3 neighbors now: Cat Converter Stolen! Seeing article in NYT

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bmninada

Contributor
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2016 CX-5 AWD GT+iActive Soul Red
2 of the neighbors have Prius but 1 was Rav4 2019. They are all parked in public parking lot due to snow. I am concerned for my Mazda CX5 due to where I park and no - I have no other option. I may be able to find someone to VIN etch and maybe even spray paint it but for this particular model CX5 is it easy to take it off? Asking since police in my town are saying it takes 2 to 5 min max.
 
bmninada said:
2 of the neighbors have Prius but 1 was Rav4 2019. They are all parked in public parking lot due to snow. I am concerned for my Mazda CX5 due to where I park and no - I have no other option. I may be able to find someone to VIN etch and maybe even spray paint it but for this particular model CX5 is it easy to take it off? Asking since police in my town are saying it takes 2 to 5 min max.
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Is the public parking lot monitored at all? The only things I could suggest is getting a dashcam so you can hopefully catch them in the act. Then you can forward the video evidence to the authorities, and hopefully it will help in identifying them. I did a quick search online, and one thing a lot of people are doing is having a mechanic/muffler shop weld the cat to the frame to make it harder to steal.

I've heard that a used cat can be worth a fair amount of money (no idea how much) due to the precious metals used inside them. I suppose its fairly easy, they would just need to get under the car and use an angle grinder or saw to cut the cat out. Your car should be a lower risk as most thieves will target hybrids first, as their catalytic converters are more valuable than a non-hybrid car. But realistically, any car that is easy to get under is a potential target.
 
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@bmninada make sure your insurance premium is paid.
For a determined thief yes they are VERY easy to remove with a reciprocating saw.

how valuable are they?

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depending on locality and scrap yard regulations ... a person would just smelt it in their backyard

I am with @sm1ke visit your local muffler shop and ask for methods to make your vehicle less attractive (covers / welded braces). Thieves want PREDICTIBLE and QUICK results.
 
Already doing it. @Antoine : maybe a general warning? Seems really kicked up due to surge in prices of 2 precious metals?
 
Personal speculation: There might be more value for hybrid cats because on youtube, thieves tend to go for hybrid Prius.
 
The reason why I recently bought my P5 was because some ahole stole the cat on my 04 Prius. What's worse is that CA law states that only OEM can be replaced to repair the car, which is moot because it costs at least $2k from Toyota.

It is extremely rampant in the Prius world. Now gen3 and even gen4 Prius are being targeted, along with new Tacoma's, Honda Accord's, and Ford Econoline van/trucks.
 
A used CAT worths a few hundreds while a new one costs more than $2k easily.
It has been a target of burgery since years ago. It used to airbags, CAT and Xenon headlights.
I am not sure why hybrids are now targeted.
 
I'm surprised vehicle manufacturers or aftermarket alarm companies haven't come up with a solution yet. Somehow detect/sense tampering under the car and sound the alarm. Maybe the porch-pirate glitter bomber will get on it 😆
 
Hybrid vehicles are targeted more often because their cats contain more precious metals than others.
 
sm1ke said:
Is the public parking lot monitored at all? The only things I could suggest is getting a dashcam so you can hopefully catch them in the act. Then you can forward the video evidence to the authorities, and hopefully it will help in identifying them. I did a quick search online, and one thing a lot of people are doing is having a mechanic/muffler shop weld the cat to the frame to make it harder to steal. I don't think VIN etching will help, they'll get rid of the cat either way. Spray painting it won't do anything as it sounds like they know exactly what they're looking for.

I've heard that a used cat can be worth a fair amount of money (no idea how much) due to the precious metals used inside them. I suppose its fairly easy, they would just need to get under the car and use an angle grinder to cut the cat out. Your car should be a lower risk as most thieves will target hybrids first, as their catalytic converters are more valuable than a non-hybrid car.
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Weld the cat to the frame? Really? That can't be right. Exhaust systems are hung from the bottoms of vehicles using a suspension system. This is because the exhaust system moves a bit with the movement of the engine. And because the vibration of the system. Welding the cat to the frame would defeat the purpose of the suspension system and probably cause the system to fail in some way.
 
Conrad 16.5 said:
Weld the cat to the frame? Really? That can't be right. Exhaust systems are hung from the bottoms of vehicles using a suspension system. This is because the exhaust system moves a bit with the movement of the engine. And because the vibration of the system. Welding the cat to the frame would defeat the purpose of the suspension system and probably cause the system to fail in some way.
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That's just what I saw online when I searched. Maybe they weld hangers to the frame and the cat, then attach the hangers using exhaust hanger rubber grommets.
 
Silly Wabbit said:
Personal speculation: There might be more value for hybrid cats because on youtube, thieves tend to go for hybrid Prius.
Click to expand...

I think they go for the Priuses because it's easy to get access to due to the design of the exhaust so it is super quick to get. The other car they seem to target a lot are Honda Elements. I had one stolen from a Prius 5 years ago. I actually caught the guy in the act. I heard the sawzall out on the street right outside my window (at 3am) but by the time I got outside he was already in his car driving off. Coincidentally a month before I had read an article that thieves were targeting Priuses in my neighborhood so I had reduced my comprehensive deductible to $250 so that's all it cost me. When I took it to the shop they said it was the 5th Prius that week and it took almost a month to get a new catalytic converter in.

I haven't heard of CX-5s specifically being targeted.
 
I think its a bit more effort to reach the cx5 cat :)

Some trucks are the primary ones which get their cats stolen here in AZ. Its increasing in 2020 from what I was told. But we also get lot more car breakins lately for whatever reasons.
Its also a popular theft in Europe since most people drive diesels there and Eu diesels have expensive Cat systems which it seems have bigger chunks of precious metals inside.
 
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I owned a '05 Prius before (wife's)
Bad design encourages this sort of model-specific theft.
For that gen (gen-II), the Xenon headlights were easy to steal. Break the plastic house from outside, and the bulbs are actually removable from there. Other models did not make it so easy. Lots of headlights smashed and bulbs stolen in those years.... Mine survived...
 
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