Stolen Prius 06 headlamps

So do you have both an 06 and an 07? Your sign-on shows a 2007 Prius with option package 9, but I thought the 07's only went to option package 6. Just curious.

 

Yup, the dreaded New York area HID theives. Sorry for your (expensive) loss. If you have HIDs put back in they will take them again, based on experience of others with HIDs (Nissan Maximas mostly). One owner had his taken three times. He sold the car in disgust!

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(David Beale @ Nov 4 2006, 02:32 PM) [snapback]343887[/snapback]</div>

To the OP: Sorry to hear about the loss. I think anyone who lives in NY or NJ should be VERY wary of buying any car w/HID lights.

I made some posts about 02-03 Maxima HID thefts (was standard on all 02-03 Maximas) at http://priuschat.com/index.php?showtopic=1...mp;#entry247129.

When I used to have an 02 Maxima and was active of maxima.org, I used to see posts maybe at least once a week of someone getting their HID lights stolen and in some cases, some owners got theirs stolen multiple times.

Fortunately, HID theft isn't common here in CA. I've only heard of it once before on message boards and it was here. I (knock on wood) so far never got the HID lights stolen from my former Maxima, my Z or my Prius.

 

What a rotten thing to do and how low can some people get. It makes me sick.
An auto alarm specialist should be able to rig something that will set off an alarm if the headlights are tampered with.

 

I agree. I'm sorry to hear about your HID's being taken. Unfortunately NY seems like a prime state for thieves of that kind. I think if you have one, the best protection against such is putting the car in a locked garage. Less chances of anything being stolen but in your case it happened while you were at work. Sometimes I have heard that some people have simply taken their old beaters to work since thieves have no interest in old beater cars.

Thankfully I don't live in those type places. Though theft can occur anywhere its more rampant in some places than others, especially near big cities.

I hope you get everything resolved very soon.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Orf @ Nov 4 2006, 02:40 PM) [snapback]343889[/snapback]</div>

It may not help though. With Maximas, previously before the Maximas in those states and a surrounding one were retrofitted w/stronger metal brackets instead of the flimsy stock plastic ones, people could just pry them out w/crowbars. The damage would already be done at that point.

 

The Porsche "fried egg" headlights suffered the same fate - being ripped out of their moorings by unscruplious a$$holes.

Just a shame.

 

My 06 headlight was working intermittantly, and the dealer finally decided to replace it. The bill? $2,000. For ONE headlight.

It's no wonder these are a "hot" item among theives.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(cbs4 @ Nov 5 2006, 09:52 AM) [snapback]344127[/snapback]</div>

Was it covered under warranty? I'd hope so for an 06...

$2K is a LOT. The commonly stolen 5th gen Maxima lights were $1356/pair.

http://www.courtesyparts.com/Merchant2/mer...de=2002HID-PAIR

 

Logic does not necessarily apply here.

My 2000 Plymouth Voyager was stolen out of the parking lot at my apartment this summer (a parking lot that had a lot of nicer cars, including the aforementioned desirable Maxima), and was only found abandonned the next morning because they'd hit a speed bump and punched a hole in the transmission pan. $800 plus the body damage they did that I haven't gotten around to repairing. Who steals a car like that?

The only way to avoid such things for sure is to drive a mechanically sound but cosmeticly less than appealing vehicle - say, a 10 year old minivan with 150,000 miles on the clock.

Alternately, if the headlights are stolen, would it be possible to replace them with non-HID models?

 

Maybe theres a way to add a sensor to the HIDs that when tampered with will trigger a video cam installed which put the crooks on video.Give to police and post pics around and see if any results.