Ever had your Catalytic Converter Stolen?

[Aaron Yarbough]

Unfortunately this is a new fad that has started here in the Dallas area. See this original email from my freind that is very creditable.



"Let everyone know that the new fad of stealing catalytic converters is getting popular. They hit me this week and quite a few others. The police said they have had numerous incidents in the past month. They even do it in your drive way. They sell them for $20-30 bucks and it cost anywhere from $50-500 for replacement."



Now this is rediculous, first it's air bags and now catalytic converters. I wish I would catch someone up under one of my vehicles at night.......:angry:

 

[Woppy V]

huh. makes sense. if someone was doing that i'd have no issues with just running the jerk over!! lol nobody touches Tackleberry without my permission!

 

[Ron Reeves]

Platinum at 1000$+ an oz is a great incentive

 

[A1cntrler]

Not really related, but sort of... I thought of sharing it here this morning, but though it strange and dumb..but it involves someone stealing stuff from the ST..



So I woke up this morning, heart racing and angry... I thought about it and realized it was from a dream I was having. I had gone out into the driveway and found that someone had been terying to steal my hitch off of my '07. Now if you have ever seen the hitch on an '07, you will know that thay are a part of the frame, and not simply a bolt-on accessory. Anyways I guess the guy had removed my rear plastic bumper to gain access, and had used a cutting torch to simply cut it off the frame. Next to the ST was a smaller, Class nothing hitch (the stock one with the 1" reciever type thing... I guess he had planned to cut off mine and replace it with this little one..like I would never notice... Anyways no one was around except my neighbor, and he was like I should just buy a new one.. I was explaining to him that he didn't understand, they the hitch was an integral part of the frame of the truck. About that time the guy was getting back to fisish up the job. He saw us out there and veered off my driveway head on into a huge pine in my front yard. As I ran over to yank him out of the vehicle (A brown blazer for some reason) and my arm went through the drivers side window, I woke up. Sucked because I needed to beat him then and there... Anyways..



I can't see the value of stealing these converters. Unless they are welding them on to help pass an emissions test or something. I guess that could be a reason. But why?? It just isn't worth the trouble to jack up a car, sawzall it off? Is it worth 30 bucks for all that work?? Not in my opinion... Did you look this up on snopes??

 

[Aaron Yarbough]

Seriously A1, this happened to my buddy Byron (don't want to post his full name) that works for the Dallas Fire Department. This is no BS. I remember 5 years ago when they stole my girlfriends airbags out of her Explorer and the alarm never made a sound. I could not beleive that they lef thte radio , CDs etc. and only took the 2 airbags.

 

[Jeff C]

Type in catalytic converter on eBay. There are some going for around $50. Since the ST has 2, that's $100.



I can see some people being ballsy enough to try it...just think, you could get a few thousand $$$ from one street...

 

[Aaron Yarbough]

I just spoke to my buddy Byron, they stole the catalytic converter off of his Nissan Hardbody truck. When he took the truck to the local muffler shop the guy told him that he was the 8th person this week that he had replaced a stolen catalytic converter for. This happened in Desoto, TX which is a suburb of Dallas.

 

[TomT]

The CC can't be all that easy to remove, can it? Or are they just using a cordless sawzall to cut the thing off?

 

[Scott Tanner]

here in NY, it is illegal to sell used airbags or convertors... period. the police monitor the classifieds for that stuff

 

[TomT]

here in NY, it is illegal to sell used airbags or convertors... period. the police monitor the classifieds for that stuff

Ahh, but here in Texas it goes right across the border.

 

[Jeffksf B]

It has happened around here, a couple guys hit up a dealership and got a whole bunch right off brand new SUVs. Cordless tools help as well. SUVs so they can slide right under the truck.

 

[Aaron Yarbough]

TomT, probably using a portable sawzall to cut it off. His truck was parked along the curb in front of his house...

 

[Jeff C]

Simple solution: cut them off yourself. Sounds great!

 

[Wes Davis]

For awhile it was popular to steal expensive headlight assemblies as well. Haven't heard too much about it lately though.

 

[EddieS'04]

USN-ret,,it takes alot of converters to get alittle platium. I busted up an old one. Didnt even get a thimble full.

My question is where are the niegbors or owners. A sawzall makes one heck of a noise on exhaust tubing. It would wake me up. Also most converters are not that easy to get at. Even on trucks.

 

[gary s]

heard about it here on long isle about 6 months ago. usually suv's and trucks as you can slide under and just cut it out. as far as selling them, theives scrap them or sell them to auto body shops owned by low lifes.

 

[Dingo]

<img src="http://www.toolbarn.com/images/ridgid/32830.big.jpg">

 

[CountyMounty]

Just got a message about this via my state's Police Officer's Info Network it has apparently been happening in other parts of the country for a while now but just recently started a litte bit here. Probably going to become the new thing now that we have really started catching the copper thieves.

 

[Johnny O]

Just leave the engine running all night so they're too hot to take off. :lol:

 

[Tom Schindler]

The theives sell the converters to scrap yards at about $10.00 to $20.00 each. They do not extract the rare metals themselves because it is too complicated to do yourself.





Tom