Thieves covet Lexus RX330's headlights
01-27-05, 08:38 AM
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Thieves covet Lexus RX330's headlights
By CANDICE FERRETTE, RICH LIEBSON AND LIZ SADLER
THE JOURNAL NEWS
(Original publication: January 27, 2005)
http://www.thejournalnews.com/newsro...eadlights.html
A loud crunching noise outside her Yonkers home woke Barbara Fuchs around 4 a.m. She looked out her bedroom window at the Lexus RX330 sport utility vehicle parked in her driveway.
"All of a sudden my headlights were gone," she said.
While Cindi Klar was asleep, thieves sneaked onto her driveway, also in Yonkers, around 2 a.m. and stole the xenon headlights from her Lexus RX330. When she filed a report, police told her the thieves were likely to be back every month for repeat performances.
"It's a real big pain," Klar said. "It's just unfortunate that nobody told us that this has a tendency of happening."
Fuchs and Klar are among hundreds of Lexus owners in Westchester County victimized by people who are after the high-intensity discharge, or HID, headlights and a component that makes them work. The ultra-bright headlights, which often give off a blue or violet light, are made with xenon gas and are a popular feature on many high-end vehicles. They are optional on the Lexus RX330.
The rash of larcenies has many owners — some of them repeat victims — furious and scornful, and has set off investigations by police in New York City, Westchester County and Connecticut, as well as by Lexus.
"What they want are the guts, (the) mechanisms inside," said Rocco Cacciola, a mechanic in Tuckahoe.
Cacciola is referring to a control box that regulates the voltage to the lights, a feature that has made the Lexus lights attractive to thieves because they are easy to steal and adaptable to other vehicles.
The police say using the Lexus converters in other vehicles is potentially dangerous because headlight assemblies in other cars are not designed to handle the heat generated by HID bulbs and could catch fire.
Cacciola said it takes a thief with two screwdrivers 45 seconds to remove an assembly.
"If they are nice, they'll unplug the lights instead of cutting the wires," he said.
Cacciola and the police agree that this is happening to newer RX330s because there is no security device to prevent thieves from taking the lights. The assemblies aren't attached to anything inside the vehicle's fender, and no alarm will sound unless a window is broken.
Sgt. Jim Palanzo of the Westchester County police crime analysis unit said there were two types of thieves: "sloppy guys," who use screwdrivers or crowbars to pry the headlight assemblies out, causing more body damage; and "clean guys," who use a technique in which they smack the hood in a certain way and the assembly pops out without causing damage.
"They get them out so quickly that even if the car is alarmed it doesn't matter," Palanzo said. "By the time you react to the alarm, they've got what they were after and are gone."
The lights can have a street value of between $300 and $600, and police say thieves are very likely to rip them off the same vehicle again. Owners — and insurance companies — have paid between $6,000 and $8,000 to replace the lights, depending on how much damage has been done to the car. The control box is listed around $300 and about $600 for the entire assembly at Lexus dealerships.
"Clearly, some of the people who are stealing them are putting them into their own cars," said Capt. Daniel Daly of the 1st Precinct in Yonkers, where 56 thefts were reported last year. "Or there are chop shops in the New York metropolitan area that say to (the thieves), 'We'll buy as many as you can get.' "
Because the lights have no identifying marks that authorities can use to match them with the original vehicle, recovering them is nearly impossible, police said.
"Right now I wouldn't want to buy a car with these lights, because there's no way to identify them," said Lt. Bryant Clark of the Scarsdale police. In Scarsdale, 17 sets have been stolen since May.
"If they were unique and would only work with a Lexus, they wouldn't be stolen," he added. "But they're easily adaptable to other cars and the kids seem to like them. ... It's a beautiful thing for the thieves — you can steal them quickly and they can't be traced."
For victims, owning the $40,000 sport utility vehicle and being a target isn't quite as beautiful.
"I'm angry. I'm angry at Lexus for doing this," said Denise Amorelli, who had the headlights stolen from her 2004 silver RX330 in her Pelham Manor driveway. "They popped it out like you'd pop out the pit of an olive."
Amorelli, who is leasing her Lexus for $600 a month, said she couldn't believe the company would install such valuable headlights without a security device.
There isn't enough data to say headlight theft is a national problem, but figures do suggest it's a problem in regions north of Manhattan and near Connecticut, said Frank Scafidi, director of public affairs for the National Insurance Crime Bureau, a nonprofit organization based in Illinois.
Meanwhile, local police are sharing notes, stopping possible suspects and warning owners.
Daly said officers in his northeast Yonkers precinct have arrested two suspects, but did not provide details
Police in Greenwich, Conn., arrested two New York City men about 6 a.m. Dec. 17 after a resident saw them in his driveway.
They were driving a 2002 black Acura using stolen California license plates, said Lt. Daniel Allen of the Greenwich police. A search of the suspects' vehicle and further investigation that day led police to believe the men may have also stolen headlights in Mamaroneck that morning.
In Greenburgh, where 35 sets of headlights have been stolen since September, police mailed letters to Lexus owners last month with tips on securing their vehicles. It also described a possible suspect with Florida license plates driving a black or dark blue Acura.
Sgt. Kevin Poe of the White Plains police said police there were using a combination of high-visibility patrols in marked cars, less noticeable patrols with plainclothes officers in unmarked cars, and safety checkpoints to try to combat the thefts. Police can also stop cars with HIDs to make sure the lights comply with state laws. The Lexus bulbs, he said, are approved by the state Department of Transportation, but only for Lexus cars. If they're found in another vehicle, he said, the owner can be fined.
"If we find a kid in a souped-up car with these lights, we could seize them," Poe said. "It's an enforcement tool we can use to try and find out where they're getting these converters.''
But police say it is difficult to trace the headlights back to their original owners.
"Our enforcement efforts have been hampered by the fact that these converters have no unique marks or numbers that we can use to tie them to specific vehicles," said Inspector Daniel Jackson of the White Plains police. "If there was some way to make it with a locking device or something that would make it more difficult to remove without opening the hood, that would definitely help."
Some victims, like Fuchs, have opted to take security into their own hands. She plans to install a new alarm system in her vehicle and motion-activated lights on her garage. Others, including Klar, have bought protective bumper grids that shield the headlights.
When it comes down to insurance premiums, it isn't just Lexus owners who may bear the burden.
"In the general sense," said Scafidi of the National Insurance Crime Bureau, "when insurance companies experience higher losses in an area, they make up for it in some way and it is usually on the backs of all of us who pay for insurance."
Send e-mail to Candice Ferrette
THE JOURNAL NEWS
(Original publication: January 27, 2005)
http://www.thejournalnews.com/newsro...eadlights.html
A loud crunching noise outside her Yonkers home woke Barbara Fuchs around 4 a.m. She looked out her bedroom window at the Lexus RX330 sport utility vehicle parked in her driveway.
"All of a sudden my headlights were gone," she said.
While Cindi Klar was asleep, thieves sneaked onto her driveway, also in Yonkers, around 2 a.m. and stole the xenon headlights from her Lexus RX330. When she filed a report, police told her the thieves were likely to be back every month for repeat performances.
"It's a real big pain," Klar said. "It's just unfortunate that nobody told us that this has a tendency of happening."
Fuchs and Klar are among hundreds of Lexus owners in Westchester County victimized by people who are after the high-intensity discharge, or HID, headlights and a component that makes them work. The ultra-bright headlights, which often give off a blue or violet light, are made with xenon gas and are a popular feature on many high-end vehicles. They are optional on the Lexus RX330.
The rash of larcenies has many owners — some of them repeat victims — furious and scornful, and has set off investigations by police in New York City, Westchester County and Connecticut, as well as by Lexus.
"What they want are the guts, (the) mechanisms inside," said Rocco Cacciola, a mechanic in Tuckahoe.
Cacciola is referring to a control box that regulates the voltage to the lights, a feature that has made the Lexus lights attractive to thieves because they are easy to steal and adaptable to other vehicles.
The police say using the Lexus converters in other vehicles is potentially dangerous because headlight assemblies in other cars are not designed to handle the heat generated by HID bulbs and could catch fire.
Cacciola said it takes a thief with two screwdrivers 45 seconds to remove an assembly.
"If they are nice, they'll unplug the lights instead of cutting the wires," he said.
Cacciola and the police agree that this is happening to newer RX330s because there is no security device to prevent thieves from taking the lights. The assemblies aren't attached to anything inside the vehicle's fender, and no alarm will sound unless a window is broken.
Sgt. Jim Palanzo of the Westchester County police crime analysis unit said there were two types of thieves: "sloppy guys," who use screwdrivers or crowbars to pry the headlight assemblies out, causing more body damage; and "clean guys," who use a technique in which they smack the hood in a certain way and the assembly pops out without causing damage.
"They get them out so quickly that even if the car is alarmed it doesn't matter," Palanzo said. "By the time you react to the alarm, they've got what they were after and are gone."
The lights can have a street value of between $300 and $600, and police say thieves are very likely to rip them off the same vehicle again. Owners — and insurance companies — have paid between $6,000 and $8,000 to replace the lights, depending on how much damage has been done to the car. The control box is listed around $300 and about $600 for the entire assembly at Lexus dealerships.
"Clearly, some of the people who are stealing them are putting them into their own cars," said Capt. Daniel Daly of the 1st Precinct in Yonkers, where 56 thefts were reported last year. "Or there are chop shops in the New York metropolitan area that say to (the thieves), 'We'll buy as many as you can get.' "
Because the lights have no identifying marks that authorities can use to match them with the original vehicle, recovering them is nearly impossible, police said.
"Right now I wouldn't want to buy a car with these lights, because there's no way to identify them," said Lt. Bryant Clark of the Scarsdale police. In Scarsdale, 17 sets have been stolen since May.
"If they were unique and would only work with a Lexus, they wouldn't be stolen," he added. "But they're easily adaptable to other cars and the kids seem to like them. ... It's a beautiful thing for the thieves — you can steal them quickly and they can't be traced."
For victims, owning the $40,000 sport utility vehicle and being a target isn't quite as beautiful.
"I'm angry. I'm angry at Lexus for doing this," said Denise Amorelli, who had the headlights stolen from her 2004 silver RX330 in her Pelham Manor driveway. "They popped it out like you'd pop out the pit of an olive."
Amorelli, who is leasing her Lexus for $600 a month, said she couldn't believe the company would install such valuable headlights without a security device.
There isn't enough data to say headlight theft is a national problem, but figures do suggest it's a problem in regions north of Manhattan and near Connecticut, said Frank Scafidi, director of public affairs for the National Insurance Crime Bureau, a nonprofit organization based in Illinois.
Meanwhile, local police are sharing notes, stopping possible suspects and warning owners.
Daly said officers in his northeast Yonkers precinct have arrested two suspects, but did not provide details
Police in Greenwich, Conn., arrested two New York City men about 6 a.m. Dec. 17 after a resident saw them in his driveway.
They were driving a 2002 black Acura using stolen California license plates, said Lt. Daniel Allen of the Greenwich police. A search of the suspects' vehicle and further investigation that day led police to believe the men may have also stolen headlights in Mamaroneck that morning.
In Greenburgh, where 35 sets of headlights have been stolen since September, police mailed letters to Lexus owners last month with tips on securing their vehicles. It also described a possible suspect with Florida license plates driving a black or dark blue Acura.
Sgt. Kevin Poe of the White Plains police said police there were using a combination of high-visibility patrols in marked cars, less noticeable patrols with plainclothes officers in unmarked cars, and safety checkpoints to try to combat the thefts. Police can also stop cars with HIDs to make sure the lights comply with state laws. The Lexus bulbs, he said, are approved by the state Department of Transportation, but only for Lexus cars. If they're found in another vehicle, he said, the owner can be fined.
"If we find a kid in a souped-up car with these lights, we could seize them," Poe said. "It's an enforcement tool we can use to try and find out where they're getting these converters.''
But police say it is difficult to trace the headlights back to their original owners.
"Our enforcement efforts have been hampered by the fact that these converters have no unique marks or numbers that we can use to tie them to specific vehicles," said Inspector Daniel Jackson of the White Plains police. "If there was some way to make it with a locking device or something that would make it more difficult to remove without opening the hood, that would definitely help."
Some victims, like Fuchs, have opted to take security into their own hands. She plans to install a new alarm system in her vehicle and motion-activated lights on her garage. Others, including Klar, have bought protective bumper grids that shield the headlights.
When it comes down to insurance premiums, it isn't just Lexus owners who may bear the burden.
"In the general sense," said Scafidi of the National Insurance Crime Bureau, "when insurance companies experience higher losses in an area, they make up for it in some way and it is usually on the backs of all of us who pay for insurance."
Send e-mail to Candice Ferrette
01-27-05, 08:42 AM
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Lexus responds
Lexus responds
http://www.thejournalnews.com/newsro...eadlights.html
Representatives at Lexus said the company's design engineers were working on a solution to the headlight thefts.
Bill Ussery, manager for product communications, said the company has been aware of the larcenies since they began in the New York City area in 2003 and has worked with police to investigate and catch thieves.
"We hope to have a solution to offer a level of security that would deter thieves from targeting the RX330 again or any other Lexus vehicle," Ussery said.
Calling the effort to prevent future thefts a "top priority," he said Lexus' engineering team hoped to secure the headlights better, either by mounting them somewhere inside the fender or attaching an alarm that will sound when a thief tampers with them.
In addition, he said, Lexus was working with the manufacturer of the xenon bulbs to create markings on them that would match the vehicle identification number.
But no new security designs have been integrated into this year's model, he acknowledged.
http://www.thejournalnews.com/newsro...eadlights.html
Representatives at Lexus said the company's design engineers were working on a solution to the headlight thefts.
Bill Ussery, manager for product communications, said the company has been aware of the larcenies since they began in the New York City area in 2003 and has worked with police to investigate and catch thieves.
"We hope to have a solution to offer a level of security that would deter thieves from targeting the RX330 again or any other Lexus vehicle," Ussery said.
Calling the effort to prevent future thefts a "top priority," he said Lexus' engineering team hoped to secure the headlights better, either by mounting them somewhere inside the fender or attaching an alarm that will sound when a thief tampers with them.
In addition, he said, Lexus was working with the manufacturer of the xenon bulbs to create markings on them that would match the vehicle identification number.
But no new security designs have been integrated into this year's model, he acknowledged.
01-27-05, 10:54 AM
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Wow, I had no idea they could be removed so quickly. But to blame Lexus for not making them theft-proof is stupid. That's like blaming Nike because people are getting robbed for their Air Jordans.
01-27-05, 02:01 PM
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This pretty much only happens in the NYC/NJ area and maybe a very few other places. I think it has something to do with gun-control laws. In Kentucky a person doing that would have a life expectancy measured in days, maybe just hours. 
01-27-05, 03:21 PM
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Originally Posted by jaydunn
This pretty much only happens in the NYC/NJ area and maybe a very few other places. I think it has something to do with gun-control laws. In Kentucky a person doing that would have a life expectancy measured in days, maybe just hours.
This reminds me of the HID issue with Acura back in the day. One model had easy out HIDS and they plugged right into the rest of the Honda family. But I'm glad to hear Lexus is working on it. It can't be that hard to secure them better.
01-27-05, 03:53 PM
#6
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If I still lived in New York City, I'd mount razor blades near the headlight area under the hood. Police can use the DNA to track them down.
It also amazes me that people park their $40,000 vehicle on the driveway, and put worthless junk in the garage.
It also amazes me that people park their $40,000 vehicle on the driveway, and put worthless junk in the garage.
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01-27-05, 10:56 PM
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I have not really taken a good look under the hood of my RX, but on my VW Golf I know that to remove the headlights there are two screws on top and one or two below, which requires you to remove the bumper. I take it the Lexus setup is not similar?
01-28-05, 10:24 AM
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Originally Posted by joako
I have not really taken a good look under the hood of my RX, but on my VW Golf I know that to remove the headlights there are two screws on top and one or two below, which requires you to remove the bumper. I take it the Lexus setup is not similar?
01-28-05, 12:40 PM
#11
Originally Posted by indelible
popping out the headlights simply by smacking the hood? wow. Is there no screw on top of the headlight?
With the TL, the headlights are a little more difficult to remove so that resulted in damaged hoods, fenders and bumpers.
Not sure what the solution is, but many owners retrofitted the OEM alarm with a shock sensor.
01-29-05, 03:36 AM
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These soccer moms are frickin' idiots. Time to move to a better neighborhood. They are trying to live ghetto-large. One of them was saying "I hate Lexus for doing this, making it so easy to pop out the headlights. . .blah, blah, blah."
What's next?
"oh, I hate the Glock Co.! They made it sooo easy to shoot that .45 underwater, submerged in mud, after it's frozen, etc, etc! Who knew I would end up with an exit wound the size of a grapefruit in my forehead when I pulled the trigger! It's ALL Glocks fault!"
"Man what is up with this HOT coffee, you mean if I spill this molten lava java on my lap I will burn myself? The horror, obviously this is ALL the fault of McDonalds! They made it so cheap and easy to Burn myself!"
"How come I can't lock my infant in the back of my suburban in Arizona in the summer when the temp is 120 F? I was at the Jamba Juice for just a couple of minutes. They should have designed the vehicle to let more air in when all the doors are shut and the windows closed. It's all GM's fault for letting my infant cook to dead in the suburban roaster, NOT my fault."
"You mean to tell me that if I drank a gallon of drano that it could possibly kill me? They made it so easy to pour out the drano. Anyone can pour it out and drink it and die. This is obviously the fault of Drano not me."
Absolutely no accountability for the owner's actions nor their ignorance to the amount of technology vested in their vehicles. Move all that christmas decoration crap out of your garage into the dumpster or selfstorage and put the SECOND BIGGEST INVESTMENT AFTER YOUR HOUSE IN THE DAMN GARAGE. Your not gonna leave your Rolex out on the front porch, why your RX?
What's next?
"oh, I hate the Glock Co.! They made it sooo easy to shoot that .45 underwater, submerged in mud, after it's frozen, etc, etc! Who knew I would end up with an exit wound the size of a grapefruit in my forehead when I pulled the trigger! It's ALL Glocks fault!"
"Man what is up with this HOT coffee, you mean if I spill this molten lava java on my lap I will burn myself? The horror, obviously this is ALL the fault of McDonalds! They made it so cheap and easy to Burn myself!"
"How come I can't lock my infant in the back of my suburban in Arizona in the summer when the temp is 120 F? I was at the Jamba Juice for just a couple of minutes. They should have designed the vehicle to let more air in when all the doors are shut and the windows closed. It's all GM's fault for letting my infant cook to dead in the suburban roaster, NOT my fault."
"You mean to tell me that if I drank a gallon of drano that it could possibly kill me? They made it so easy to pour out the drano. Anyone can pour it out and drink it and die. This is obviously the fault of Drano not me."
Absolutely no accountability for the owner's actions nor their ignorance to the amount of technology vested in their vehicles. Move all that christmas decoration crap out of your garage into the dumpster or selfstorage and put the SECOND BIGGEST INVESTMENT AFTER YOUR HOUSE IN THE DAMN GARAGE. Your not gonna leave your Rolex out on the front porch, why your RX?
01-29-05, 04:01 AM
#13
Originally Posted by Gohawks63
THis has been a problem with Acura TLs since they came out with HIDs as standard equipment in '99.
With the TL, the headlights are a little more difficult to remove so that resulted in damaged hoods, fenders and bumpers.
Not sure what the solution is, but many owners retrofitted the OEM alarm with a shock sensor.
With the TL, the headlights are a little more difficult to remove so that resulted in damaged hoods, fenders and bumpers.
Not sure what the solution is, but many owners retrofitted the OEM alarm with a shock sensor.
On the part of wiring the headlights to the alarm, in the RX330 case it doesn't seem like it will do any good since the article stated that the speed at which the RX330 headlights can be removed is so fast that by the time you get out of bed and look out the window you may only see the tail lights of the thieves speeding away.
Truthfully, IMHO it would be better to just leave the headlights alone and let the insurance pay for it if it gets stolen. My reason is that unless Lexus themseves change the design making it known to theives that it is difficuld to remove, you could do more harm to your car by adding extra braces to the headlights making them difficult to remove. In this case, a thief might do more damage to the bumper and hood trying to pry the headlights out causing more expensive damage. Even if the thief gave up and left your headlights, the damage to the mounting taps would probably require a new headlight anyway.
01-29-05, 04:09 AM
#14
Originally Posted by D2-AUTOSPORT
I was thinking the same thing, about a year ago, I replaced my headlights with newer factory units, and it involved removing the entire front bumper. My brother has a LS400 (2000) and theives tried to steal his lights, but could not (same bumper issue). Is the RX a different setup? Or have theives found a new method?
01-30-05, 12:33 PM
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confused
Don't Lexus RX330 HID lights ONLY fit in other RX330's? Or do HIDs fit in any car?
I just don't see RX330 owners going out and ripping off HID lights. If you can put Lexus RX330 lights in a Civic, then I think we have a problem.
I thought HIDs had lot sof extra stuff like ballasts etc that you can just take the headlights.
I just don't see RX330 owners going out and ripping off HID lights. If you can put Lexus RX330 lights in a Civic, then I think we have a problem.
I thought HIDs had lot sof extra stuff like ballasts etc that you can just take the headlights.
