Understanding the wave of catalytic converter thefts
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- Опубликовано: 16 мар 2021
- Here's why thieves are stealing them, what they do with them and how you can protect your catalytic converter so a thief will move on to the next car.
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A few days ago the local tv news reported the death of a cat thief. He was found crushed under a car after his cheap jack failed.
The car didnt have tires? How did it crush him? Wouldn't it just fall off the jack on the ground with tires on, wouldn't he still have clearance under the car?
@@marchangel7462 Might have been a portly thief
@@marchangel7462 the car was very low to the ground plus when the jack fell the suspension would drop down before the springs would return it to it's resting position.
@@n4zou oh ok.
@@marchangel7462 no. Take a look at the clearance on most passenger vehicles. 6 inchs at most. Adult chest is about 13" front to back. Do the math.
They just found a guy squashed to death under a car here in Va.Beach.. His car had about 10 converters in it. It couldn't have happened to a nicer guy
Good
That's terrible, I hope the undercarriage of the car that crushed him doesn't rust from all the blood.
Greed was his downfall
I'm from VA Beach, where at?
His car must have been super eco friendly
Assign theft detectives at the places that buy these metals, this is ridiculous, people need to be prosecuted.
Where I live, Danbury, Connecticut, the scrap yards around here are fighting catcon theft very well by asking anyone who wants to sell a catcon for ID like a driver's license & getting the seller on video. If that were done all over the US, catcon theft would disappear almost immediately
It is done all over the country these laws have been in place since the early 2000s but where there's money there will always be people taking shortcuts
@@merleshand2442 "where there's money there will always be people taking shortcuts"
- The consequences of the liberal gang running this country!!!!!
Like how gun registration doesn’t stop the black market in guns… Catalyst tracing doesn’t stop that black market either
.
What’s the bigger crime? Stealing cats or charging $500 for O2 sensors? Wow!
What’s surprising about O2 sensors costs?
Many other types sensors can fetch nearly the same price, cheap ones can be faulty, and some sensors are required do perform State Inspections or you’ll see the Check Engine Light.
@@miguelle4756 usually an o2 sensor costs between 20 and 50$ depending the application. The exhaust shops are the ones benefitting from this...
@@tuloko16
Yeah. You’re right.
@@tuloko16 lol, nope. Upstream, IE hotside O2 sensors range from between $100 and $1500 depending on the car. downstream sensors can be just as expensive depending on what emissions conversions/system the car is using. an 02 sensor on my 2020 highlander hybrid is $350 and $550, from a "cheap" brand that likely won't work well.
🤣🤣 if that was installed and was a massive job maybe . I payed less than $50 for 1 over a year ago . maybe his comes with a flux capacitor 🤣
Was a problem here in Maryland a decade ago. It stopped pretty quickly after scrapyards were ordered to collect identification from everyone.
I'm pretty sure they would call that racist in San Franscisco
@@SkinnyTrails Well, guess what? YOUR comment is racist for implying that only black people would steal and be bothered to show an ID....
@@marcoferrao You're the one who assumed he was talking about black people...
@@MrSchwach Racism? Yeah, I guess you are right, there´s indeed racism against other people as well.
@@marcoferrao I think they were talking about undocumented immigrants as they would be left out because they don’t have an valid U.S. ID to give
Id like to read a headline where a thief gets beaten within an inch of his life by the car owner.
It would be in the same article where the car owner is sent to prison for a long time. Whether or not we agree is irrelevant. Attacking someone who is robbing you is illegal.
@@89qwyg9yqa34t that’s what I was gonna say .. SAD BUT TRUE.
@@89qwyg9yqa34t This argument makes the assumption that the robber isn't sub-human trash. (Hint: They are sub-human trash.)
@@Mike-nf6nf Actually it's made under the assumption that it's illegal to physically assault someone who is stealing your car when you are not in danger. (it is illegal)
You can do what you want in that situation, but it's something worth keeping in mind. When you see someone stealing your car and you decide to run out of your house to attack that person, you're probably going to jail.
@@89qwyg9yqa34t that’s a lie you said rob not burglary so technically it’s an attack and you can defend yourself
thief arrives at scrap yard:
Scrap yard guy: "hello what've you got?"
thief: "some aluminum cans, some glass bottles, a couple ounces of palladium...oh and some steel tubing."
scrap yard guy: "wait a minute....WE DON'T TAKE GLASS HERE!!"
Is this what is known as a "Dad Joke"?
rhodium is what they are after
My father's neighbor had a converter stolen on his car. So he got a converter cage lock thing. I laughed my ass off and told him that was the dumbest thing I ever saw. About 3 months later, they tried to steal his converter. Broke his O2 sensor, beat the cage up, and broke 4 of his windows in retaliation. But he still had his converter.
😂😂😂😂 Worth it 😭😭😭
Lmao 😂
I love how the people who do this get mad like they have rights to the cat under somebody elses cat.
similar thing happened to a friend who secured his radio back in the day... they destroyed his steering wheel, which cost much more.
The craziest part is.... you can't shoot these thugs because it's illegal to kill someone over property (converter).
We submitted to our local Sheriff video of theives, stealing Cats from our fleet. We have face, and lic plate video. Turns out the sheriff knows an aweful lot of who they are, but the DA refuses to sign off on the arrest. California sucks.
You gotta find a way to slap the DA somehow. They will respond once it hit their bottomline
@@zaiks0105 steal the DA's cat LMAO
@@HospitalMusic :D
I thought California goverment was really very big on automotive emission laws .
More reason why I get people making a mass exodus to Texas. I've seen ALOT of folk coming in and I don't blame them. But, as I'll say to any and all folk who are coming over. I'm glad you got out, welcome, and don't Cali my Texas.
I work directly with cat convs and we're pretty sure we're seeing theft at the distribution level somewhere after shipping. We KNOW the parts we ship, yet every day we have shortage claims. It's theft. Whether from people along the chain or the customers themselves trying to pocket extra money. It's insane right now.
Does this video properly explain why people are doing this and how they are profiting from it or do you think there are better explanations or theories which you may be able to provide? I'd like your opinions on what is going on exactly and how this has become so trendy.
@@aFoxyFox. The thieves are stealing the converters to sell them to someone higher up so that they can break it down into valuable precious metals such as palladium, platinum and rhodium.
@@Lionheart_He-Man Are they still doing this a lot as far as you're aware?
@@aFoxyFox. Yes, they are still many reports of catalytic converters being stolen
This stuff is going to Mexico, with all the stolen bikes
I'm sure all the mechanics are just heartbroken about these thefts.
lol thats what I was thinking. They're probably in on it.
We need to bring back the, "Wild West Law and Judges: For Horse and or Car Stealing and Exhaust Thefts: "GO GET THE ROPE & FIND A TREE!"
We all know what they did when they arrested ''Horse Thieves' back in the west is the same offense: "GO GET THE ROPE & FIND A TREE!"
Use a gun in a crime, exact same thing: "NO MERCY, NO APPEALS, NO JAIL TIME: "GO GET THE ROPE & FIND A TREE!" Easy Peasy!
When the EPA starts cracking down on people who mod, this is the video you show them in court.
"My cats were stolen your honor, but they were kind enough to weld a straight pipe in it's place.. I don't know why sir, crazy criminals..."
I lost all my cats in a terrible boating accident.
@@mb4lunch Lol.. that's a good one.
@@mb4lunch unfortunate boating accident.. gotta use the correct terminology in court 🤣
That happened to me!
You should be able to mod your car, but then pay a tax or whatever that would pay to plant a tree somewhere.
Mine was stolen yesterday so my 2002 Toyota avalon sounds like a beast (edit) to anyone interested in hearing it i will be posting a video of it on july 17th
How much was it to replace it ?
@@charrohernandez6835 i haven't yet
@@donknight1388 it makes a super loud noise mine was cut but not stolen
What state are you in?
Ayyy
The thefts of catalytics has been on the rise like crazy in my little neighborhood in OKC. It's ridiculous! The thefts of these catalytics are what got us to this video because we didn't know what catalytics was or why they're being stolen.
I had a catalytic on my 1977 Datsun truck. Where have you been??
Same here in Alabama
This video was so informative that I think it may actually increase cat thefts.
All they left out was the name of the place buying them...
Yes. .....yes it will
I agree 💯!!! The video just explained everything 🤦🏾🤦♂️
Basically a how to video
I'm disappointed that they arent refered to as cat burglars.
You took the words from right under...... Jack.
TOP COMMENT!!!!!LOL
Cat nappers
Best laugh of the day!!!
@@TesserId Glad to hear it.
This is a tip for the homeowners. Clean up the crap from the garage, and park your car inside the garage.
Ah man, I know you're right but what am I gonna do with all the crap I got in mine, ha!
@@rickdff62 just give me your crap, so I can cram my garage more. Do as I say not as I do.
Whatttt?! Use the garage for its intended purpose? But then the Clear coat on my 97 Accord wouldn't be completely peeled off from sitting out in the sun for 23 years!
Helpful tip to car owners just remove your cats and run a test pipe ;)
What about the mall parking lot?
So, from this video, you've told the thieves how to cut them off and what vehicles to get them from. Niiiiiice...
I think you are on to something
They already know.
Yep
Thats really funny. I gotta hand it to you. Damn, they cut my hands off, maybe its not funny
Make the metal recyclers who buy them pay for new replacements and installation costs!
great idea!
If you see someone doing this, Kick Out The Jack.
It just lower it until they beg for mercy.
Ironically, jacks are cats in Spanish.
U can't kick it. In america you can go to jail even if you are the victim. Thats murica for ya. But u can lower it to crush the theif enough that he can't get out. Then call the cops.
They always work in gangs
Hell yea, absolutely crushed cockroaches not gonna be missed by no one. I have less than zero sympathy for these thugs.
That way you can claim, "I didn't kill him, Jack did".
Also these scumbags are unlikely to jack up your car from the exact jacking point so can likely do more damage..
They don’t even Jack them up at times. They just crawl underneath!
A thief got crushed and died the other day in SoCal because the jack wasn't secured
@@a-love-supremist so happy to hear that
@@a-love-supremist if they try to jack up my car on my driveway the car just gonna roll off the Jack because it’s on an incline
@@a-love-supremist good
I like how he casually mentions the precious metals, and how much they cost.
My car needed a catalytic converter to pass smog here in Cali and the cheapest quote I got was $900 for the job or $500 just for the part. Looked up online and they were $125 but they won't deliver to CA or NY. I ordered it and had it shipped to a friend who lives in Reno and he sent it to me. Looked up on RUclips how to install it and it was surprisingly a very easy job! I had to buy a gasket from the dealer though for $25 so the whole thing cost me $150....and since then I do the fixing myself the latest was replacing a thermostat in my radiator which cost me 6 bucks when mechanics were asking $150...All without any mechanical training thanks to RUclips and some forums online where mechanic are there just to help folks like me out of the goodness of their hearts 💚
When it costs 2000$ in CA but 250$ in NV, it’s now wonder they get stolen
My dad lives in Florida and his cost $2,000 to replace on his Ford when it got stolen. His was stolen in 2020.
California's the most screwed up place when it comes to replacement parts cost. Insurance scames like whats you zip code. They say more probabilities you will be in an accident. Pure B.S. just to make money. Car repair insurance they announce no coverage in California. Whats going on here and it has been years now. Your insurance company dose not have accident forgiveness in California, but almost all states do offer it. THIS STATE IS A SCAM FOR ANYONE LIVING HERE. ALL FOR MONEY MAKING 💰 FAT CATS. And taxes don't ask???
@@xxxxMonkeyGirlxxxx 2K for the parts and labor or 2K for the part? Here in CA the parts manufacturer has to pay 25K$ per SKU number to the bureaucracy of Cali Air Resource Board (CARB) to certify the part and assign a number to it. This cost gets passed to the buyer. So a 250$ converter in NV, or other 49 states, costs 2K$ here, then add the labor and you’re looking at probably 4K if yours gets stolen. Also CA law does not allow selling of used Cats that still function just fine and to boot, any vehicle 2002 and newer they don’t even measure the emissions, they just do the component inspection to make sure any parts have paid the extortion fee of 25K and the ECM isn’t throwing any codes- so it has nothing to do with actual emissions and merely a way to make money.
@@fredungoyle938
California has more people and more cars than any other state in the USA, so of course taxes, insurance are going to be more expensive..
And because of all the gas cars polluting the air, regulations are going to be stricter.
That's the cost of an iphone, beyond what I want to pay for.
The penalty for this needs to be severe enough to deter it from happening.
Take them to the pen so that the inmates could run a train on them?
When you murder someone the penalty is death and yet people still commit murder. What penalty would honestly be harsh enough to deter them?
@@jackmeoff2274 5 years in prison with 2 weeks off for good behaviour?
@@jackmeoff2274 Castration
@@jackmeoff2274 While it's true that some people won't be deterred no matter what, it would at least deter a lot of people. Think about it. If murder was legal, a whole lot more people would do it. Because it is illegal, most people won't even consider doing it. This is why the punishment for this type of theft should be more severe. Sure, some people still wouldn't care about obeying the law. But most people do. You can never completely eliminate a crime like theft but you can at least minimize the act of it with more severe punishments. A harsher sentence for stealing these converters would be a more effective deterrent than you think.
Dang haven't seen this dude for a long time, good to see the Roadshow guy. Love your videos
I forgot about detachable audio plates!!! Man, that brings me back to the 90s and Crutchfield magazine.
I remember living in asia that they used to steal manhole covers for the steel. Bloody scary at night riding my motorbike.
The ones who would buy the man hole covers are just as bad as the ones who stole them.
I bet it was
Be more specific where in asia
@@fredymelendez4773 Slovakia, for an instance. Not exactly Asia, but the gypsies used to do this frequently - and they came from Asia :P
So this cat theft + man hole theft benefits alot to society right ?
Man. Folks who been straight piping their Hellcats have been waaaay ahead of us all!
😂😂
According to Summit Racing removing the cats results in no improvement in performance
@@jogmas12 well, they are idiots. It's racing 101 for supercharged/turbo charged cars.
those are pretty slow
@@rocketsmall4547 and that pertains to catalytic converters... how?
A teacher at my school (circa 2014) had her CAT stolen. Caught on camera. She took it as a teaching lesson as to why they were invented. Love you Ms. Aloucie!
Great video. Just got my 2005 Honda Accord cat stolen in Foster City CA. Repair cost estimate was 3.5K, and no parts in stock.
Such a joy to hear and see Brian Cooley again.
Miss the CNET on Car, Car Tech 101
@@PhucTietVinh Me too.
@@PhucTietVinh my first thought was i remember him from cnet is he not there anymore? i dont use cnet as much as i used to.
They need to go to the local scrap yards with under cover cops trying to sell them cats and stop it at the source. These criminals arent making jewelary out of those metals theyre selling them to a dirty scrap yard.
@@John-Anderson actually a jewelry store where I live buys them by the bucket.
So what are we paying the police and the FBI for? They can't work down the supply list of these precious metals!?
The people who are buying the cats from the thieves should be charged with receiving stolen property. Why should they go without blame and profit from this crime spree?
We have already done it here in BC, Canada. Every scrap dealer must make an account for the customers and ID is on file. No more cash out the door. They log everything you trade in. Obviously there must still be some shady ones but the legitimate places are careful about what they take in.
When copper was high in value live electrical line were being cut and a few thieves even died on scene.
@@geoffmooregm Canada is a country with a somewhat sensible government. The entire U.S. government from the federal level to the local level needs a huge overhaul.
@@burgerman101 I live in Maryland and they instituted what Geoff was talking about fairly quickly. That was about a decade ago. Now I seldom hear about it.
@@rollydoucet8909 Recycling yards buy any scrap metal regardless of what it is. They continue to buy whatever until the government places more regulations on their business. Thefts of stuff like this come to a halt once it is done. In the end, they stop when they’re ordered to. They are not going to risk their large contracts on buying stolen cats once it becomes illegal.
I’d love to see a thief’s face when he tries to steal my catalytic converter and realizes it’s just a 3 inch pipe all the way back
I doubt they're interested in yours. Prius ones are pricier.
That's gay
It looks like more people know someone that got their cat stolen versus having Covid.
Lol. Thats a lie but its funny.
Not a lie. The truth. Only “pandemic” is the MASK PANDEMIC. Only “virus” is Gov and mainstream media. ALL warfare is based on deception. And we, the ones being attacked in this war, are the ones being deceived
@@mrchubner It’s an ignorant statement, and the response you gave isn’t any more intelligent.
@@Grammy52 he's right. Before I left the hospital the most in a day that had COVID begore flu season was 21. Then Flu season made things full just like it always does.
O caught a thieve doing it to my neighbor car I remembered he tried getting out we lowered the jack just enough the he got stuck waited for the cops got there it was an old Honda civic cops took him they said he had 9 of them in his truck
😆
A local muffler shop in California near me was caught with 1,000s of stolen catalytic converters. My cat had been stolen as well from my used car, which I didn't have for very long. It was my first car, and I got quoted up to $1,800 - $2,400 to repair it. Also, it is California so there are super strict EPA laws, and we use a special CARB catalytic converter which makes it that much more expensive. No aftermarket replacements and you can only get the cat from a dealer. And, my specific year and model did not have any cats registered that fit my car. 2003 Honda Accord LX, 4 cylinders. Thank you very much, cat thieves. Had to sell the car for a HUGE loss. Of course, I didn't expect to make money from the car, but I only drove the car around 7,000 miles since I had bought it. Did a ton of maintenance and repairs on the car just to have it all screwed by some low-life thief. It sucks.
Arrrr california, not moving to a other state,
I got stolen from my RV a few days ago, it was parked inside of storage parking lot and I could not believe it. Now, my insurance is not happy, and fix it cost a lot of money. I bought it a couple of weeks ago. Be careful.
Thanks for the tips, ima pick up a saws all!
A few weeks ago I made a screen protecting the CC and muffler on my sons Prius made from materials I bought from Home Depot for about $40. The basic screen is made from material used to reinforce concrete walkways. Two layers covering the length from the CC to the end of the muffler and still having some left over material an additional layer over the CC. I don't have a welder, so to attach to the frame, I used Simpson straps and 25 screws. After installing I used epoxy to cover the screw heads. It is not fancy, but does allow visual check of the CC for the smog check. To get to the CC, either a bolt cutter or power saw is required to cut through all of the layers, it can be done but it will take time, make more noise, and the car needs to be jacked up higher to get additional clearance. When seeing the screen the crook will probably look elsewhere for a easier target. Three hours and $40 in a effort to save a thousand or more.
I would like to hire you... lol. That's the smart way to do it. 🙌
It’s called “re-bar”
the whole point is you shouldn't HAVE to do this to protect your own property
@@kantraxoikol6914 It's too bad the criminals out there don't believe it.
@@levik9915Thanks, but it is actually called remesh. Comes in 42 inch by 7 ft. Plenty of material to provide two layers.
Catalytic converter thefts come and go. It was a big trend a few years ago.
It’s big trend in my neighborhood Rogers park Chicago.
@Justin Sane agree prices are high at this time. Catalytic thefts were also big around 5 or 7 years ago. It died down for awhile. Started to see an uptick just after the Covid lock downs. I don't have the numbers to say whether the current thefts are more than the previous crime wave from 5+ years ago.
@@fallguy4209 Same in Brighton Park. Not to mention the car theft that is going on in Chicago right now.
It was a big thing in the 90s
Now, they're more valuable than ever. So, this "trend" is just going to continue.
if it’s palladium, they’re probably making ironman’s energy core LOL
Inventing a alarm system specific for your converter plus adding the heavy duty metal plate
I just sold my Prius cats to the recycling center for $1400. If you own a gen 2 Prius, take off your cats and sell them, then install after market ones for $100. Easy money
Are they smoggable?
@@jogmas12 they pass federal regulations. they are good in all states except California
@@userasdf1546 well, see that’s the problem, I’m in California
They’re gonna be pissed if they steal mine off my Jeep and realize it’s empty
Without it you pollute like 1000x as much. I’m already sad on your behalf.
@@tomjackman5920 Maybe it's an offroad only vehicle... get over yourself enviro-nazi. It's just an internet thread.
@@johntexan4165 Yeah, I mean the air pollution isn't in the city limits, so what's the problem? 🙃
Texans are so smart 🧠
@@BoltRM ...if you read again, I was referencing someone else... congrats smart guy
@@johntexan4165 Excuse me, I thought you were referencing off road vehicles when you replied. Doh what was I thinking. 🙄
I had mine stolen, recently. Was not too concerned when my check engine light went on because it has done that before and it was my gas cap that I did not put on correctly. But this time, a short while after my light started coming on my engine started roaring when I tried to drive. A man purchasing it got under the car and showed me his photo of my converter being stolen. I ended up giving him the car because it was old and I had already purchased another car. Needless to say, I park my new car in the garage where there are cameras.
These thefts are everywhere , a small town close to me was freaking out due to the loss of converters and said they could not solve the crimes. I advised one cop I knew to have someone cut off an extra say 1/2 inch of pipe from the missing location and when they found the sellers with the stolen converters they could prove it came off the unit.
wow . . . . I think my IQ just went up !
Plot twist: it was the guy running the muffler shop having the cats stolen thus becoming the most successful man in the city.
🤣
Making money on both sides.
Ya know, that's kinda what I was thinking. 😂
Pretty much the federal government's trick. Create a problem, then come up with a solution.... and a TAX
@@jaredb6934 I'm never fixing my code P0420. Y'all can breathe my NOx emissions all day. I have no money for a new cat
I lived in Berkeley and San fran for a couple years. I was always happy without a car in SF. So much theft, broken windows and outrageous parking costs.
Funny how crime is more concentrated where legislators and politicians live.
@David Jones Some say the Mafia runs the politicians.
I stayed in the bay area for about a month or so last time i was in Ca about 2 years ago, and the amount of cark breaks in and busted out car windows out there was an insane amount. People are ruthless out there.
@@adamwelles5502 hehe hi Adam I love you
I used to live and work in the SF Bay area and have friends who still live there. It is so bad now that many of them leave their cars unlocked at night and leave their windows down. They just take everything inside with them every evening. They got tired of replacing broken locks and windows.
Really helpful to get through the process. Thank you
This is only continually happening because they are not going after the salvage yards who buy them
Simple explanation is that they are too expensive to replace and police/judges need to keep these criminals off the streets
No. Arrest the buyers. If they can't sell them, their effort is useless... no buyers.
Get rid of the converter. Crime will go down.
Without criminals judges and police would be out of jobs
What about people legally selling cats? If I’m junking a car that’s worth $400 in scrap, I want to be able to sell the $1000 in cats
They need to go to the local scrap yards with under cover cops trying to sell them cats and stop it at the source. These criminals arent making jewelary out of those metals theyre selling them to a dirty scrap yard.
Us and Uk mainly, no proper laws to ban trade with scrap metals from car parts . It will get worse. Btw in Uk been reported number of cases of stolen charger cables from ev cars while on charge. This is the next. Just watch
I can see that. Wonder if Tesla with come up with a system....?
"How to get 'em to take someone else's". You speak the truth! Respect.
In the 70's and 80's, the target was Rally Wheel centers and rings that came on everything from a Camaro to a Corvette. I had a set stolen and was insured by Allstate at the time. They had a guy out of Atlanta that supplied replacements for ones that were stolen, call me. He told me that at that time he was doing $250,000 a month in insurance claim replacements.
Dude is killing it ,charging $500 for an oxygen sensor!,
Exactly what i was thinking , ripping off people
No bull, for a BMW or an AUDI? Maybe $400. But for a Japanese Hybrid? $100, $200 tops.
@@Shorty15c4007 Checked Auto Zone or one of those places-------------35 bucks. 500 bucks my ass
1:54 he said some high end ones cost $3,000-$3,200 ?!...
Same thing I thought. If it was some luxury car, maybe. But I’ve never heard of a typical vehicle (Ford, Chevy, Honda, Toyota, etc) that costs that much. I think the sensor on my wife’s Accord was $90.
I wonder if these thefts have anything to do with a revolving door release program for criminals at least here in Los Angeles County.
That's possible
Impossible, says Sleepy Joe Biden
About a year ago I was locked up with a guy who was coming out of Houston on his way to San Antonio... He was in on a misdemeanor but he explained to me a million dollar scheme to get rich off of this specific part... 🤫🤔
@@shesforthestreets7212 Really? Can you tell us a little more about it?
Happens globally
Thanks for showing me how easy it is to steal this, and how valuable this part is worth. I promise I might... Ugh won't steal! Yes won't steal one of these now.. let me watch this again btw.. take notes. 😎
The fix is at the recycling centers that give cash for these converters. A friend told me between 2 people recycling converters the total payout was like 20 grand with no questions asked. While another place wanted to finger print you. The secret for the theif is finding the no questions asked place which I'm pretty sure isn't very hard as word spreads quickly.
@Byw, don't be naiive lol
Tried to sell my old cat to a few recyclers i called, and I believe the most I was offered was around $18. Hardly worth the drive even. Much less to steal for.
That dude that runs the muffler shop should be suspect #1, he seemed real nervous during the interview... I'm on to him
When
I was convinced of that When he said $500 for a sensor that’s $35
Yeah and 3k hes full of it...
He's just a little awkward, that's not a reason to assume he's linking up with organized crime
@@xChemistryFTWx sure yeah true ;)
@@jaliscopow6814 Prius stuff is stupid expensive, I think my cat replacement was like $1800. Rear springs are like 240, foglight is 160 PLUS labor.
Unfortunately, the protective plates or cages aren't thief-proof either. The most they do is make it more difficult and time-consuming for the thief, which may or may not make them move on to another car -- but not always.
And be very careful about confronting a thief -- in Chicago, they are often armed. There are reports of theives going after people with knives or even taking shots at them. If you confront them, just make sure you are very careful and know what you're doing.
We purchased a new car and this is one my biggest fears with it being the shiny new toy on the block I fear it’s a bigger target but I would definitely get the sheet protector because it’s a high chance their go to another car.
I had a cage on mine & unfortunately that didn't deter them from stealing it again
@Shawn Seymour that doesn't make you bulletproof though
@@Tupac6780 if you shoot first you don't have to be
love that they show you how to do it
I remember back when glass shops where going around breaking windshields. 😂
Do u know those small little ball bearings ..they use to pay crack heads to throw them at car windshields in nyc ...
If I was a body & fender repairer, I'd send ladies in red bikinis out on the streets to distract drivers and send a bit of business my way. No harm in trying (apart from school boys not going to class).
Tire shops use to throw screws in alleys here in Chicago
You think repair shops are paying heads to rob cats?
Asinine
@@T25de Not all of them, but it's a safe bet there are some that do. If you don't think so, you need to get out more.
The first wave of this back in 2010- we just cut them off ourselves because some crack head was going to do it anyway lmfao
As the dollar continues to lose value, the taxes continue to go up, and the economic divide gets bigger, there's going to be a hell of a lot more "scrapping". Back in '07 - '12 people were ripping copper from out of the streets. This country is moving in the direction of where Venezuela has gone.
@@manictiger Agree. We are already there since it took Venezuelans 14 years to find out after Chavez died that they're elections were rigged. Im afraid we won't find out for a while either
@@unboxedcharacter wow, just wow.
@@BenState Amazing isn't it
@@unboxedcharacter no.
That prius actually sounds fire 🔥
If you are adding a cage, make it thick stainless or titanium steel, no hand held sawzaw is going to cut through it without spending hours and destroying many blades in the attempt. Bolt them on with non standard bolts, thieves will not be carrying around an array of specialty sockets. Beyond this, an alert pair of eyes from neighbours or just people frequenting any area is great theft deterrent.
Turns out all the stole cats end up in.... you guessed it, the muffler shop.
“ Hey Mike! Get me cat for that silver Prius from 3rd street, he’s here!”
Thief, Demand, Supply.... Repeat.
No. At least in California used cats can not be sold / installed on cars. No incentive. There goes your theory.
According to footage they all seem to be of African-American descent
Its always a prius!! There are other brands and models too
@@Porsche996driver and how can they prevent people from not following this??
I remember 20ish years ago it was airbags out of Mustangs. Good info sir! Many thanks.
I need to know what blade they are using. That thing is amazing
Well done. Thanks.
The hot lead from a fence zapper to the car frame gets their attention every time.. :D
Lol then you will goto jail for causing injuries to the thief and not properly signed the vehicle. There is no law requiring criminals to signed their ilicit specialty ie cat thief, rapist etc
Not a great idea. Lots of the computer modules will generate trouble codes.
I work at a dealership and we had 5 catalytic converters stolen from our customers vehicles. They tried to take one off a f250 6.7 diesel but gave up on it. They damaged it so bad we had to replace it. Cost about $7k to replace that one.
Dayum
mine was stolen today welcome to the club!!
Pretty soon thieves will go after the air valve stem cap on the tires. Etch your VIN on them just in case they get stolen.
What shall we do with the thieves?
Mine was stolen in this January. Workshop quoted me $2800. My car value is less than $3000. I ended up getting all parts from Ebay for 150 and hired a mechanic from craigslist for $300. It passed the inspection without a trouble.
Thieves on both sides.
I just got quoted $5500 with tax for my MB, which is prob value of the car. Thanks for your advice!
I live in Austin, my roomate had his cat stolen, my work truck and another company truck, the shop had at least 10 trucks in for the same thing. This is ridiculous.
IST NOT RIDICULOUS , IS THIRD WORLD COUNTRIES PEOPLE AND DECENDENTS WHO DO THIS
@@panterpanterpanter993 Are you a real person because you sound like you didn't graduate kindergarten.
IT IS CONNECTED TO THE RISING NUMBER OF ILLEGALS AT THE BORDER. THANK SLEEPY JOE. WAKE UP
YOU UNDERSTAND NOW ? OR YOU WANT MORE
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this was 2 years ago, because palladium creeped up, from 2018 to 2021, to about $2600/oz and then back down again, to $900+some, just like platinum, which doesnt have a lot of range. I have no idea where to get the price of rhodium, or how much is in one, but I bet there are a few metalliod substitutes, being that there are many. 5gr....$180 worth at best, but how do you recover all that was originally there?
Cody lab once showed that you can harvest those metals from the highways were it deposits from all of the cars on the road.
Around 2 weeks ago in California, they busted a guy's house who had $42,000 worth of catalytic converters in his home, and found another $70,000 worth in another house.
I hope he spends 20 years in prison and the story makes headlines.
@@icedcoldkilla thats not gonna happen thats a murder case there pendejo
@@ziggyc4474 People have been sentenced to 20 years for less than murder, drug charges for example.
Just release the jack if you see this happening. Call the cops. "Yeah I found him like this..."
are the car manufacturers taking notice and doing a redesign? I talked to my mechanic about my german sedan and he said I don't have to worry about this b/c my cat difficult to get to.
Wow, I remember Brian from CNET, brings me back sooo many amazing memories of my early 20s hearing his voice omg. But I can't believe he still looks the same!
He has not aged!
So random that I came across the video and saw him. He's such an awesome host!
Any recommendations for which reciprocating blades to use? The blades I've tried get dull almost immediately...
Mine was stolen off my 2004 Honda Element last week. I thought the muffler fell off then looked under the car and the converter was missing. Kind of getting use to the race car sound and feel now.
I have the same car. Mine was just stolen tonight. I’m so ticked. Why don’t the police put some bait cars out and catch these guys?
1974 to be exact. These muffler shops many are crooks, like this guy, 3000 for a converter and O2 sensor? He's insane. O2 sensors aren't necessary, mine hasn't worked in many years. You can buy a old one and have it installed for half the price
Just as a sidenote creating an under body plate for your car actually helps the aerodynamics under the car flow smoother so this is something you would kind of want to do anyway but you also need to think about cooling these parts as well
The protective plate would need to be a mesh made of material that won't cut easily but will allow heat dissipation, especially in stop-and-go traffic.
Why a Puffin?
Ima UPS driver and remember 5yrs ago when this started. A recycle co. would buy these from people no questions asked, some cats were still warm! Where there's a market, there's a thief.
🤣🤣🤣😂What does this have to do with you being a ups driver?
@@imAdolff I shoulda pointed out it was when I delivered to recycle company's I saw the problem.
Not so sure those anti theft plates or covers are going to help out with the cooling process of the exhaust system. Looks like the floor of the car will get too hot without air flow.
Thank you so much for this video!
Happened to my Gen 2 2008 Prius in London TWICE recently.
This is why I just got a catless downpipe lol
How can you pass the smog test unless you cheat the way out of it by paying the shop to cheat the smog test for your car.
@@TuanNguyen-su4yy no smog here in Wisconsin lol
@@blongsta5 Wow should have lived in Wisconsin instead.
@@blongsta5 How about the noise? No noise right?
@@tuanngnt it sounds way better 💕
I wish he had talked more about where the theft cycle ends i.e. who ultimately gets the extracted precious metals and what do they do with it.
Nice of you to show people how to remove one.
They cut off mine in less than 30 seconds. Happened around 2 am while I was asleep in 2016. Car was parked right out my bedroom window on the 2nd floor. Loud grinding noise from the saw woke me up but I couldn't see what was going on because a large tree blocked my view of the car. I also saw the getaway car pulling away from my parking spot. It's a dark color sedan. I found out the next morning when I cranked the engine.
They should set up a “Miami Vice” type operation to catch the perps!
...because Don Johnson 🤣
I live somewhere, that this part is of no requirement.
And an O2 sensor? Whats that?
A spark plug?
Excellent reporting 👏
The real problem is the justice system will just let them go on probation and then call you a racist for calling 911 when all the thug was doing was expressing himself.
imagine using words like thug then getting surprised when u get called racist
@Jesse Hansen come on, dont act stupid. that word is like the soft version of the n-word
@Jesse Hansen yes i am because that word has been used a bazillion times to refer to black and brown people. just look at 90s crime reporting in the media
@@luminarymani The word "thug" has its origins in India.
Get a life, you whiney karen.
@@luminarymani lmao