Catalytic Converter Theft

[stevej37]

We have scrap yards with signs along the roads...'we buy scrap cats'

[porsche930dude]

very much depends on the cat. The yard i go the guy texts a picture to somebody and they tell him what to pay. I havnt sold any in a few years but 50-100 for an average cat. Im sure they can get to 2 or 300 for the better ones. Highly doubt the more shady buyers care if they are stolen or not.

[jcommin]

There are books available that list the material content of cats by make, year and model of vehicles. That is why some vehicles get hit more than others.

[Fast Freddy 944]

Bear traps work also...LOL! J/K ya lugs...

[Otter74]

A friend's Prius got hit the other week outside of my house (north side of Chicago) overnight. My Accord got hit last year, also on my block. And my Sentra SE-R got hit in Detroit in 2008. A little puzzled that they picked a 15-year-old Sentra instead of the new F-150 in front of it.

[McLovin]

Amazing. Sure seems like there’s a lot of easier ways to make $100.

[Alan A]

Originally Posted by McLovin

Amazing. Sure seems like there’s a lot of easier ways to make $100.

Work 8-10 hours.
10 minutes with a sawzall.

Criminal math.

[Porsche-O-Phile]

10 minutes? I’d think if they’re taking more than 30 seconds they’re risking getting a 9mm in the azz. I imagine with a cordless sawzall they can be in and out of there in seconds - especially if they’re veterans and know what they’re doing.

[mattdavis11]

After a week, 125 shops, only 2 or 3 had not become aware or had one call or come in, the rest have seen it becoming a growing trend. One small dealer had 4 cars hit two nights ago.

I'm hearing the Toyota and Honda cats are fetching upwards of $400.

Hardest hit personal vehicles: Tundra, Tacoma, Prius and Honda Element. Fleet vehicles are getting hit hard too. One shop I talked with today, replaced 6 last week for one company.

The Oreilly's and Autozone delivery trucks in my territory have been hit as well.

Watch out.

[Tobra]

Originally Posted by stevej37

MI has almost eliminated the 'cat thefts' by not requiring them.

Really?

[Noah930]

Originally Posted by fastfredracing

Mcgaurd should make cat locks . Then customers could loose that key also

LOL. That genuinely made me laugh, my poor mechanic friend.

[wdfifteen]

Cordless Sawsalls have made it a lot easier.

[Zeke]

Originally Posted by McLovin

Amazing. Sure seems like there’s a lot of easier ways to make $100.

Name a few and I'll get right on it.

Originally Posted by wdfifteen

Cordless Sawsalls have made it a lot easier.

IDK the clearances but a pipe cutter is absolutely quiet.

[bkreigsr]

Originally Posted by KNS

What does a scrap yard typically pay for a stolen.. er, used cat?

NJ -75 bucks.
I tried to get rid of my 300,000 mile 2002 TDI through one of the 'we buy junk cars' ads in the paper. He came with a trailer, offered me $75 for the car, looked under the car, saw no cat, and walked away.

[svandamme]

Originally Posted by biosurfer1

I've seen people spray paint theirs neon colors. Apparently if the cat's are painted or scraped clean, the yards are not supposed to take them.... "supposed" to.

as if a criminal could not use tin snips to get the core out...
They do have opposable thumbs you know

[svandamme]

Originally Posted by Alan A

Work 8-10 hours.
10 minutes with a sawzall.

Criminal math.

10 minutes?
in 10 minutes they rip out 3-4 cats

check this out, it's not that they are clever about it, they aren't even efficient.
1 guy does all the work



gone in 60 seconds



The key is they go for models they know well, that they know have good access, they know what side to access, etc etc

[Bugsinrugs]

My wife parked our Tacoma at the train station and returned to a truck that sounded like it didn’t have a muffler. The thief’s saw ran out of battery half way through his second cut. Even though he didn’t get the cat it still cost $500 to fix. He trashed the area around the oxygen sensor and the sensor .

[wdfifteen]

Originally Posted by Zeke

Name a few and I'll get right on it.

IDK the clearances but a pipe cutter is absolutely quiet.

I think I still have my chain exhaust pipe cutter. Yea, it's quiet, but slow. I haven't used it in 40 years and hope never to use it again.

[daepp]

Originally Posted by Porsche-O-Phile

10 minutes? I’d think if they’re taking more than 30 seconds they’re risking getting a 9mm in the azz. I imagine with a cordless sawzall they can be in and out of there in seconds - especially if they’re veterans and know what they’re doing.

This. A local cop told me the battery-powered sawzall has done the most damage of any tool for vandalism and theft.

[Racerbvd]

A lady I was dating last summer, son has a business that sells commercial trucks, 2 or 3 locations. Well, they got hit multiple times and cost him a lot of $$$