house might have got away with it!

 

It  does seems harder to get under a Fabia than a Citigo. Easier to reach on a citigo - way to easy - definitely a weak point

It would be hard to do under a fabia that has lowering springs! Defo my next mod!

Citigo is on PCP so cant mod it or lower it like i could with my vrs. 

 

Even if the 'hoodies' get convicted they dont look like they got £250 excess that we have had to fork out, plus the fuel we lost and will have to replace -

Car has been towed away now. All in All probably cost us £350.

 

 

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By stroke of luck police found a crime scene like something out of the 90's film trainspotting, 6 people skulking around smoking dope in a desolate state, they found electric and gas wired up illegally so its been capped off, 2 of the 4 in custody. Just watched remaining 2 moving out. Hopefully landlord changed the locks so it could be the end of them at least on my street.:D

 

Seems like our only defense car wise is to back both cars up rear bumper to rear bumper on the flat.

 

Camera is good idea too so will have to think about that.

 

I guess the lesson is dont leave the rear end of a citigo on an incline on a side street with restricted cover for 'would be' thieves

 

 

 

 

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It's not just the Citigo that is at risk.

 

All cars now use plastic fuel tanks (they're lighter and stronger in a crash etc).

 

Most cars have their fuel tanks exposed underneath.

 

Your only options are to like you say park bumper to bumper or have some kind of aluminium shield manufactured to fit underneath?

 

Very annoying though! Caused you and the police a lot of grief just for a few quids worth of petrol!

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In light of the wifes Citigo car having fuel stolen from underneath the car by some local chavs, she has kindly agreed that the next mod is lowering my VRS car using Coilovers and her next car using springs (possibly a Monte)

 

Edited by Kobayashi
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1 hour ago, Kobayashi said:

In light of the wifes Citigo car having fuel stolen from underneath the car by some local chavs, she has kindly agreed that the next mod is lowering my VRS car using Coilovers and her next car using springs (possibly a Monte)

 

You can get dash cameras (from and back) that come on when they detect movement and have a battery regulator to cut them off if the battery ever starts going under the safe voltage for operation (say you don't move the car for a few days) they are not cheap tho as was looking at it for mine when my rad Fabia vrs got scratched at night 

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  • 4 months later...

I remember this trick of old... Scumbag would push a screwdriver through tank (Metal in those days) Catch as much as possible then do a runner. I have even heard of them plugging the hole, perhaps to make a return visit! Nick a gallon or so, in a can and who will notice? You might think gas miles has dropped a little but if its done a few times, it will seem normal until you see them do it, the plug fails or the MOT inspector notices the plug, failing the vehicle until a new tank is fitted or safe repair is made. Partly a problem created by locking fuel caps/flaps. If the scumbag could syphon off a gallon via the filler neck, at least there is no physical damage, except if you catch him in the act and accidentally step on the little darlings fingers a few times whilst trying to help him back up off the floor, where he "Fell" After being struck by a low flying house brick that came from nowhere!

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  • 3 months later...

6 months on despite finding the fuel in the house with the occupants, no charges were made as police said not enough evidence and no CCTV or Witness, after a few weeks scrotes moved overnight & i am convinced he was under the authorities control or under a new ID (an informant or something)

 

When i threatened to get the 'petrol back' same day it happened whilst the wife was on the phone to COMS, 4 officers turned up not to really help me as such but to find out what was the commotion going on with me and why was i so interested in that property?

 

I later found out a few cars and vans had been done over so to speak - all to feed the 'ninjas on wheels'

 

Anyway the citigo is gone now so we have to butt 2 fabia's up against each other now (one is is lowered) - i am just waiting for the new insurance to go up this year on both cars despite having 4 years + NCD.

 

 

 

 

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Only just come across this thread. I fully understand your anger but fuel theft isn’t a new problem and has been happening for decades. Siphoning stopped by grid in filler neck, cutting fuel line - happened to me and worse punching a whole in the tank.

The police action hasn’t really changed as it’s still not on their priority list. Unfortunately if some scrote wants it, they’ll take regardless of damage or danger. 

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i found an old article on one the guys who was involved - he has also got an officer sacked for chasing him on a scooter previously, this is why the moped scooter / problem is so bad now, officers are not allowed to chase them down or they risk being sacked..

 

This shows the state of the UK now regarding policing: 

 

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3443255/Volunteer-policeman-shouldn-t-prosecuted-trying-stop-says-biker-yob-crashed-patrol-car-attempted-cut-off.html

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  • 2 weeks later...

Hell no!, just getting my city go this Sat, traded my Fabia in, had Octavia, yeti, Octavia vrs, now Fabia, but now after reading the fuel problem, don't know if I will regret buying one. Love Skoda cars, Question........Do all Skoda's have "plastic" Fuel tanks and if they have/do have I been lucky not having the "Fuel tank" problem. 

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3 minutes ago, Citygoagogo said:

Hell no!, just getting my city go this Sat, traded my Fabia in, had Octavia, yeti, Octavia vrs, now Fabia, but now after reading the fuel problem, don't know if I will regret buying one. Love Skoda cars, Question........Do all Skoda's have "plastic" Fuel tanks and if they have/do have I been lucky not having the "Fuel tank" problem. 

Do not panic! You can get under most small cars even the VW UP, Citreon etc.. and the like, our car was one of many done over in that period  (including some diesel workmen vans we also found out) 

 

Doesnt help when land lords put scrotes into houses they are not bothered about the effect on neighbours......

 

Also we were parked facing away from darkened back alley and the night before we was 2 wheels on the KERB (so this made it REALLY easy to get under).

 

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Yes they moved on now to terrorize another neighbourhood no doubt! 

 

The citigo was quite a fun car enjoyed squeezing into places and the heated seats!  We were on PCP and over 50% paid up so missus decided to get abort with VW Finance and get 16 plate Mk3 Fabia (still low tax) but she owns that car no pcp. Cant believe the Citigo it did 30K miles on 1 sets of tyres and the tread didnt go down hardly any, good on fuel MPG and used no oil at all.

 

 

1 hour ago, Citygoagogo said:

Thanks for the "do not panic", but bottom line, how and where you park a car shouldn't be a problem, its the low life that's the problem scum bags all.

 

 

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  • 7 months later...

"Fuel led to their house" missed a trick there.....

all it needed to complete the story was a match ( and make sure your car well out the way), how was I to know their was fuel spilt not guilty ;)

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funny you should mention that, the chav house has been abandoned for a year now the landlord tried to torch it a few weeks ago (or at least someone did).

This was the view firetruck and all.

 

A lot of folk round here with higher end cars (keyless BMW's etc..) have had attempts at thefts, this is one of reasons why i stick to Skoda's, no one wants to pinch the car!

 

Sporty White BMW's, Black Audi' S3's etc.. you will always be a target for the car and break in attempt at your house for the keys.

Small older cars seems to be a target for 'the petrol trick'

 

 

 

IMG_20180727_200830.jpg

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  • 2 years later...

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