Lookout-Tweakers stealing catalytic converters!

[cfz2882]

on some of the automotive forums I am active on,there has been a rash of catalytic converters setting stolen from under vehicles by Tweakers and other low-grade rats intent on selling the converters for the scrap platinum within:usually pickups,truck type SUVS,and motorhomes are attacked with cordless sawzall,but for some reason Toyota Prius also is a fave for converter thieves.

 

[thomasortega]

Well, in Los Angeles, the Citizen app and the Ring app have alerts every single day posted by people that had their catalytic converters stolen.

 

[rp2813]

Yes, this has been a common occurrence in the SF Bay Area for quite some time.  The Prius seems to be the favorite.  I guess the pilfering is accomplished on a Prius considerably faster than on other models.  A remedy has been designed so that when the replacement converter is installed, or if you want to secure a converter that hasn't yet been swiped, you can have some brackets or some such thing installed that makes removal next to impossible.

 

[sudsmaster]

I remember one day some years ago I parked my '78 pickup around the back of a Home Depot, near a dumpster, in South Fremont. When I got back to it, and started it up, the exhaust made a huge racket. Upon investigation I found the bolts holding the exhaust system to the manifold had "loosened". I know it didn't make that racket when I parked there, so I reasoned that somebody had tried to swipe the converter while I was in the store, and either I surprised them or somebody else did and they didn't finish the job. Fortunately I was able to reattach the pipe (they had left the nuts on the ground) and get out of there OK. Some years later the truck blew a head gasket on the freeway and toasted the motor, so I wound up donating the whole thing to a charity. Probably should have kept it but I wasn't all that fond of the thing to begin with.

 

[perc-o-prince]

I remember this was a "thing" some years ago. Sorry it's back. 

 

People.

 

Chuck

 

[vacerator]

Some are

not necessarily tweakers, just desperate. Lay off's, evictions, unemplpyment benefits expired, etc. due to the pandemic. I'm not excusing theft. Perhaps if prosecuted they could ask to be pardoned like some others are being.
I guess if it were me, and I were younger I'd try selling myself on "Only fan's". It may not be very dignified, but at least it's legal. Then again, I've had a few try following me on social media with the introduction; "hey hot daddy"!

 

[goatfarmer]

Around here, the scrapyards give less than $10.00 for them, to discourage theft.

 

[kb0nes]

This has been an issue here in Minneapolis for a while now. It follows on the early copper thefts that were popular a decade ago.

There was a law passed that anyone bringing copper in for scrap has to provide a photo ID that they record. That along with the decreased copper value has largely reduced copper theft. The cell phone sites used to be a common target as their Heliax coaxial cable runs contained a LOT of copper. They switched to aluminum outer shields to reduce scrap value, and the jackets were clearly labled as aluminium to prevent theft. As an aside cell sites now have the microwave radios up near the panel antennas with fiber optic cables going up the tower.

The question I have about catalist theft is WHY does any scrap yard accept them from walk in individuals, especially if they have a number of them. At the least an ID should be logged, or better yet only accept them from legitimate businesses that have a reason to have numbers to scrap.

It is a pity that both catalist and copper theft have largely become an issue with the invention of the cordless Sawsall... Every tool can be used for good and bad

 

[combo52]

Rare metals theft

Around here they pretty much did away with catalytic converter theft and central air conditioner theft etc. every single time I go into the scrap yard I have to present a photo ID and they take a picture of me and the stuff I’m dumping, I can’t even take an old dishwasher to him without all this so I haven’t heard of anything being stolen around here in a couple years at least.

John

I

 

[qsd-dan]

California locked down hard with scrap metal in 2009, making one jump through many hoops, so it wasn't much of a problem after that. I was somewhat concerned for a while about the cat in my truck before '09 because it would often sit for months without me driving it, but living in a nice quiet neighborhood paid off there.