When will we start needing locks on our gas caps?

[friesianrider]

I was not born yet when the energy crisis of the '70s was happening, but at what point will we need to start keeping all our cars in locked garages and locking our gas caps? What else happened back then that will be happening again soon?

I'm in the outer suburbs of Philadelphia, PA, and our gas went up 40 cents in under 10 hours.

[flakey_foont]

1. I would say with the weekend about to start

NOW might be a good time

[Biased Liberal Media]

2. We're picking up one this weekend

.

[MojoXN]

3. Within days

[Democrats_win]

4. Good question.

[Sub Atomic]

5. Just the fact that you're asking this question

brought a tear to my eye.

I remember the energy crisis in the 70s and people siphoning off gas. Hell, I remember doing it myself because my mother didn't have any gas in the car.

This is a very sad time for our nation.

[whistle]

6. Gas just hit $2.999 per gallon for regular and my tank holds 18.4

....gallons so my next fill-up on a dry tank will cost $55.18 :wtf:

[xultar]

7. NOW!

[Terran]

8. Gas actually fell $.01 here today

down to $2.98. No idea why.

[libnnc]

9. I've heard that locking caps won't help

when somebody takes a hole punch to your gas tank.

Both auto parts stores close to me are all out of caps. Won't get any until next week.

[friesianrider]

11. Yeah, my Father was telling me this...something about using brass...

So it doesn't spark. Just pop a hole in the gas tank and let it drain out. I'd imagine trucks and SUVs - becuse they hold more gas naturally - will be targeted first.

I'm very fearful about the future.

[tedoll78]

10. I've had one for about two years.

But then again, I kinda live in a rough neighborhood.

[qanda]

12. In the meantime

Park with your gas tank facing the sidewalk instead of the street.

[Pacifist Patriot]

13. My mom had my dad clean out their garage so that both

cars could be locked in the garage at night. And he pulled the riding mower around to the back and backed it up against the house. They remember the 70s.

[MissWaverly]

14. got mine for my car

I got tired of people stealing my gas, so I bought a locking
gas cap at www.carpartsamerica.com, you just screw it in like
the original gas cap, no additional parts required.

[Coyote_Bandit]

15. Bought mine today

and paid some outrageous sum for it too. Still cheaper than having a tank of gas siphoned. And, yes, that has happened to me before....

[Deja Q]

16. I've had one for years. Originally out of a fear of sugar insertion, but

now for obvious gas shortage reasons.

[cynatnite]

17. Got mine

but that was because I forgot to put the original on when I fueled up on monday and lost it. Dumb me.

[-..__...]

18. Just one word of note.

Locking gas caps are meant to do one thing: be locked on the filler neck.

If you buy a cheapo after market locking cap (non OEM), it might not seal correctly and your "check engine" light may come on.

An OEM locking cap for my Jeep costs $45.00!

No big deal (it's an evaporative emissions leak). Just be aware of it if for some reason the engine light does come on.

[NNN0LHI]

20. The dealer will turn that "check engine" light out for you

For about $75.00. A 1 cent piece of electrical tape over the light works just as well though.

Don

[friesianrider]

26. Can you buy the OEM caps at, say, any auto store?

Or do you need to get them directly from a dealer?

[katamaran]

19. We got one for each of our cars yesterday

Called my parents and told them to get their asses up to Pep Boys and buy locking caps. They want to park the cars in the backyard outside the bedroom windows. We filled up all the tanks, filled the lawnmower as a makeshift emergency tank and filled up the three gas cans we have. Stations here in SE VA are already running out of gas. My dad said he yelled at a guy today who was filling up his 30ft SPEEDBOAT with gas (100 gallon tank) and beer at the convenience store. Guy replied that why should he suffer....he's gonna party this weekend. :grr:

[carpetbagger]

21. That would prevent the police from getting it in an emergency.

You one-a-them merica haters, buddy?



St Petersburg Times, AUG 30: "... the police refilled their tanks by siphoning gas from parked cars."

[halsaxby]

22. It's $3.35-$3.65/gallon here in Balto

[lpbk2713]

23. I bought one last week. A lesson in supply and demand.

Bought it to replace one that I had lost (didn't screw it back in at a gas station and it rolled off my trunk lid somewhere). I bought the first one about three years ago for seven bucks. This latest one was ten bucks. Same identical cap bought at the same place.

[hlthe2b]

24. NOW! Attempts to siphon my car 2 days running (Denver)

I went out to locate a still opened auto parts store at 7:30 last night and finally found one. They are selling TONS of them, the guy said. I got the last one they had for my Subaru Outback.

BTW, like most, I have the hatch door that opens from a lever inside the car and the internal screw on gas cap. However, those supposedly secure hatches are readily opened from the outside. The first day they got about an 1/8 tank and night before last none that I can tell. Both days the hatch was wide open when I came out in the morning.

[ezekiel333]

25. FUCK GAS

When will they start saving the people of the Gulf States? Americans are dying, FUCK the gas prices and protecting it.

[wli]

27. Friday of last week. n/t

[KatyaR]

28. If you're going to do it, do it fast.

I went out tonight to get one, and apparently no one in town has any, and they don't know when they will be back in stock. I ended up ordering one on the internet--I'm hoping that the company wasn't lying when they said they had them. It'll probably be next week before I get it.

Everything I've seen online is about $18 to $20 apiece.