And the Darwin Award winner is...

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Leymenaide

Leymenaide

Senior member
Feb 16, 2010
749
364
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This s a real problem around here. Stealing converters not getting killed doing it. Does this go on everywhere?
 
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nakedfrog

nakedfrog

No Lifer
Apr 3, 2001
58,144
12,318
136
Yep, people are stealing them here too, on the other side of the country.

But we don't know if a Darwin award is merited, since we don't know if the flat fella reproduced.
 
dank69

dank69

Lifer
Oct 6, 2009
35,325
28,579
136
Leymenaide said:
This s a real problem around here. Stealing converters not getting killed doing it. Does this go on everywhere?
Click to expand...
People have been stealing them from our parking lot at work in broad daylight. My mechanic told me not to drop off my car the night before I get maintenance anymore because he's had 3 stolen from his lot this month.
 
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C

compuwiz1

Admin Emeritus Elite Member
Oct 9, 1999
27,113
925
126
Apparently our airport is a catalytic converter farm and the thieves go there for harvesting. The problem is huge and unfortunately, it doesn't always end well for the victim. The parts take forever to get and install so the owner is out a car for potentially several weeks to months. I also wonder what kind of an insurance nightmare it is getting it covered?

sacramento.cbslocal.com

'You Take Your Chances': Several Cars Stripped Of Catalytic Converters At Sacramento Airport Economy Lot

Acres of cars were all lined up at Sacramento International Airport with the owners long gone on a plane out of town — and it set the perfect scene for thieves.
sacramento.cbslocal.com sacramento.cbslocal.com
 
Bitek

Bitek

Lifer
Aug 2, 2001
10,647
5,220
136
pcgeek11 said:
There are many ways to secure your vehicle against this theft.

catylitic converter security - Google Suche

www.google.com


View attachment 56690
Click to expand...

Also:

1608221793793.jpg


1643483549273.jpeg

Ammo shortage has waned as well.
 
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woolfe9998

woolfe9998

Lifer
Apr 8, 2013
16,188
14,092
136
Had my cc stolen last year. Over night. Apparently these guys got the cc's from 5 different Prius which were in my neighborhood. However, a neighbor had seen something suspicious in the middle of the night and called the police. The cops chased them down and found all the cc's in the back of their trucks.

Apparently Prius cc's have gold inside of them, sell for a lot of $$.
 
T

tweaker2

Lifer
Aug 5, 2000
14,533
6,968
136
Same problem here in Hawaii. My neighborhood association website that reports crimes in the neighborhood mentions stealing cat converters on a regular basis. I'm sure it's an island-wide issue. Authorities are more closely monitoring scrap yards as a result.

We used to have copper cabling ripped out of municipal power lines quite often until the perps who organized these thefts were finally apprehended.
 
hal2kilo

hal2kilo

Lifer
Feb 24, 2009
23,426
10,320
136
woolfe9998 said:
Had my cc stolen last year. Over night. Apparently these guys got the cc's from 5 different Prius which were in my neighborhood. However, a neighbor had seen something suspicious in the middle of the night and called the police. The cops chased them down and found all the cc's in the back of their trucks.

Apparently Prius cc's have gold inside of them, sell for a lot of $$.
Click to expand...
Sorry, no gold (not a catalyst). Palladium ($1845 per ounce), Platinum ($1042 per ounce), Rhodium ($12.200 per ounce). Only the platinum is cheaper than gold. Rhodium is very rare and also used for electrical contacts, jewelry and high temperature windings , palladium has interesting properties for a new source of energy related to LENR (aka cold fusion), among other uses. They are all in the platinum family of elements and used extensively in the petrochemical industry.
Total amounts of catalyst in the converter averages between 6 to 2 grams (don't know the ratios). They are imbedded in a ceramic matrix specifically designed to create the most surface area possible to expose the catalyst to the exhaust gases.
 
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MtnMan

MtnMan

Diamond Member
Jul 27, 2004
8,749
7,864
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woolfe9998 said:
Had my cc stolen last year. Over night. Apparently these guys got the cc's from 5 different Prius which were in my neighborhood. However, a neighbor had seen something suspicious in the middle of the night and called the police. The cops chased them down and found all the cc's in the back of their trucks.

Apparently Prius cc's have gold inside of them, sell for a lot of $$.
Click to expand...
I think the Prius is also targeted because they are easy to remove from them. I saw a recommendation for Prius owners to back into spots that had the concrete block found in many parking lots, as it leaves no room for the crook to get at the cc.
 
esquared

esquared

Forum Director & Omnipotent Overlord
Forum Director
Oct 8, 2000
23,649
4,854
146
MtnMan said:
I think the Prius is also targeted because they are easy to remove from them. I saw a recommendation for Prius owners to back into spots that had the concrete block found in many parking lots, as it leaves no room for the crook to get at the cc.
Click to expand...
In my condo complex, thieves hit six Prius (s) on one night last fall. From our parking lot cameras they got all six cars in 30 minutes in the night. We could see the car involved but they have crappy night vision to actually pick up a license plate number.
Yeah apparently they are one of the easiest cars to remove the catalytic converter.
 
hal2kilo

hal2kilo

Lifer
Feb 24, 2009
23,426
10,320
136
MtnMan said:
I think the Prius is also targeted because they are easy to remove from them. I saw a recommendation for Prius owners to back into spots that had the concrete block found in many parking lots, as it leaves no room for the crook to get at the cc.
Click to expand...
Seems the Prius cat is kind of special.

Catalytic converter thieves are targeting the 2004-2009 Toyota Prius (autoblog.com)

The Highway Loss Data Institute explains that the catalytic converter installed on this version of the hatchback is built with more precious metals than the one found on, say, a Land Cruiser because it doesn't get as hot since the engine isn't always running. The price of metals like platinum, rhodium, and palladium is going up, so the number of thefts are on the upswing as well.

I love science.
 
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