The general manager of Ron Tonkin Honda claimed on Friday that 17 sensors were taken from vehicles parked on the dealership’s lot in Southeast Portland on December 12. It only took ten minutes to complete the theft.
The sensors are an essential part of a now-common cruise control system that maintains a specific distance from the automobile in front of it and instantly brakes the vehicle if it approaches too closely. It can be quite simple to remove the sensor, and it can cost hundreds of dollars to install a new one.
Last week, Portland police alerted Honda owners to the fact that thieves are targeting their vehicles and that, since about mid-November, they have had 18 instances of front-end Honda parts being taken. The majority of the thefts, according to the police, took place in Southeast Portland, specifically between Southeast 82nd Avenue and Cesar E. Chavez Boulevard and Southeast Stark Street and Woodstock Boulevard.
In addition to the 17 cars that had the item stolen from the dealership lot at Southeast 122nd Avenue and Ash Street, Ron Tonkin Honda General Manager Dan Kiekenapp reported that he has lately received requests from 40 to 50 customers to have their sensor replaced after it was stolen.
According to Kiekenapp, the criminals are probably attempting to sell them online because the part is simple to remove. He went on to say that because the sensor is difficult to resell, he thinks the recent surge in thefts is a passing trend.
Depending on the type and the extent of the damage the thieves caused when removing the sensor, replacing it might cost up to $4,000, according to Kiekenapp.
According to Kiekenapp, the company is presently giving priority to replacing the ones required for customers’ cars, even though repairing the ones that were taken from the lot will cost well over $50,000. According to him, in order to better secure the dealership lot, he has raised the monthly security expenditure from $16,000 to roughly $27,000.
When possible, police advised Honda owners to park in a garage or in a spot that makes it difficult to get to the front of the vehicle.
Fedor Zarkhin is an enterprise and breaking news reporter. Have you got a story? Contact him by email at [email protected] or by phone at 971-373-2905.
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