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Catalytic converter theft (1 Viewer)

I watched some videos.  Looks like in some cases, they are using impact wrenches to unbolt the cats from the exhaust system.  Probably quieter and just as fast if they can be unbolted.  The Prius design looks particularly susceptible to this type of attack.

 
Few months ago neighbors had two Prius that they took both of them one night.  I guess thieves hit my neighborhood during that time and got a bunch of Prius.

 
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Bossman said:
What seems strange to me is all of the reported thefts .... some during daylight hours ...yet you never hear of anyone being caught.

Also, seems to me it would put a stop to this if the scrap yards buying these  were able to be prosecuted for receiving stolen property.

There should be a vin on every one of these and records kept of purchases, ...and positive id required when people bring them in to sell.
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Good points. But let's just blame the meth heads and not the crooked car dealers, scrap yards, and mechanics that are buying from them.

 
As fast as reselling the cat converters... other than scrap.

I don't think there is a market for "used" cat converters. If you need one, you would always buy a new one as there's a chance a used one would be partially clogged due to it's original motor not running correctly.

Of all of the stories, have yet to hear one "the dealer / repair shop sold me a used one".

 
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Bossman said:
As fast as reselling the cat converters... other than scrap.

I don't think there is a market for "used" cat converters. If you need one, you would always buy a new one as there's a chance a used one would be partially clogged due to it's original motor not running correctly.

Of all of the stories, have yet to hear one "the dealer / repair shop sold me a used one".
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It is illegal to sell used catalytic converters. The only market for them would be the black market.

Since it's a critical emissions component, the EPA forbids the sale and installation of any used catalytic converter that hasn't been refurbished and certified by an approved manufacturer.
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culdeus said:
Wait, so they use some of this stuff to make meth?  
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FTR I wasn't making this as a comment like "bruh those meth heads need to be locked up" just the shock that they can find a use for this stuff in meth making.  Thinking along the lines of Breaking Bad Prius.

 
Whelp, my son's got his stolen off a 2007 Hyaundai Santa Fe.  They took everything, not just the cat.  F'ers.  Mechanic referred me to a muffler shop to just weld on a universal cat.  Said it would be far cheaper and quicker than to have him do it - he doesn't weld anything.  Appreciate the candor.  We'll see what it costs tomorrow.  

Anybody buy an alarm for theirs after dealing with this?  Something like this?  

 
General Malaise said:
Whelp, my son's got his stolen off a 2007 Hyaundai Santa Fe.  They took everything, not just the cat.  F'ers.  Mechanic referred me to a muffler shop to just weld on a universal cat.  Said it would be far cheaper and quicker than to have him do it - he doesn't weld anything.  Appreciate the candor.  We'll see what it costs tomorrow.  

Anybody buy an alarm for theirs after dealing with this?  Something like this?  
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I've not heard of anyone using the alarm, but it seems to me these guys are out from under the car and gone in a matter of a couple minutes.  If its the middle of the night, it probably won't help. We've got this constantly in my neighborhood. My across-the-street neighbor's cat on his new truck was stolen a couple weeks ago and he's still steamed about it. The consensus in our area is to get no or very low-deductible collision insurance, so at least it is covered.  That's not a very satisfying solution, but its pretty cheap and will pay for itself if you get hit once every few years.

 
It will probably need to mandated, but manufacturers need to come up with a solution to this.  If I buy a new car, I shouldn't also be expected to spend several hundred to set up some type of catalytic converter protection as well. 

I'd also like to see more sting operations set up against crimes like this. 

 
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GreenNGold said:
It will probably need to mandated, but manufacturers need to come up with a solution to this.  If I buy a new car, I shouldn't also be expected to spend several hundred to set up some type of catalytic converter protection as well. 

I'd also like to see more sting operations set up against crimes like this. 
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I’d like to see cars that can detect tampering and instantly deflate the tires enough to pin the thieving ########## under the car.

 
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Our 2015 Focus that we park outside is too close to the ground to get hit without a jack (I think). Do they not steal from older cars?

 
One of my coworkers got his ripped off his Prius parked at the LA airport, one of those "off airport" lots.  I would bet the scumbags that run the lot were in on it.  Sounds like a pain in the butt to get fixed up.  Crossing my fingers these thieves stay away from my vehicles.  

 
nirad3 said:
One of my coworkers got his ripped off his Prius parked at the LA airport, one of those "off airport" lots.  I would bet the scumbags that run the lot were in on it.  Sounds like a pain in the butt to get fixed up.  Crossing my fingers these thieves stay away from my vehicles.  
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Yikes.  Sooooo, I've learned that in CA, it's way more expensive and involved than other states due to emission standards.  Just got a call from the muffler shop - $375 to weld on a cat to my son's 2007 Hyaundai.  That's not going to fly in CA.  Sucks.  These scumbags are the worst.  

 
GetCatSecurity offers a solution for a small number of specific vehicles right now but I have to imagine they're working on more.  When I first visited this a year ago, it seemed like they offered less models, I'm going from old man memory though but my point is that I think they're designing these for more and more cars as demand rises.

EricTheCarGuy walks you through how to install it if you're a DIYer type of person.

 
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It's not like there is a large number of people who are buying the precious metals in these things, so why don't they go after them?  Or are people stealing these to sell to people who need one because theirs got stolen?  If so, look at the muffler shops.

 
Orange&Blue said:
It's not like there is a large number of people who are buying the precious metals in these things, so why don't they go after them?  Or are people stealing these to sell to people who need one because theirs got stolen?  If so, look at the muffler shops.
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They are stealing them for the metals.

 
GreenNGold said:
It will probably need to mandated, but manufacturers need to come up with a solution to this.  If I buy a new car, I shouldn't also be expected to spend several hundred to set up some type of catalytic converter protection as well. 

I'd also like to see more sting operations set up against crimes like this. 
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The solution is electric vehicles.

 
Jobber said:
Our 2015 Focus that we park outside is too close to the ground to get hit without a jack (I think). Do they not steal from older cars?
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My car is 2006. But I don’t think it’s the age,  rather vehicle type (hybrids, larger vehicles more desirable) + opportunity that drives thefts.

 
General Malaise said:
Yikes.  Sooooo, I've learned that in CA, it's way more expensive and involved than other states due to emission standards.  Just got a call from the muffler shop - $375 to weld on a cat to my son's 2007 Hyaundai.  That's not going to fly in CA.  Sucks.  These scumbags are the worst.  
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$375 is cheap. By the time you get a cat, oxygen sensor + labor, it’s often over $1K

 
Orange&Blue said:
Right, but what are they doing with them?  
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They are selling them to scrap yards. They will pay the thieves $100 - $200. Not bad money for 2 minutes of work.

The scrap yards will then sell the precious metals within the catalytic converter: platinum, palladium and rhodium.

If cities want to stop this #### they will target the scrap yards for buying these things in the first place. Cut off the selling point and its over. 

 
Jobber said:
Our 2015 Focus that we park outside is too close to the ground to get hit without a jack (I think). Do they not steal from older cars?
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There are brands that are easier to cut than others and more valuable than others.  Needing a jack doesn't stop them at all.  

 
Had mine stolen this past weekend. It's an old beater but I had comprehensive insurance on it since I was putting a lot of money into it. I bought it as a project in July since I was really enjoying working on my cars.  It's been driving great after it had been sitting for over a year. I had even put a new cat back exhaust. I'm pretty upset I can't use it, but I needed a new cat anyway since I was throwing a CEL for an inefficient cat. I was planning to put an after market cat in and take the old cat to the salvage yard. It would have paid for itself.

 
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