Had my catalytic converter stolen from my 2005 Prius.

Sorry to hear that. I had a situation like that but a lot less expensive. When i was at UT i had a Toyota truck parked in the big lot by the stadium

One day my tail light was stolen. It was over $100 dollars to replace. It was easy to steal and totally understandable that someone would do that once you realize the price

 

How did they do It? Seems pretty bold..
Details...

I met a guy one time that offered to "give"me his jeep cherokee he was done with it.. It was missing the steering column and you had to start it with a flat head screw driver. I was like "how did you get it?" and he said he was "on north side and needed a ride"

 

Usually thieves will roll up in a group of 2-3, and jack up the car and use a portable impact to unbolt it or even a cutoff wheel (or another cutting tool depending on location/noise etc).

It's bold but seriously takes no time, and it's probably the easiest form of theft (other than stealing the car with a signal repeater) since they don't even access the inside of the vehicle. Then when they're gone in a minute or so, most people won't realize until they're driving the next day and the car sounds awful/check engine light.

Unlike the tires/radio being stolen that'll get reported sooner.

This is a 1 min theft and they're not even moving fast.



Basically they learn models that have the good cats and the removal process it takes, and then cut the time down with a little practice. Also, since a thief isn't worried about the mess or repairing the vehicle it speeds it up even more.

 

I knew it wasn't going to happen, but I kept hoping someone would jump out and steal THEIR car.

 

Haha, now that would have been awesome!

 

Here you go

Cat Security - Catalytic Converter Protection shield, Fits - Toyota Prius '16-'21

 

Yep. Cousin is an American Airlines pilot, and he's had 3 stolen off of his Dodge truck in the employee lot at DFW.

My buddy in Houston, nice condo complex, woke up and went out to go to work..."huh, that's a lot of nuts and metal under my truck..."

They ripped him off right in his gated parking lot.

 

I had 4 boxes of Amazon and UPS stolen this week WHILE INSIDE because they didnt knock on the door. And I thought that was ballsy. Some people my god

I will not be getting things delivered anymore unless it is at a drop location or i sign for it. This is way more of a headache to resolve than gong to a store.

 

this is getting worst, anyone had theirs stolen lately? I actually saw a couple of suspicious dudes scouting around at a crowded parking lot over the weekend

 

@Os Trigonum @pgabriel
Crime is realz

 

Mine wandered off 4th quarter last year. Took 7 weeks or so to be able to get the part. Heard now the wait's even worse with the manufacturers having issues getting even the raw materials.

Supposedly the catalytic converters in Toyotas in particular are targets due to the way they're made.

 

What color were they

 

Rust.

 

It's 2 things actually and it's only related to hybrid models:

1 as you stated - more material needed since the cats don't get as hot as a standard car and need more to work

2 and this is the bigger reason imo for thieves (larger market/years to pick from): on a standard emission car (so not a hybrid like a prius) - over time the precious metals will wear/corrode can even be lost on the highway from use etc etc. So on these older vehicles with higher miles - the thief is taking a gamble on an older emissions car since their cat is always in use = less value/possibly already replaced with a cheaper aftermarket version due to higher use. On a Prius though... a thief is almost guaranteed that the cat has minimal use even on older models due to the hybrid being in use. Lower heat/wear/use = highest amount of money regardless of year/miles on the car.

It sucks regardless, but just trying to let people know why it will continue to be a target, especially as more manufacturers start making hybrids.

I still need to find a legitimate scrap shop for some catalytic converters I have to recycle from various car work over the years... I'm hoping to educate my neighbors about this too because most hybrid owners are still not aware how valuable their hybrid's catalytic converters are until they're stolen.

Sorry you had to deal with this BS, since I work on cars I'd get a junk/aftermarket cat for my hybrid (I don't currently own one.. ), the reason being is I feel the the cheaper ones will hold up fine due to the limited use and still pass inspection. I also think the extra deterrents mentioned in this thread are probably worth it, thieves are typically lazy and are not interested in the extra work it would take to remove one of these, unfortunately they also might just cut it out but that would hopefully make more noise.

 

FWIW the dealership told me was that Tundras were the number 1 target for catalytic converts when I took it in, though they also mentioned Priuses and Sequoias pretty quickly after. Something about the Toyotas using more rare metals in theirs than other brands do. When I went back for maintenance in Feb I walked through the collision section of Don McGill's of the parking lot. They had 20+ Tundras with "Missing Cats" written on them, only saw maybe one or two Priuses.

 

Ordered 1/4" aluminum shields for my Tundra, but they're about 3 weeks out. My truck is lifted with 37s, and you can easily crawl underneath.
https://valhallasshields.com/

Until then, I just avoid driving it to places that are known targets. It's getting crazy out there.

https://www.click2houston.com/news/...from-cinemark-theatre-in-pasadena-police-say/

 

So on the tundras, do you know the years of the models? Like tundras have 4 cats, so if the model isn't a really old tundra then it's an ideal target. My post was more meaning on a hybrid car you're less likely to get stuck with a trashed catalytic converter.

On the tundra, most likely the smarter thieves are getting it and reselling it to a shop to be reused due to the shortages in parts/materials available - similar to the prius, I have a feeling since they aren't serial coded thieves are probably reselling to a shop who passes it on to the customer. There's a ton more value in reselling a slightly used cat vs recycling.

 

No, didn't see older ones in the lot though. I have a 2016.

Saw an article the other day that HPD is now suggesting painting and etching the end of the VIN into your catalytic converter.

https://abc13.com/im3-oil--lube-cat...vin-numbers-carved-theft-prevention/11809985/

 

Yeah, that's a good idea, the clearance alone makes them so much easier for both good/bad people... I like working on trucks since I normally don't even need a jack, I'm fortunate my personal work truck is very old that it's more likely to be stolen vs someone taking anything off of it... I guess that's good and bad...