***protecting H.i.d.*******
10-10-2002, 10:48 PM
#1
***protecting H.i.d.*******
Any one have any ideas on preventing our H.I.D's from theft? I was thinking of putting some sort of like pins or nail to prik the person that tries to get a hold of the hood cable from under wheel well. Or electricity so whan they touch my headlights they will get zapped. Alarms won't work ya know.
10-10-2002, 11:45 PM
#2
O.G.
This has been discussed numerous times before but still no solution.
Talk about protecting HIDs, guess what I was reading:
NEWARK, N.J. (Oct. 10) - It was dark, Benjamin Benson was tired after a long day at the office, and he slumped wearily into his car, flicked the switch for the headlights and pulled out into traffic.
''I start driving, and a police officer pulls me over and says, 'Put your lights on!''' the Ramsey lawyer recalled. ''I said, 'Officer, they ARE on.' He tells me to pull over into a parking lot. He gets out of his car, I get out of mine, we look at where my lights used to be and both our mouths are gaping open. There's wires hanging out of these two big holes.''
Benson's Acura had fallen prey to the latest craze among thieves - stealing high-intensity xenon headlights from expensive luxury cars.
Dealers, body shops and insurance companies say the thefts are driven by a lust for the moon-blue lights among urban youths, who transplant them to spice up their cars.
''They're retrofitting these into their Hondas and making them into low-riders,'' said Richard Black, who owns a body shop in Newark.
While the thefts have been sporadically reported in other parts of the country, the problem is worst in northern New Jersey, New York City and its Westchester County and Connecticut suburbs. Nationwide, 300 to 400 of the lights have been reported stolen over the past year, most of them in the Northeast, according to Acura spokesman Mike Spencer.
About the best explanation anyone can offer for the trend here is that New Jersey, the most densely populated state, has a high concentration of expensive cars in office parks, shopping malls and park-and-ride lots - a virtual auto parts buffet for thieves.
''It's an epidemic, totally out of control,'' said Dominick Pardo, another Newark body shop owner. ''I mean, it's just crazy how many of these are getting stolen.''
In Denville, thieves ripped 20 headlights from cars at an Acura dealership last year. Similar thefts at a Wayne dealership prompted the business to hire an overnight security guard. And more than 50 lights were taken from cars in Fairfield last year, mostly from shopping centers and office parks.
The headlights can cost $2,000 to $5,000 to replace, depending on how much body damage the thieves inflict while trying to get to the lights.
''A couple years ago it was airbags. Now it's these headlights,'' said John Tiene, president of the Insurance Council of New Jersey, an industry group. ''Any time a manufacturer adds something new to a car, they become the focus of rings that go out and steal them.''
He predicted that instead of raising premiums, the insurance industry will absorb the costs of stolen headlights for a year or two, while pressuring manufacturers to make them harder to steal.
Unlike standard headlights, which use a glowing filament, the new bulbs use high-voltage electricity to charge xenon gas inside a sealed tube, creating an intense bluish light.
Police are hard-pressed to make arrests, even when they see a Honda or other low-end car sporting the super-bright lamps.
''You still have to have probable cause to stop them,'' said Newark Lt. Derek Glenn. ''There's no reason to believe it isn't a part they got legally from a store, and you can't pull them over just on the suspicion it's not.''
Insurers are taking their own steps. The Insurance Council makes periodic sweeps of body shops and parts stores, asking to see receipts and invoices for xenon lights on the shelves. A light that had been on a car for just a few hundred miles is often smudged and scratched, Tiene said.
AP-NY-10-10-02 1445EDT
Copyright 2002 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press. All active hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL.
Noticed how only Acura is mentioned.
Talk about protecting HIDs, guess what I was reading:
NEWARK, N.J. (Oct. 10) - It was dark, Benjamin Benson was tired after a long day at the office, and he slumped wearily into his car, flicked the switch for the headlights and pulled out into traffic.
''I start driving, and a police officer pulls me over and says, 'Put your lights on!''' the Ramsey lawyer recalled. ''I said, 'Officer, they ARE on.' He tells me to pull over into a parking lot. He gets out of his car, I get out of mine, we look at where my lights used to be and both our mouths are gaping open. There's wires hanging out of these two big holes.''
Benson's Acura had fallen prey to the latest craze among thieves - stealing high-intensity xenon headlights from expensive luxury cars.
Dealers, body shops and insurance companies say the thefts are driven by a lust for the moon-blue lights among urban youths, who transplant them to spice up their cars.
''They're retrofitting these into their Hondas and making them into low-riders,'' said Richard Black, who owns a body shop in Newark.
While the thefts have been sporadically reported in other parts of the country, the problem is worst in northern New Jersey, New York City and its Westchester County and Connecticut suburbs. Nationwide, 300 to 400 of the lights have been reported stolen over the past year, most of them in the Northeast, according to Acura spokesman Mike Spencer.
About the best explanation anyone can offer for the trend here is that New Jersey, the most densely populated state, has a high concentration of expensive cars in office parks, shopping malls and park-and-ride lots - a virtual auto parts buffet for thieves.
''It's an epidemic, totally out of control,'' said Dominick Pardo, another Newark body shop owner. ''I mean, it's just crazy how many of these are getting stolen.''
In Denville, thieves ripped 20 headlights from cars at an Acura dealership last year. Similar thefts at a Wayne dealership prompted the business to hire an overnight security guard. And more than 50 lights were taken from cars in Fairfield last year, mostly from shopping centers and office parks.
The headlights can cost $2,000 to $5,000 to replace, depending on how much body damage the thieves inflict while trying to get to the lights.
''A couple years ago it was airbags. Now it's these headlights,'' said John Tiene, president of the Insurance Council of New Jersey, an industry group. ''Any time a manufacturer adds something new to a car, they become the focus of rings that go out and steal them.''
He predicted that instead of raising premiums, the insurance industry will absorb the costs of stolen headlights for a year or two, while pressuring manufacturers to make them harder to steal.
Unlike standard headlights, which use a glowing filament, the new bulbs use high-voltage electricity to charge xenon gas inside a sealed tube, creating an intense bluish light.
Police are hard-pressed to make arrests, even when they see a Honda or other low-end car sporting the super-bright lamps.
''You still have to have probable cause to stop them,'' said Newark Lt. Derek Glenn. ''There's no reason to believe it isn't a part they got legally from a store, and you can't pull them over just on the suspicion it's not.''
Insurers are taking their own steps. The Insurance Council makes periodic sweeps of body shops and parts stores, asking to see receipts and invoices for xenon lights on the shelves. A light that had been on a car for just a few hundred miles is often smudged and scratched, Tiene said.
AP-NY-10-10-02 1445EDT
Copyright 2002 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press. All active hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL.
Noticed how only Acura is mentioned.
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10-11-2002, 07:26 AM
#8
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it might make it harder if you use a
security torx screw to hold it in. You might get lucky and the thief won't have torx bits let alone the security type bit. I'm not sure the method thieves are using, but I'm assuming they actually unscrew them in order to not damage the lights for sale. Just a thought.
10-11-2002, 08:00 AM
#9
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The security Torx seems like an easy enough investment. One added layer of protection.
For those that don't know here is what a security torx looks like:
http://www.wihatools.com/701_TRsockets.htm
It is like a regular torx but the bit has a hole in the middle and the screw has a pin, like a nipple
that goes into the hole of the bit.
For those that don't know here is what a security torx looks like:
http://www.wihatools.com/701_TRsockets.htm
It is like a regular torx but the bit has a hole in the middle and the screw has a pin, like a nipple
that goes into the hole of the bit.
10-11-2002, 11:14 AM
#12
Team Owner
I like how the guy didn't notice that his lights weren't on.
10-11-2002, 01:02 PM
#15
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thats why i have a pair of clear numchucks in my door panell, for those "in case what" times of the day just sux im not around when ppl mess with the car but who knows i had a guys sneak up on me at Mcd's drive through, after he got hit i found out he was friends with teh guy in the passenger seat and was messin with us...... oops
just sux im not around when ppl mess with the car but who knows i had a guys sneak up on me at Mcd's drive through, after he got hit i found out he was friends with teh guy in the passenger seat and was messin with us...... oops
10-11-2002, 01:11 PM
#16
I added a shock sensor to the factory alarm. It won't stop theft, but it may deter it if you consider that almost no TL's have a shock sensor. I have it set so sensative that if you knock on the car lightly, the alarm will go off. So when they try to wack at the bumper.. the alarm will sound on mine where as stock it does not.
10-11-2002, 03:09 PM
#18
A friend of mine did it (he does stereos and alarms on the side) and it took him about 15-20 min. with the instructions on here....
FYI... sensor was about $11 from autotoys.com and I'll be adding another one to the rear of the car once my stereo is done.. so the whole car is covered....
FYI... sensor was about $11 from autotoys.com and I'll be adding another one to the rear of the car once my stereo is done.. so the whole car is covered....
10-11-2002, 03:28 PM
#19
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Re: it might make it harder if you use a
Originally posted by Ray_Khan
security torx screw to hold it in. You might get lucky and the thief won't have torx bits let alone the security type bit. I'm not sure the method thieves are using, but I'm assuming they actually unscrew them in order to not damage the lights for sale. Just a thought.
security torx screw to hold it in. You might get lucky and the thief won't have torx bits let alone the security type bit. I'm not sure the method thieves are using, but I'm assuming they actually unscrew them in order to not damage the lights for sale. Just a thought.
So no type of security bolt or screw will stop (or even slow down) the thieves. The only way to make this stop is for Acura to redesign where they mount the ignitor ballasts.
10-11-2002, 04:59 PM
#20
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Re: Re: it might make it harder if you use a
So no type of security bolt or screw will stop (or even slow down) the thieves. The only way to make this stop is for Acura to redesign where they mount the ignitor ballasts. [/B]
10-12-2002, 02:02 AM
#21
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I hope Acura browses thru this forum everyday.. They should have Model Consultants that Check this site everyday to improve things in new Models.. I'd love that job.. Wouldnt it be good if each company went to all the Forums for its Cars and found all the probs and fixed it for the future models. For All we know Some Acura tech That is gonna help model the new 2004 TL is probably reading all this and voila the new 2004 TL is made of Sometype of extra sensor or some types of measures are taken... Also about the guy that said he installed Sensors to his alarm, Wouldnt that make the alarm go off on a car if Someone accidentally touches it or is laying on it or just accidentally your wife touches it or something unaccidential happens than what do you do?
10-12-2002, 09:05 AM
#22
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I'm not sure exactly how the BMW and Mercedes are wired, but Audi ballasts are mounted right onto the side or bottom of the housings. And yes Audi housings, bulbs and ballasts get stolen quite often too.
10-12-2002, 12:05 PM
#23
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I donno if all Acura Dealers do this, but mine calls me after every service trip to see how it went and if im satisfied, ive gotten to the point to were i have the GM caling me to check in, he is friends with my uncle and i have told almost every person including him in the service area to go to this site and read, cause all the things taht we talk about on here, the service department denies............
