Cat Theft ? (insurance, vehicle, auto, alarm)

[AksarbeN]

Has anyone else had problems with catalytic converters being stolen, and what do you do to prevent it again?

One of my vehicles is a Toyota Tacoma 02, stolen cat and the factory replacement will run $1200~$1500 more if they damage the sensors. Stolen in broad daylight highly traveled parking area without anyone reporting seeing things happening. Aftermarket cat for the vehicle with Calif emissions will run $400 or more. Insurance will cover cost after the first $1000 deductible so police reports are useless and they do little to look for where the metals are being salvaged to track down the thieves.

I’ve seen some items on the market like “catcuff” and others that can be added to protect the original equipment and seems like a good idea because of the replacement costs of factory units. After market cats are less costly and thus I hate to spend that kind of money for protecting a cheap unit.

However a word to the wise is if you have original Toyota cat ~ you should protect it with something. Are there any ideas to help prevent theft? Auto alarm system didn’t go off. I’m looking at how to weld razor-wire onto the cat?

[Bigg Mann]

I heard the other day two guys in daylight hours were caught by police trying to steal a catalistic (sp) convertor off a car in Lexington, KY. I think it was a church van.

[Bummer]

Good Grief, AksarbeN . . . when will this crap end?

Considering the circumstances you describe . . . it is tough to believe there were no witnesses.

As for What To Do . . . NO CLUE but I'm curious what other posters suggest!

[mcorrales]

About 16 months ago, while I was still living in OC in Southern California, they did a big newspaper article about people stealing the cat converters off of cars in parking lots. Apparently, there is a precious metal (according to the article, one of the most expensive in the world) in small amounts in the converter. They are extremely easy to steal, takes about 3 minutes to get off the car, therefore, drug addicts or thieves in general, get to a large crowed parking lot, and in a half hour, they have a half dozen or more. I thought that the article was dumb as it practically gave instructions to the crooks. I have a feeling that this is going to become an everyday occurence in the higher populated areas.

[Fnix]

LOl my truck has no cats on it to begin with.

[AksarbeN]

I always felt safe with my Tacoma in the driveway in our neighborhood and I never go into bad areas to leave my truck, yet the day that this happened I was parked in an open area with many other cars and truck along a busy well traveled street doing some volunteer work inside an office building only a few hundred feet away from the truck. Lots foot traffic going in and out to the parking lot, yet no one saw anything.

I can’t undo what happened, and the insurance will cover only after the first $1K that I have to pay. Thus the whole point of bringing this thread up was to let others also know that “you can be had” as well. And the worst part is that they can remove the cat in less then 2 minutes with the new battery operated reciprocating saws. It takes less time to remove the cat, then if I was standing there watching them do it and trying to use the cell phone to call 9-11 and report the problem.

Now my issue is “how to keep the next cat” and not be had twice? From what I understand and from looking on the internet – this is a BIG problem all over the country. However I don’t find any easy solution to how to prevent it, just make it less easy to steal is about all that you or I can do. Kind of like using a “club” on the steering wheel, most thieves will just move onto another car instead of fighting the club.

I guess you can’t weld anything directly to the cat because it will damage the unit. So I still try and figure how to attach razor-wire or razor-blades to it? Is there any type of glue that will not be affected by the high heat of the cat?

Most car alarms won't go off because there is no vibration to the car or truck.

[mrsbrad04]

Unfortunately until they pass some sort of legislation restricting where someone can bring scrap metal, I'm afraid there is no way to keep this from happening. There is platinum in the converters and I believe Nickel. Seems that the small pick up trucks are usually the first to be hit. Nissan's converters have one of the highest amounts in them and since trucks are easy to get under they are the major target. The thieves use something like a saw zaw (sp?) and can have the converter off in no time. It's also not detected until you try to start your car. They have made it more difficult to sell scrap metal in TN, so for the time being the thefts have slowed, but as soon as the criminals figure a way around the law they will start up again I'm sure. Sorry, wish I had some information for you to keep it from happening.

[okie333]

yup have your cat welded on next time. If you weren't parked for very long i do not see how a theif could have pulled this off. He would have near 3rd degree burns without waiting for it to cool off first, lol.

if someone wants your cat they are going to have to hack saw it off or something..good luck with that.

[Fnix]

You can blame the state inspections for needing one. If you live in a state without inspections you dont need one so if it gets stolen no worries... BUT! New vehicles go psycho when the computer does not recognize a cat.

[another_hot-day]

I used to have a chain and a padlock on my hood so no one could open it and steal parts out.