Remove Gas Cap Without Key

[MrAl]

So now you've lost a tank of gas and your filler neck is damaged.

You don't break the cap off with channel locks. What you do is squeeze the plastic cap just enough to get the cap out of round. This binds up the locking the locking mechanism and allows the cap to turn the threads.

Sounds good, thanks.

[MrAl]

If someone's broken into your car, you probably have bigger problems than the gasoline in your tank. Not saying it's not worth thinking about, but it is worth considering the balance of protection and protection-incurred cost.

If you have to take a taxi home once to get your key, you've balanced out the loss of the fuel in the tank financially. If you can't drive your car because you've lost the key, as is now the case, there's a dollar value associated with that. It seems to me like a lot of effort and risk of being locked out of your tank to prevent something that's pretty unlikely to happen.

It's even more unlikely when you consider the first rule of theft prevention: you don't have to be perfectly protected, only better than the guy next to you. These cars require access to the interior to open the gas door. A fuel thief would just go to the next car on the block, rather than breaking into your car.

One final point, playing the hypotheticals game: you're concerned about using channel locks to pull the locking cap off the filler neck, which is fair. Let's assume the hypothetical fuel thief has broken into your car to open the filler door. Do you think he'll hold off on the pliers to avoid damaging the filler neck? So now you've lost a tank of gas and your filler neck is damaged. If you'd had a non-locking gas cap, you'd be able to replace the window the thief broke, replace the fuel in the tank, and be on your way. Total made-up situation, but the point is that it's really easy to overthink these things and not end up better-protected.

Hi,

It's all hypothetical anyway. As abscate said, if a an asteroid hits it's all over anyway.
As to security, it's about levels of protection. You either choose some level of protection or you choose none. When you choose some level you assume that it makes it harder to achieve some end goal. We also assumed they will steal the gas, but vandalism includes putting something in the gas that is not supposed to be there.
If they know how to break into a car it may be easy for them, but getting a gas cap off might be harder so they might just not do it.

I take reasonable steps when it comes to security. I will use a locking gas cap, but wont hire a security guard 24/7 for example.

If we assume that they know how to steal gas then they may know how to deal with a locking cap anyway. But a locking cap still prevents more people from getting in. Those that dont know how to deal with it will not get in.
That's how all security works anyway. You provide some protection but there is always the chance it will not be enough. We have to live with that. All we can do is try to make it not easy.

I also have to wonder what would stop them from simply using a screwdriver to pop open the gas door. Probably not much force if they dont mind breaking something.