Substantial Rise in Catalytic Converter Thefts

[ttul]

It always surprises me that journalists covering property crime don’t expound on the reasons for the crime happening in the first place. Catalytic converters, copper pipes, brass fire fighting fittings - these are stolen to fund the purchase of drugs.

Why isn’t there more discussion of legalization so that addicts won’t have to steal and cause so much collateral damage to the economy?

[CDSlice]

Why would legalization make addicts not have to steal? Why can't they work (legal) jobs and use that money to buy the (illegal) drugs? Unless the answer is that legalizing the drugs will keep them from being fired for illegal drug use while still being able to work their jobs I don't see a connection between the drugs being legal or not and the method of obtaining the money used to purchase the drugs.

[esotericn]

I had my cat stolen a few years back in Hammersmith, London.

Made the car a writeoff as it was a cheap one anyway. I got in, turned the key, car sounded like a 2-stroke bike, turns out the exhaust had a wee "hole" in it.

I miss that car. I wouldn't want it back, but it was nice. Mint 2002 Honda Accord. Oh well.

[Scoundreller]

The older the car, often the bigger the engine and cat. On some of those old pickups, the cat is worth more than the carcass.

[adammunich]

My friend just had thier cat ripped out of thier Prius in Oakland. It took the thief team all of 7 minutes to accomplish it according to our camera records.

[bluedino]

California has seen an insane uptick in converter thefts from Priuses.

Doesn't help that prop 47 in California makes thefts under $1,000 a misdemeanor, so if you get caught stealing them you just get a slap on the wrist.

Can't they charge them with some federal crime since they are altering an emissions system?

Something needs to be done about scrap metal buyers and the people who sell to them to weed out the thieves. They will steal anything made from certain metals and the recyclers will happily buy anything including a pickup truck full of brand new air conditioning units.

[serf]

>Place a protective covering over the catalytic converter

sounds like a disaster waiting to happen, given that a catalytic converter is (necessarily) one of the hottest components on a car.

[embersdev]

They make security devices which is essentially a collar on each side with steel cables between. Makes it virtually impossible to cut it off. It instead requires you to first take off the device then cut off the cat. This problem of cat thefts have been a problem in the us for a long time.

[bootlooped]

There's already a heat shield covering it on many cars.

[clouddrover]

Muffler and catalytic converter thefts were one of the reasons the New York City Fleet purchased more EVs:

https://www1.nyc.gov/assets/dcas/downloads/pdf/fleet/NYC-Fle...

[Scoundreller]

> Since hybrid cars have two power sources - electric and petrol or diesel - the catalytic converter is used less frequently to process pollutants. The metals are less likely to corrode, meaning they are worth more and thus attractive to thieves.

Is this true? I thought hybrids needed more surface area in the cat because they don’t get hot easily because of the engine running less (frequently).

[m0xte]

I understand the solution to this is to buy a car with a really small engine and park it next to cars with really big engines or hybrids. They have much more valuable catalytic converters so are likely to get nicked before yours is.

Also if you're in UK and have fully comp cover it should cover replacement cost minus excess if it's in the described location in the policy over night.

[dver]

Had mine stolen off a Toyota Sequoia. Done in the driveway, alarm on, bedroom windows open.

It was so clean, not even dust on the ground. Looked like it had been beamed away.

They hit the whole area in a couple of nights. Four wheel drive vehicles were popular because of easy access.

To get them replaced was a bit over 5k. My understanding is the thives get about 50 a piece.

[o-__-o]

They werent quiet, you were just sleeping. A hand jig will take one out in 30 seconds or less tho. Good luck waking up to that noise esp if any car is driving down your road

[Kaibeezy]

With rhodium at £4000/oz and lax enforcement of the Air Weapons Licensing Act 2015, this was the inevitable result.

[ben_w]

> This is due to the lack of enforcement of the Scrap Metals Dealers Act 2013 and its complementary legislation in Scotland, The Air Weapons Licensing Act 2015.

Why is scrap metal recycling controlled under a law that is called “Air Weapons Licensing”?

http://www.legislation.gov.uk/asp/2015/10/contents/enacted

Okay, so technically it is “and licensing” and the article has a typo, but still why did they put these things together like this?

[mring33621]

Chicago, IL, USA here. Facebook marketplace is full of catalytic converters right now. Right on the front page.

[scelerat]

I have several friends who have had their cats stolen in Oakland in the last year. Hondas and Toyotas mostly. One friend had his cat stolen from his Prius three times in one year. He's sold the Prius now.

[advertising]

Friend of mine has a Prius and lives in Echo Park in LA. His cat was cut out of his car twice in two weeks. Seemed like every person in the chain benefited from the theft, scrap metal guys, tow truck towing his car to mechanic, mechanic replacing it and also trying to sell him on a cage.

It was almost like the theives were alerted by the mechanic that he had replaced the cat.

Theives only make a couple hundred from the cat, insurance pays the mechanic a couple g’s for a new one plus labor.

[advertising]

Should add that his insurance company covered everything both times and provided rental car but after second time they won’t cover the vehicle anymore being parked in that neighborhood on the street.

[philmander]

Poor cat