Stolen Tail Lights

[chl]

My tail lights were stolen. Dealer replacement parts are $5000. Or there’s eBay for $1400, clearly stolen from somebody else. Anyone gone the eBay route? Sounds like I’ll still have to get the sensors calibrated at the dealer and another module replaced on the driver side for $1500.

This has been going on for some time with F-150s.
There are videos about ways to prevent it from happening again.

It does not matter if your tail gate is locked because if they can get into the bed, they can get into the inside of the tail gate and defeat the lock fairly easily and take the tail lights in a matter of a minute or two using standard tools.

So people replace the factory bolts at the tail light access point after they open the tail gate, with ones that have a weird (non-standard) head.



Now I suppose some thieves will get the proper tool and then this won't work.

Another thing people do is modify the tail gate latch so it cannot be so easily opened once they get inside the bed.







BTW, sometimes they steal the tail gate itself! This is how to prevent (or slow them down anyway):



This will prevent theft of both:



Of course, thieves will probably find a way around these things as time goes by...so some people etch their VIN number on their parts so if they are stolen, and the chop shop/ebay seller is raided, you can get your part back.

For what it's worth.

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[flux capacitor]

Here is a link on how to swap out the sensors without having to reprogram.
$2000 for a Lightning Taillight!!! DIY FOR $650

 

[Upstate]

Sorry for your experience. It was likely not the work of petty thieves (like the homeless guy who went in my unlocked truck and stole only blankets, shopping bags (empty) and quarters). The local law enforcement agencies may have other reports that could help solve the crime.

I had the unfortunate experience of an idiot (who's name rhymes with "me") who backed into my garage and wiped out a tail light. I bought the replacement part on ebay for about $750. As I had the old parts (the light was largely intact, just the outer covering was destroyed), we reused the sensor. I was told that it is VIN specific and when replaced, needs to be programmed. Thus, another means of tracking down your taillight is to call the local Ford dealers to see if anyone has come in lately to get your specific taillight reprogrammed.

As for the less expensive replacement parts listed on ebay, there is no particular reason to think that they are stolen. Wrecks, wrong purchases, other discounts, who knows? Of course, there is always reproduction parts, not factory original. My experience with them is mixed, but mostly good.

That's my two cents and good luck!

 

[Phineas Magliozzi]

As a result of this and other threads I decided to piss into the wind and bought these screws. After much video-watching and thread-reading I agree with most contributors that they likely won't deter a prepared or determined thief, but for $8, might as well give them a try.

One small modification I did which may help is that I filled-in the screw heads with a bit of Bondo that I had from another project. Thieves will need to grind of the entire head to get the taillights now, whereas in the daylight with a small drill bit I could probably clean the heads well enough in 10 or 15 minutes, a task thieves would likely not the take time to do. Only did one screw head of each pair.

 

[chl]

As a result of this and other threads I decided to piss into the wind and bought these screws. After much video-watching and thread-reading I agree with most contributors that they likely won't deter a prepared or determined thief, but for $8, might as well give them a try.

One small modification I did which may help is that I filled-in the screw heads with a bit of Bondo that I had from another project. Thieves will need to grind of the entire head to get the taillights now, whereas in the daylight with a small drill bit I could probably clean the heads well enough in 10 or 15 minutes, a task thieves would likely not the take time to do. Only did one screw head of each pair.

Yes, it seems they are doing this in broad daylight and in under 2 minutes, so anything that slows them down will discourage them.

We sprayed red heat resistant paint on our catalytic converters when they were being pinched in our area a few years ago - they look for hybrids and large vehicles esp new ones, and they can take one in under a minute, they come with a crew of 3, one guy jacks the vehicle up, one guy cuts the converter off and another one drives the get away car.

Those are also over $1k to replace. The will pass a spray painted one by so says the police anyway.

 

[PJnc284]

Might be worth something like this for the tailgate too. Amazon.com: McGard 76029 Premium Pick-up Truck Tailgate Lock , Black : Automotive Also available from Ford. McGard Tailgate Lock | Accessories | Ford.com

 

[Gaffer]

Might be worth something like this for the tailgate too. Amazon.com: McGard 76029 Premium Pick-up Truck Tailgate Lock , Black : Automotive Also available from Ford. McGard Tailgate Lock | Accessories | Ford.com

Doesn’t work on Lightning tail gates.

 

[watts/up]

Worked on mine. Is it trim specific?

 

[PJnc284]

Maybe something different with the powered tailgate. Looked at mine and there's a bolt there that you could probably replace with something different. Someone mentioned just putting a radiator clamp upside down.

 

[Gaffer]

Worked on mine. Is it trim specific?

It doesn’t work with the powered tail gates. My XLT came with it, didn’t realize it wasn’t standard on all Lightning’s.

 

[PJnc284]

"Not for use with vehicles equipped with Power or Pro Access Tailgates"

Guess I would've known that if I had read the details.

 

[sstevetx]

I'm going to replace one screw on each tail light with a one way screw. I'll use a regular security screw in the other. There are tricks to get one way screws out, but it will take longer and hopefully a potential thief will give up and move on. The downside is if I need to remove the screw in the future I'll have to do a little work to remove them.

For reference here is what I ordered. Home Depot carries them as well, but none near me had them in stock: Bolt Depot - Sheet metal screws, Self tapping, One way round head, Stainless steel 18-8, #14 x 3/4"

I found the screw size on the 14 gen forum in the post below.
F150 Tail Lights: Easy to Steal, Expensive to Replace! | Page 5 | F150gen14 -- 2021+ Ford F-150, Tremor, Raptor Forum (14th Gen) | News, Owners, Community, Discussions

EDIT: One-way screws came in and I installed 1 on each tail light. I had to use a little joint compound paste to get one to go in easy, but the other went in fine. I put a regular hex security screw in the other hole. I just hope I never have to remove the one-way screws, but it is possible.

My power tailgate has a bolt you have to remove if you want to remove the tailgate. I replaced that with a M6-1.0 x 12mm security screw along with a washer I had lying around. It will at least slow someone down if they try to take the tailgate. I'll probably put a hose clamp around it too like some people do to slow someone down.

 

[RLXXI]

Might be worth something like this for the tailgate too. Amazon.com: McGard 76029 Premium Pick-up Truck Tailgate Lock , Black : Automotive Also available from Ford. McGard Tailgate Lock | Accessories | Ford.com

Just put the Ford McGard on my 25 Flash today. I also have the oem assist and it fits fine.

 

[solastobann]

I'm going to replace one screw on each tail light with a one way screw. I'll use a regular security screw in the other. There are tricks to get one way screws out, but it will take longer and hopefully a potential thief will give up and move on. The downside is if I need to remove the screw in the future I'll have to do a little work to remove them.

For reference here is what I ordered. Home Depot carries them as well, but none near me had them in stock: Bolt Depot - Sheet metal screws, Self tapping, One way round head, Stainless steel 18-8, #14 x 3/4"

I found the screw size on the 14 gen forum in the post below.
F150 Tail Lights: Easy to Steal, Expensive to Replace! | Page 5 | F150gen14 -- 2021+ Ford F-150, Tremor, Raptor Forum (14th Gen) | News, Owners, Community, Discussions

Harbor Freight sells a couple of different sets of security screwdriver bits. $10-$20. One-ways are good. Most places that don’t want screws removed use an Allen (hex) screw that has a pin in the middle. A regular Allen wrench cannot get a purchase. The HF sets have a hex head with a hole for the pin. 99% of the thieves won’t have the security screwdriver bits. BTW I think there is one included for the one-way screws.

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