So I was inspecting my muffler leak and found a strange nick on the inlet piping of the muffler. I thought maybe the previous installer was doing a crappy job..then I realized it was likely someone trying to steal my catalytic converter! For whatever reason, they cut about 1/4 of the pipe diameter then must have given up. Lucky for me I need to replace the entire muffler anyways. I did some more reading and discovered our trucks are prime targets for cat thieves.

Has anyone done any cheap DIY anti theft measures to protect your cat? I'm thinking maybe I'll spraypaint mine bright red with high temp paint. Not sure if that will hold. Would love to hear your ideas!

I take it you rig sits outside?

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Buy a decoy vehicle with a blown engine or something for $500, gut the cat and fill it with black powder, the tweaker will be in for a surprise when his grinder cuts through the pipe

Just kidding, would be funny though, I replaced my rotted cat with a cheap eBay one that eventually clogged so I gutted it and made an o2 simulator, anyone trying to steal mine will be very disappointed

The reason why our trucks are targeted is because they are high off the ground, even at stock height, so it's easy for the thieves to get underneath them with a cordless reciprocating saw or angle grinder and cut them out. At first I thought they were just stealing it because they needed one for their own rig, but then I heard recyclers pay decent money for them due to the precious metals inside. So any truck or SUV is a potential target. I wonder if these recyclers investigate or flag a person who comes back over and over again to recycle them. Like, do they ask them for a business card for their automotive or muffler shop to prove they are acquiring them through legal means. Or, maybe these recycling places don't give a shit. It's crazy the damage these a-holes do to people's vehicles just for the $50 recycling earnings they get. I've heard in some cases they can make up to $250 for some types of catalytic converters.

This article specifically mentions Toyota SUVs and trucks of our era because the catalytic converter is very easy to get to. Catalytic Converters: Why Thieves Steal Them | Newark, CA Patch

I think the best prevention if you can't park inside a garage is full aftermarket skids because it makes the catalytic converter a little harder to access to cut out.

Thanks for your thoughts. I bet these thieves have a list of vehicles with easily accessible cats and our 4Runners are the top of the list. A thief that knows about how easily ours are to steal surely is no dummy, so maybe the reason why they gave up on mine is because they had a lookout. My 4R is outside 100% of the time and I do visit some sketchy areas in town once in a while. I have an alarm with a vibration sensor which can be adjusted but making it sensitive enough to deter a cat thief will likely cause alot of false alarms as well.

Custom skidplate is way too expensive VHT Flameproof paint is rated to 1200F and has very specific instructions on how to properly apply. I'm thinking painting my cat orange/red could be a good deterrent. Would be curious if anyone has used it for this application and if it lasts.

P.S you should add a muffler replacement video to your channel!

Here in Canada, anything other than running away from thieves or telling them in a firm voice to "PLEASE STOP" will get you 30 years in prison!

Weld razor blades and other sharp objects to it? LOL
I knew someone who actually glued razors and crap to his car's pricey foglights

Not only that, if they need help getting it out you are required to lend a hand. Must be nice to the criminals.

I always figured you just had to write “sorry” on each one of your bullets

I guess you're saying Canada is VERY LIBERAL on the side of crime and punishment. We're not there yet in the US but it seems to be getting worse and worse especially for those cities under Democrat control. San Francisco use to be is nice town to visit. Now with all the homeless setting up camp wherever they want, shitting all over the place and leaving their trash and used needles everywhere, it has literally become quite the shit hole.

My intention was not to take this into a political debate. I just couldn't resist commenting about how ridiculous things have become in society where criminals can often times have more rights than the people who are victims of their crimes.

The cheapest way is to weld rebar on the cats. Thieves usually use pipe cutters to steal them and not make noise in the process. Here in my area they’ve been stealing them from Prius vehicles they are worth more.

Many years ago, I started my 2001 at work to go to lunch, and the tremendous noise told me my exhaust had been removed. You could see where they dragged it through the grass to a waiting vehicle, though they had (interestingly) parked out of the view of cameras. Looking beneath, it was obvious that a reciprocating saw had been used. This was broad daylight in a business' parking lot between 10am and noon. My insurance covered the theft, which was $1600 at a Toyota dealership.

A co-worker at another location said this happened where he worked. Security cameras showed a van slowly pulling into the lot, and at a certain spot, the side door slid open and someone rolled out. The van did a slow loop through the lot, came up an adjacent aisle, and the person re-entered the van with the exhaust. The camera showed the entire process took between 30-45 seconds. Again in broad daylight in a business' parking lot.

I'm guessing your guy ran into trouble, or someone came by and scared him away. As for preventive measures, effective ones would be a pain in the butt, I think. Mine happened 12-13 years ago and a second attempt was never made, partly because local scrap yards became very wary of buying the cats. So in my case, preventive measures would have ended up being a waste of time and money. Maybe your local yards still buy them.

Side note: the factory replacement exhaust had a lifetime warranty, and I got it replaced again just a couple years ago. My Runner rusted beyond repair, and still had a year-old exhaust when I had to get rid of it last year :-(

My Tetanus 1 had its cat stolen in the PO driveway when the price of scrap was high. I mostly park in garages. Also not a lot around anymore in my area.

1]I would just build and 1/8 plate that bolts to the frame and the crossmember. If it's not easy to remove they will skip it.

2]Put an 4 channel NVR and surveillance your ride. That way you can give that to the police.

Canada really screwed up. However, we have too many idoits in the US thinking they know how to write laws too.



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I haven't eyeballed my rig to estimate the possibility, but it seems that a substantial skid plate protecting the entire accessible length of the pre- and post-cat exhaust pipe would be a serious impediment to swiping the cat. And, it would have to be attached with many, preferably unusual-design, fasteners that would discourage the morons from thinking that they can quickly unscrew a few bolts to get to the pipe. Could be issues of heat dissipation also.

Also the same in Hawaii. You have no rights to your own property.
Don't know if painting the cat would stop a scum bag from collecting a $50 pay day.
The scrap yard may reject the painted cat...but still...you'll have to deal with a missing cat.
Having a enclosed garage seems to be the best deterrent for the lucky one who can have one.