By Karenlyn Barone
"Stealing those headlights is rampant throughout the county," said Detective Sgt. John Azzata of the Fourth Precinct. "Nissan Maximas are the hot car this summer and their Xenon headlights are the hot item. It's not difficult to take apart a car and they can steal those lights with a screwdriver and a wire cutter."
Stealing the headlights is an easy task and they bear no traceable serial numbers. Detective Robert Southard of the Nassau County Police Department's Vehicle Theft Section of the Crimes Against Property Squad likened the headlight stealing to the lifting of moon hubcaps, a fad of the 1960s. Southard said he is sure this trend will blow over, but until then, the department has taken a proactive approach to stopping the headlight thefts.
"We have notified all the precincts and have advised them of the problem," said Southard. "The arrests we have made have been incidences where the headlights were stolen for personal use. "
According to police, Nissan Maximas are the most targeted car, since they are manufactured with the Xenon headlights as part of the standard package. While stealing the lights may be an easy task, cars whose lights have been stolen are usually severely damaged.
"The thieves are prying open the hoods of cars, causing damage to the hoods and fenders, reaching into the grille area, locating the headlight assembly and tearing it right out of the car," said Southard. "The damage to the cars may be up in the thousands of dollars."
Juarez Barretto, a salesman at Gregoris Nissan on Merrick Road in Valley Stream, said the dealership has several customers lately coming in to replace their stolen headlights. "We're getting burned on the deal, because the cars are still under warranty and we have to replace the lights," said Barretto.
Beyond the complete Xenon housing system, individual bulbs are available, too, and can be substituted for regular halogen headlights for the cost of $25, $50 or $60. They may not be as impressive as the complete setup, but the effect is virtually the same. The headlights are blindingly bright and the whitest of whites. The bulbs are also available in blue and are sold locally.
One Stop Auto Parts in East Rockaway stocks the single bulbs, rather than the full housing system. "The bulbs are real popular," said East Rockaway's One Stop Auto Parts store manager Mike, who did not want to give his last name. "I don't know how they steal them, but I do know people who have had them stolen. They make them for every car if you can afford them."
The reason why the headlights are so expensive is that the bulbs are lit with Xenon gas. This replicates a high-end intensity discharge, which has 30 percent greater lumen output than a standard halogen bulb. The working result is an impressive high output of light using a low wattage filament.
"The Xenon headlights not only give off a brighter light, they are also more concentrated and spread the light out evenly, too," said Mike. "People can spot them on a parked car, because the lens is clearer."
Police say movies like "The Fast and the Furious" have made the lights popular, and ask anyone with information about stolen headlights to contact them.
