Catalytic Converter thefts are rising...

[spacejamz]

This $6 fix could deter catalytic converter thieves

The best defense is park your car in the garage. Not everyone has one, so then what?

www.wfaa.com

It takes about about 30 seconds for a thief to cut the pipes holding it place...number of cases of this happening has skyrocketed...in Houston, it went from 375 in 2019 to 1375 last
year....

Anyone taking any proactive steps to deter this from happening? there were a few tips in the video above...

 

[Paperdoc]

This won't solve the problem, but it is the same issue. A couple decades ago (before desperate drug needs) this happened to a neighbour four doors down. Got into his car parked off the back lane, started up and backed out. Only, it did NOT back out - went nowhere despite revving the engine. He shut down and looked underneath. There were two small piles of U-bolts, and NO drive shaft! Apparently a thief needing particular replacement parts.

 

[esquared]

Yep, thieves stole 6 catalytic converters from Toyota Prii one night last year in my condo complex.
The year before, my neighbor had both her catalytic converters stolen from her Toyota Sequoia.

 

[IronWing]

Buy electric

 

[zinfamous]

Funny. All the yabos driving around here have intentionally removed their cats so that we get to ear the crappy groaning from their 4 cylinders and huff their fumes.

Sis-in-law out in BA CA, woke up to some meth heads making noise early in the morning while trying to yank their neighbor's converter last week. Called the cops and they tracked the 3 goons down a few minutes later. Apparently, their car was more paraphernalia than it was car.

 

[Red Squirrel]

First week of owning my F150... got the starter stolen. Surprised they never went for the cats too, there are two of them. Theft in general is super bad in my city now and council and cops are basically ignoring it. Human trafficking is on the rise too. Getting pretty bad here. Used to be a nice quiet city, not so much anymore.

 

[BarkingGhostar]

Ford starters that expensive? Will make a note of that. Is it just the truck starters or just Ford in general has expensive parts.

 

[spacejamz]

The thing that completely sucks about this is that can happen anywhere...grocery store, going out to eat, etc...

Once they grab it, it will cost over $1k to have it fixed...assuming the one for your car is in stock somewhere...toyotas seem to be favored more...guess they have more of the valuable metal inside than other makers....

 

[BarkingGhostar]

BTW, I guess I could get under my truck with the wife revving the engine up and down the RPM range so I could look first hand, but is there a lot of flex necessary such that we can't weld the cat to a frame part? Maybe instead of welding a bolted solution to a cross member?

 

[Red Squirrel]

Ford starters that expensive? Will make a note of that. Is it just the truck starters or just Ford in general has expensive parts.

People here steal anything. A dollar store got broken into and the person took all the dice, only the dice. Then that bag was left in another car that was broken into. I guess the guy decided that instead of starting an illegal casino he'd just go get a coffee from Tim's with the $2 of change found in that guy's car. I think lot of them just do it for the thrill since they know that it's basically been legalized here. Even the few that do get caught just get a slap on the wrist and released. No jail time or fines or anything.

 

[BarkingGhostar]

I was about to make a bad metaphor for Canadians but then I remembered I'm an American.

 

[MtnMan]

The thing that completely sucks about this is that can happen anywhere...grocery store, going out to eat, etc...

Once they grab it, it will cost over $1k to have it fixed...assuming the one for your car is in stock somewhere...toyotas seem to be favored more...guess they have more of the valuable metal inside than other makers....

Local police indicate that the Prius is a common target simply because the converter is so easy to remove. Suggestion to prevent it is to back into parking, so the rear end is over a curb or one of those concrete barriers.

 

[Captante]

Think I'm going to do the paint-trick ... $10 is in the budget!

 

[Red Squirrel]

What's the paint trick? Is there a colour you can paint it so recyclers won't take it or something?

 

[Captante]

What's the paint trick? Is there a colour you can paint it so recyclers won't take it or something?

Exactly ... they suggest using a brightly colored heat-resistant paint like you would use for a grill. The idea is it will be obvious the converter is stolen.

 

[Red Squirrel]

Exactly ... they suggest using a brightly colored heat-resistant paint like you would use for a grill. The idea is it will be obvious the converter is stolen.

Interesting, I might have to try this for mine.

 

[Zorba]

Local police indicate that the Prius is a common target simply because the converter is so easy to remove. Suggestion to prevent it is to back into parking, so the rear end is over a curb or one of those concrete barriers.

Is the cat that far back on a Prius? Usually they are under the front seats. I'd think a pruis was so low people would leave them alone.

 

[snoopy7548]

Is the cat that far back on a Prius? Usually they are under the front seats. I'd think a pruis was so low people would leave them alone.

Not mine, brah!

 

[zinfamous]

People here steal anything. A dollar store got broken into and the person took all the dice, only the dice. Then that bag was left in another car that was broken into. I guess the guy decided that instead of starting an illegal casino he'd just go get a coffee from Tim's with the $2 of change found in that guy's car. I think lot of them just do it for the thrill since they know that it's basically been legalized here. Even the few that do get caught just get a slap on the wrist and released. No jail time or fines or anything.

the thieves in your town seem rather charming and delightfully chaotic.

 

[pete6032]

That article is extremely optimistic and most of those suggestions won't help. Scrappers are still going to scrap even if it's painted and etching you VIN into the converter means nothing if a scrap yard gets a hold of it.

 

[Torn Mind]

Ford starters that expensive? Will make a note of that. Is it just the truck starters or just Ford in general has expensive parts.

Someone handy and self-sufficient also learns how to fuck over other people with said knowledge if they have no ethical concerns and even the slightest bit aware that paper means shit if it can't be enforced.

If it's not a mechanic eyeing free and easy profit for a customer's truck, it's a fellow F-150 owner saving at least double the aftermarket price because aftermarket starts do not last as long. Not taking the cat means the police will let it slide under the fact that there are no witnesses and the lost item is a one-time thing.

 

[BarkingGhostar]

Talking about parts, not labor. In my yute I've replaced started, alternators, radiators, power steering pumps, water pumps, etc., but those were on cars from the 1960's and 1970's. Parts, even back then, were cheap. I would have thought Chinese knockoffs of semi-decent quality could be had cheaply for Ford.

 

[Captante]

That article is extremely optimistic and most of those suggestions won't help. Scrappers are still going to scrap even if it's painted and etching you VIN into the converter means nothing if a scrap yard gets a hold of it.

Just like with most locks the purpose isn't stopping the thief physically, its slowing them down/creating a hassle when there's a no-hassle option parked 10 feet away.

As the cited article also notes really the best you could do would be to weld some kind of steel cage over the converter itself. But even that only makes it less convenient to swipe it ... would certainly help more than paint alone though.

 

[deadlyapp]

Yeah, I've been worried about my new truck getting the converters pulled. Like the article mentioned, in Houston it is especially bad - stealing them during broad daylight out of mall parking lots and such. The best thing you can do is try to park close to the buildings and well exposed areas.

I'll probably do the welded cage trick at some point. Still only makes it marginally harder if they just grind the welds off.

 

[thestrangebrew1]

Saw on the news a few days ago in LA I think they busted some guy who had like 400 converters at his house. That's just crazy.

Here it is: https://www.vvng.com/400-suspected-stolen-catalytic-converters-recovered-in-san-bernardino/

San Bernadino area.