The New Economy.

So Wednesday, I was out of the office at lunch, and I stopped to get gas.  45 bucks.  Sigh.

Then I ran some errands, picked up a salad, went back to the office.  Went to the gym.  Home for a quick shower, then off to dinner with my friend J.    It was a gorgeous evening, the heat had broken a bit and driving along the river was beautiful.  The air was cool through the open window  and flipped the ends of my hair against my arms in a pleasing way.  I had the Baja Sessions - Chris Issac is the perfect summer evening soundtrack - on the CD player.   I love to drive on summer nights. 

Some where along there I noticed that the gas gauge looked funny for the mileage on the tank, but I was having a good time and the thought wandered away before I nailed it down.

Yesterday I was driving back to the office with my lunch and the empty light flicked on.  I looked at the odometer.  63 miles.
Weird.
I pulled over, looked under the car - no leak.
I opened the tank cover - and the cap was loose.

At first I thought that the gas guy yesterday didn't close it - but there are no spill evaporation marks on the car.  There was no smell of gas.  Maybe he didn't fill the tank all the way?  No, the receipt was for the full amount. 
It's been hot, the cap was loose, maybe it evap....oh.

Somebody boosted it.  Somewhere yesterday - at my work, my gym or on the street in front of my house, somebody stuck a tube in my tank and siphoned away 13 gallons.

Today after work I filled my tank.  45 bucks.  But I'm sighing for a different reason now.

Comments

[Tipper]

Unfortunately, that's happened to me, too. And gas wasn't even expensive at the time!

[Heidi]

Oh my gawd! I just don't want to believe it!

[Risa]

That sucks. Reminds me of the locked gas caps during the 70's.

[Carol]

I noticed that the cap to my roto tiller was off a few days ago. It's in my fenced backyard. Cap was off in the weeds and the tank was empty. For what, a quart of gas? How weird.

[Rainy]

You can buy a locking gas cap. They sell them at auto parts stores here in the US, so if you have something equivalent to Pep Boys or Kragen, go there. You look up the car model number/make in a book, then select the gas cap it tells you to buy and et voila, thwarted gas thieves.

I <3 my locking gas cap, except when I am at the pump and must remember to take my keys out of the ignition so that I can unlock it.

Larcenous people suck.

[Diane]

Yep, time for that locking gas cap. I should probably get one, too.

[Cookie]

Bastards!

Reminds me of the 70's.

[Stacey]

Had the same thing happen to me, in front of my house no less. The bugger didn't even have the manners to put the gas cap back on, just left it hanging. I went out and got a locking gas cap and have been gas sucker free since then. It is a pain because I have to remember the key when I go to fill up...but I solved that by putting one of those stick-on hooks on the dash.

I feel your pain :o)

[Kristen]

though I've heard discussions of this happening, you're the first person I know that it actually happened to; I am so sorry. I know nothing about locking gas caps and though I was around in the (late) 1970's I can assure you that I heard nothing about the gas crisis, so I'm no help there.

[maggie]

To me, there is nothing worse than a thief...nothing.

[claudia]

Wow. This is SO 1973.

Just sayin'.

What maryse said.

[Spinningfishwife]

$45 for a full tank of gas/petrol? You lot don`t know you`re born. It cost me $105 of your money to fill my modest car up last week.

But despite the horrific petrol prices over here, no-ones ever pinched any of mine. How incredibly irritating for you!

[Jennifer]

I guess in the 70's I was ignorant of the stories of stolen gas. I'm flabbergasted! I live in Brooklyn and often park on the street--I've seen broken this and that's on cars, but never would have imagined someone stealing my gasoline!

[Silvia]

OMG! That's the suckiest thing ever! You could get one of those burgler alarm stickers and stick it on the cap. Mess with their theiving heads a bit.

[Kat with a K]

Oh no! I've never even heard of that. (Um, yeah, I wasn't alive in the 70s.)

[julia fc]

Yes, I knew this would happen again. Used to happen all the time in the early 70's. That's why gas caps were part of the locking system on cars for awhile. Sucks, don't it?

[Dorothy B]

That sucks. The locking gas cap is a good idea. You can get those at some Automotive stores. Whatever the US equivalent of Canadian Tire is.

[Chris]

WTF?! Bless my locking gas cap. Sheesh.

[jillian]

Oh. My. God.

What's this Country coming to? It is like the 70's. It happened once, they could target you again. Can you lock the cap?

Sounds like a lovely evening, though :)

[June]

I hear ya! Happened to me a few months back (so much for "Minnesota Nice"). I get 400 mi/tank with highway driving ('95 Volvo wagon), and I petered out before I even hit 300 mi. Bastards. (Maybe that's Minnesota Nice - they only take a few gallons instead of the whole tank? :b)

[--Deb]

You've really got to wonder about people....

But you know, remember last year when the cover to my gas tank broke off? I'm just glad that happened BEFORE the gas prices skyrocketed post-Katrina....

[Gina]

Holy shit! That is just unbelievable.

[Imbrium]

Ye Gods. Madness, I tell you. I can't even imagine. *shakes head*

[Liz]

E-gads! Are we back to this? How infuriating! (in the meantime, I'm making a mental note to myself to start locking the car so the gas tank also locks).

[Rabbitch]

Good grief. I mean Good. Fucking. Grief.

My flabber, she is gasted. I'm so sorry this happened!

And I'm now glad that my giant gas-slurping van has a tank I have to release from inside the car, even though half the time I grab the seat release instead and end up lying on my back looking at the ceiling of the car pretending I just needed a quick nap. In front of the pumps.