Anyone heard of a problem with headlight theft on the latest TL's.



My friend's new 911 had it's lights stolen 3 times in 3 months! He traded it in on a mercedes because of this.

 

The headlights are not so easily stolen because you have to remove the bumper to physically take out the headlights.

As for your friend, he was targeted by the same person that stole his headlights the first time.

 

Earlier generations of the TL/CL were susceptible to headlight theft than the 3G models. Do a search on headlight theft and you get a number of threads. IMO, if a thief wants it that bad, he'll get it.

 

You have to do that to remove them on the second gens as well. Doesn't mean they won't pop right out when a crow bar is put to them.

The third gens were designed to solve this problem by having the lights almost recessed. There is more metal around the housing making it much harder to steal.

I'm sure some has had their lights stolen somewhere with a 3G TL, but its not a common problem.

 

HID headlights are often stolen to replace compatible halogen lights. 3G TL has HID standard and they don't fit anything else. Theft shouldn't be a problem

 

I wouldnt trade a 911 cause of headlight theft, Id buy a shotgun. Then again stake outs are more confy in a benz.

 

They will steal your outside mirrors before they take your headlights.

 

What's up neighbor, have you had any problems around here?

 

My friend has a 2004 TL. He parks his car in a train station lot in long island. About a month after purchasing his headlights were stolen.

 

It really depends on location. THere are a lot of people in NY, and even more in the train stations, durr. Watch where you park it.

 

ANY car with HIDs is VERY susceptible to HID theft. Just because HID theft with the 3G TL is not at the epidemic proportions of the 5.5G Maxima and 2G TL doesnt mean it wont be targeted.

Some dude on G35driver.com just had his G Coupe's HIDs swapped at the Doubletree Hotel in Jersey City where there's a "secured parking lot w/valet service".

The next time you see some POS civic with HIDs betya $20 buck he didnt get them from JC Witney or Pep Boys.

 

Guess what? I saw a Nissan Murano a week ago without headlights. Guess it's common on all cars that have HID

 

I think I remember reading that guy's posting. The G35 is supposed to be similar, in that you have to remove the bumper to get the headlights. And the G35 headlights wont fit any other car in the US.

IIRC, the theives ripped the guy's bumper with a knife/crowbar, to get access to the headlights.

From what I hear, HIDs these days are being stolen for their ballasts/ignitors in addition to just fitment into non-hid applications.

 

You are right they are stealing them for whats inside and modyfing them to fit other cars. the 5.5 gen Maximas are allso atatched to the bumber but they way they were designed with a crowbar that was not an issue ( it also casused thousands of dollars worth of damage to the hood and bumper as well. A determined thief will get wahat he wants most of the time.

 

 

Hmm. At the Doubletree in Somerset my mother's TL had its HIDs stolen last year. There was a guard there who didn't see anything either f*****s.

 

'course he didn't see shit! he didn't see shit cuz he was taking shit.

if i saw anyone jacking headlights, i'd pick up whatever's nearby (something blunt) and beat 'em with it. i just gotta make sure the first blow knocks 'em down, cuz i know they got a crowbar. that shit's solid iron.

 

Last year when I first started looking at the TL I went to Island Acura in Wantagh. I noticed a brand new Tl with the front all torn apart. It looked pretty bad. I figured someone had trashed a demo on a test ride because the sticker was still on the window and there was no license plate. As I waled around the back lot I came across another. And another, and another. I think there were seven or so. The damage was all the same: bumper almost completely torn off, hoods had a big (4-5") hole in them to reach in and unlatch it, front fenders peeled back like a banana. Some had more damage to the items behind the bumper. A spoke to a guy on the lot. He said they got hid hard the night before and that the damage was $6-7K per car. Just to get the HIDs!!!

I briefly considered not getting a TL after seeing that. But the car is just too good to pass up.

 

I live in Somerset and a couple of my inlaws work at that Doubletree. (Maybe it's the same valet. ) Overall though, HID theft is not that common in my area of Central NJ.

 

they busted a 18 year old kid down the block eventually for stealing the 2nd gen TL lights in our neighborhood. There are several gangs in NY /long island area that specialize in this.
His mother reported a racoon in garage, they were let into a garage that was BUSTING with HID headlights that were obviously ripped out of vehicles.
Im suing his mother for mine.

 

Really(about teh suing his mother), that is great. Nothing like your mother to screw up your life. Maybe the kid should have moved out...