Hi everyone

I have a 1999 Acura 3.2TL. My headlights were stolen - once again!!! If I can get my hands on the basterd who did it! This is the second time in 2 year period it happenned. Lat time in Brooklyn, this time in Jersey City. Does anyone know of any way of preventing that from happenning? I hear that the rerson why the get stolen so often is because they are very easy to steal. I heard that NISSAN is adding some kind of rubber sealing to their MAXIMA lights in order to make it a lot more difficult to steal. Can anyone suggest anything? I hate when this happens - I am out the insurance deductable once again - for nothing!

Thanks

JB

 

Move somewhere else

 

How do the take it out in the first place? I've seen some people talk about hood locks but not quite sure how they take out the lights in the first place... anyone care to explain that?

 

Any other - move useful - suggestions?

 

Uh, get an aftermarket alaram with a shock sensor? I don't have to worry about it too much in Michigan, but if I were you, I would put like 3 shock sensors by the headlights.

 

there is no way to have is secured. people have suggested to have a cable attached to the inside of the housing and the other end attached to the chassis. others have suggested blinding sounds that would divert the thief. do a search. but there is no foolproof way to secure it. firstly do you have a regular alarm? with a battery back up?!

all you guys are always saying you get your headlights stolen but yall dont even have a normal alarm. i know it wont do much. but i bet that your headlights wouldnt have been stoeln twice if you had one

 

yup i heard shock senosors are waay better than hood pins because once the shock sensor feels the car being touched it sets the alarm but hood pins take a little while....thats just wat i was told

 

Reason #2 why I dont drive to work daily (Weehawken): HID theft. (reason#1: gas prices) With an 02 maxima, I'm worried enough about HID theft in my own secured home garage, let alone at my job where a couple of Maximas have already been hit.

Through Nissan's data dot recall, they installed brackets behind the headlights. I know of one person that reported one of his HIDs stolen with the bracket recall done. The general consensus with us Maxima guys is that bracket recalls may actually result in MORE damage done to the sheetmetal when an attempt is made to snatch the HIDs. Some guys have even resolved to replacing their 02-03 Maxima HIDs with 01-02 Maxima halogens; non-option for TL guys.

As far as your TL, a couple of shock sensors (as mentioned by PA) may help deter HID theft or maybe you can hookup some sort of metal bracket (i.e.: Nissan recall). But ultimately there's no guarantee that you'd be any more successful against HID theft.

The only other alternative is to trade into a non-HID car.

 

I've heard someone say to just park your car with the front really close to a wall or the car in front of you. It makes it harder for them to get in front of your car to pry... But in the end, if they want your headlights, nothing's gonna stop them... not even you popping out the trunk with a baseball bat.

 

You mean like the Trunk Monkey? I'm almost 100% sure that THAT will be effective.

 

 

Living in Brooklyn, I make sure I park at the right spots, and I always garage the car.

And If I ever catch the fuckers, trust me, I will knock their teeth out, for every light stolen..

 

i live in bklyn...it happened to me twice in 7 months...i finally installed a prestige alarm with shock sensor and an extra motion sensor that i got plus a blinking led inside each headlight that blinks while the alarm is on....now if someone fucks with my car the keychain remote beeps....i sware i'll kill one of those fucks if u catch them

 

i drive around at night sometimes hoping to see someone pulling out lights...dont really care if theyre donin it to my car or not...theyre gettin hit!

 

damn. That sucks.

 

If you don't mind having regular halogens, then have that installed. The reason why I suggest this was because I saw a 99-01 TL with regular halogens on. I had to pass his car more than once to make sure. It looked so weird cause I am so used to seeing it with HIDs.

But I would get the shock sensors. I have 4 alarms on my car.

 

Hmmm maybe a pain, but maybe pop out the bulbs every time you park in a shady place. Yeah it's a pain, but you gotta do what you gotta do. Just gotta make sure you keep your fingerprints off etc. Maybe get a custom box like the faceplates on nice systems.

But then again I guess the morons are probably too stupid to check for bulbs and would probably pry them off and take them before noticing. At least, that'll screw em... a bit...

 

Or maybe have the ballasts removable too? And then have that blinking red LED in place of the removed bulbs as a reminder they ain't gettin sheit!

(sorry to post whore!)

 

I really feel for you guys. It seems, at least, to be a NYC problem, however. This problem, however, needs to be addressed. Best of wishes. I hope you nail those f#@kers!

 

get som shock sensors hooked up to the alarm. And L bracket the bitches to something.

 

The problem is that the thiefs do not usally check to see if you have halogens in the housing or removed the bulbs. The damage is already done by the time they realize they didnt find hids with the ballast. The method by which they take them is with a long crow bar and it takes less then a minute to pop both headlight housing out. Find a way to prevent them from jaming a crow bar under the housing and you can stop them from stealing your lights.

 

I've reported this problem to the attorney general of NJ, who brought up the case against Nissan and won. They forward the problem to the BBB hopefully they can get in touch with Acura and find a solution to prevent this.

Maybe more people complain they'll definitely bring this up.

http://www.nj.gov/oag/newsreleases04/pr20040308a.html

http://www.nj.gov/lps/formmail.htm

 

Sorry consumer affairs not BBB

 

Perhaps contact NY's Attorney General to sue Acura/Honda.

http://www.oag.state.ny.us/contact.html

 

Get a place with a garage

 

Hello Everyone.

Lets get our efforts together and make it a class action law suit against Acura. This is the second time I get my lights stolen. Every time it happens I am out the deductable. Out of nowhere. Some piece if sh&t needs headlights and I got to pay for it. I say we all sue Acura so they do something about it?

Who is with me?

JB

 

engrave your vin # on the lens,-------- well nuttin else is working

 

im in...........pm me....lets do this...im from brooklyn, n mine were stolen twics in 7 months

 

Honestly guys, SCREW the sueing bullshit! I agree that it sucks(for lack of better words) that your headlights are being stolen. I empathize with you. But, seriously, why blame Acura for equipping our cars with the much loved HID lights? It's not THEIR fault there are envious, cheap, thieving little pricks stealing our headlights.

Maybe they could do something about it now, but what exactly? Very little has shown to be effective. Generally, with all the theft-deterrent devices companies such as Nissan have implemented on cars such as the Maxima maybe do prevent the bastards from making away with the headlights, but the damage to your car is already done.

Also, by sueing Acura for these problems, you are only going to discourage Acura, among many other manufacturers, from installing such lights in the future. This is not something I , along with presumably many others, want to happen.

Sorry for getting long winded, but I tire quickly when everyone today resorts in lawsuits to solve their problems. Yes, there is a time and a place for a lawsuit, but make sure this is one.

P.S. Just a side note, this seems to primarily be a NYC area problem. I've heard very few other complaints/accounts of this happening to anyone else. Just my .

 

I'm down, but my headlights were never stolen, but they tried left me with body damage. I think the best thing to do is complain to the Attorney General and let him handle it, i hope he does what the Attorney General in NJ did. BTW. When everyone's headlight was stolen was a police report filed?

 

in order to make an insurance claim u have to make a police report

 

damn sorry your lights get stolen.... I dont think you should sue Acura but just tell your lawyer about it and then take it from there.. You have to think that some of you guys live in brooklyn so what do you expect..

 

Morning Gentlemen,

Have read this thread with amazement. Has it come down now to stealing
$$$ expensive headlights from automobiles? I was wondering if anyone has
encountered this with the '04 TL. Would be interested to know. Thanks

TL42 '04 TL NBP/Navi.

 

I think ppl from other areas besides Brooklyn are getting the wrong ideas about Brooklyn, NY

I dont know what movies you watch, but Brooklyn is a pretty safe, good place..i love it..

and why do the thieves love it? two words: Variety and Abundance of cars they want right in front of them.

And no, I dont mind sueing Acura for not even attempting to come up with a solution....they are
still making plastics frames for the lights....so 04 TL's are not that far from the faith 99-03TLs.

 

I know that, example. I fixed my car without going to through the insurance.