I recently saw a video of an incident that happened at Apple Acura regarding stolen RL headlights. I've tried all the search options but I can't find that video. Does anyone have it? It was a news clip. Thanks!

 

I saw that clip also on the news. Ironically, I visited a NY dealer the weekend before, and he had several cars vandalized for headlight assemblies. They were all used trade in & customer owned TL's from the early 2000's (2001 vintage I think). None of the new RL's or TL's on the lot were touched. For some reason, it seems the TL units are hot.

I fear that as the newer cars get older, they too will be targets. It is a major concern for me just having bought a new Acura.

BTW, that news report noted that the replacement cost per vehicle (both sides) was from 3k to 5k. The report said 24 vehicles were vandalized.
Ouch

 

Not sure about the RL, but the 2004 and later TL have headlights that are much harder to steal. Meaning to get the headlights out, you need to remove, I think, the front bumper (This is what the Acura saleman told me. He said Acura "solved" this problem). Sure, they can steal anything, but requiring bumper removal makes the theft much harder from your everyday thief. I remember reading an article in the Boston Globe a few years ago about all the headlight thefts in Boston which were mostly 00 to 03 TLs. The interesting part was that the insurance companies were raising a stink with Honda and other makers.

 

Yes.....actually I can believe that seeing how they had to pry the fender sheetmetal back right at the tips.....I saw hood edges turned up also. On more than one car, bumper skins were torn apart at the sides. The anti theft measures seem to amount to allot more sheetmetal damage perhaps. On many cars, the headlight pods were damaged when they tried to pry them off....so they left them & just took the ballast. A real mess!

 

You need to removed the bumper to take the headlight unit out in previous TL's, unless you want to damaged your car. I own a 99 TL, I used to clear headlights for forum users. The problem was that the headlights were attached with plastic and not metal, so they were easy to break. The reason they would messed up the fender is because the lights were attached on 3 points 2 on top 1 on the fender. I haven't seen the new TL headlights or RL, but I'm sure they relocated the mouting points under the headlight or somerwhere else less easily accessible.

 

Part of the reason that the earlier 2nd Gen TLs were so popular a target was because the those headights were a direct fit onto the same generation Honda Accord. This changed with the minor facelift for the 2002 MY when the little additional bubble was added.

 

I had the entire light units stolen on my old 99 TL twice.. the RL doesn't seem to have the whatchmacallit that the 99 TL had close to or on the units that the thieves were interested in near the light units.

(i have no clue about most parts on a car.. i am an aircraft man )

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