"We can't keep them on the shelves," said Farrel Beltramini, an assistant manager at Kragen Auto Parts on Farmers Lane in Santa Rosa.
Once a rare purchase, about seven customers a day now walk in asking for locking gas caps, she said.
Their purchases are being driven by gasoline thefts and fear of thefts, Beltramini said.
At Handy Auto in Lakeport, the number of locking gas cap sales has increased in the last month from one or two a week to one or two a day, said Gary Zavala.
"We're almost sold out," he said.
It's a phenomenon being reported nationwide as regular grade gasoline nears $4 a gallon.
Pep Boys is seeing an 80 percent increase in sales of locking gas caps in California and a doubling of sales nationwide compared with this time last year, said spokeswoman Alex Spooner.
Exact figures were not available, she said.
AutoZone reported 12,000 more gas caps were sold nationally in the week of April 27 to May 3 compared with the same week last year, a 38 percent increase.
AutoZone's figures include all types of gas caps, but, based on past sales spikes, they're linked to gasoline price hikes, said AutoZone spokeswoman Brenda Berry.
Thieves not only are stealing gas from individual vehicles, they're increasingly raiding the pumps at gas stations, driving off without paying and, in some cases, tricking the pumps into giving them gas for free.
In Modesto last month, thieves dumped more than 1,000 gallons of gasoline when they tried to siphon gasoline from a fuel tank at a Valero gas station, according to the Modesto Bee.
In Kings County, Ore., in late March, a man was arrested for allegedly stealing 20,000 gallons of gasoline from at least 15 service stations, then selling the gasoline for half the going price, the Seattle Times reported.
Closer to home, thieves in Lakeport siphoned about $150 in gasoline from at least seven vehicles in Lakeport over two days late last month, said Lakeport Police Lt. Brad Rasmussen.
It could have been worse, he said. In Sacramento, thieves have been reported punching holes in gas tanks to drain them of gasoline, adding expensive repairs to the cost of the gas thefts, Rasmussen said.
Law enforcement officials in Sonoma and Mendocino counties said they're not aware of a spike in gasoline thefts.
But, as prices continue to climb, "I wouldn't be surprised if we didn't start seeing that," said Mendocino County Sheriff's Lt. Rusty Noe.
Auto parts stores say many of their customers are buying locking caps simply as a preventive measure.
But some of the customers say they've been victims of gas thieves.
Rod Vargas, owner of AC Delco Auto Value in Ukiah, knows first-hand that thefts are occurring.
Thieves siphoned about 30 gallons of gas from work trucks parked overnight at the store during two gas heists in the last two months.
"It never happened before," Vargas said.
Beltramini said her son, who lives in Sacramento, recently lost a fuel cell containing 30 gallons of gasoline to thieves.
That helped persuade her to buy a gas cap.
"With that price, I don't need to have it siphoned out," she said.
Despite his loss, Vargas said he's not a fan of locking gas caps.
He said determined thieves could cause damage to vehicles if they pry off the caps.
Instead, he makes sure his vehicles are parked in a well-lit area closer to well-traveled State Street.
Rasmussen also is not convinced locking gas caps are the way to go. He suggested preventive methods like motion-activated lights and parking in plain view.
"Me personally, I would rather have them siphon my tank than drill a hole in it," he said.
You can reach Staff Writer Glenda Anderson at 462-6473 or glenda.anderson@
pressdemocrat.com.
