Catalytic converter theft - lessons learned

Thank you sir. I honestly don't mind immigrants. The ones that contribute, the ones that do the work no one else wants to do, yardwork, road construction when its 110degrees out etc. Hell overseas we were immigrants essentially you know. =X
 
No worries man. :) I'm the same way; I could care less what color one is; character, hard work, etc. is what matters. :)

And as the saying goes, please don't call me sir - I work (and used to work) for a living. LOL I'm only 35, and got out (and will get back in) as an E-5 (SGT).

(Yes, an E-5 at 17 years...it's a LOOONG story, and not at all related to my aptitude or intelligence. lol)
 
MattDyer94 said:
The '97 Limited I just bought had the cat stolen off of it like a month before
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Are you in California? I read somewhere that California passed a law back in 09 or 10 that makes it tougher for people to sale cat convertors to junkyards, etc. Most of the stories about cat thefts in California that I googled were mostly before 09. With that said, I'm sure there still shady places that still buy them.
 
Yes

Bigmikelakers said:
Are you in California? I read somewhere that California passed a law back in 09 or 10 that makes it tougher for people to sale cat convertors to junkyards, etc. Most of the stories about cat thefts in California that I googled were mostly before 09. With that said, I'm sure there still shady places that still buy them.
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remembering what was once explained to me: the seller receives a voucher that can only be redeemed at a bank and they have to show ID to redeem said voucher. Then again, laws are made to be broken.
 
My sis-in-law had her cat stolen off her '00 4Runner a few wks ago. Her 4Runner was parked at her work and the 2 theives stole it in broad daylight around 1pm. Cops caught the 2 guys the very next day...story was even on the local news. Apparently these 2 were going all over town targeting just 4Runners (reasons as mentioned earlier). A local university was hit hard too. Glad the 2 jokers were caught, just wished they were caught one day sooner...

I've thought about having some sort of plate welded or bolted up to the frame just under the cat to cover the entire thing...something similar to a budbuilt skid plate. But there again, if a thief wants something bad enough, they're going to get it...it just might take them longer to do so. As the old saying goes, "locks were made for honest people". A lock doesn't stop a thief.
 
Rock Slide said:
My sis-in-law had her cat stolen off her '00 4Runner a few wks ago. Her 4Runner was parked at her work and the 2 theives stole it in broad daylight around 1pm. Cops caught the 2 guys the very next day...story was even on the local news. Apparently these 2 were going all over town targeting just 4Runners (reasons as mentioned earlier). A local university was hit hard too. Glad the 2 jokers were caught, just wished they were caught one day sooner...

I've thought about having some sort of plate welded or bolted up to the frame just under the cat to cover the entire thing...something similar to a budbuilt skid plate. But there again, if a thief wants something bad enough, they're going to get it...it just might take them longer to do so. As the old saying goes, "locks were made for honest people". A lock doesn't stop a thief.
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I bought a brand new Cat Clamp for a song off Craigslist, but haven't put it on yet. It's a bunch of loose cables in place all the way around the Cat. Will be hard for them to saw through cables that MOVE, unlike the solid tailpipes.

Nothing will make it impossible for them to steal it, the idea is to make yours take much longer than an unprotected Cat. So instead of stealing yours, they see how much longer than normal it will take him and move on to the next one instead. There are SO many 2nd and 3rd Gen Runners here.

The cost to replace in CALIFORNIA is CRAZY and I only carry liability insurance to save $$$. I have a garage now, so I sleep much better at night. I was really worried about it for the year I parked it out on the street at night. I know bad areas are of course worse to park it in, but there's SO many stories online about them being stolen at lunchtime in front of stores and hospitals even! Serious jerks!
 
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Bigmikelakers said:
Are you in California? I read somewhere that California passed a law back in 09 or 10 that makes it tougher for people to sale cat convertors to junkyards, etc. Most of the stories about cat thefts in California that I googled were mostly before 09. With that said, I'm sure there still shady places that still buy them.
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I'm actually in Tennessee but yeah, still some shady places probably.
 
Jeffkin said:
I bought a brand new Cat Clamp for a song off Craigslist, but haven't put it on yet. It's a bunch of loose cables in place all the way around the Cat. Will be hard for them to saw through cables that MOVE, unlike the solid tailpipes.

Nothing will make it impossible for them to steal it, the idea is to make yours take much longer than an unprotected Cat. So instead of stealing yours, they see how much longer than normal it will take him and move on to the next one instead. There are SO many 2nd and 3rd Gen Runners here.

The cost to replace in CALIFORNIA is CRAZY and I only carry liability insurance to save $$$. I have a garage now, so I sleep much better at night. I was really worried about it for the year I parked it out on the street at night. I know bad areas are of course worse to park it in, but there's SO many stories online about them being stolen at lunchtime in front of stores and hospitals even! Serious jerks!
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Nothing against the cat clamp, but a buddy of mine had one on his '99 4Runner and the theives still stole his cat. The theives just cut the exhaust pipe further back away from cables on either side. We went into Lowe's to pick up some tools, 30mins later we came back out, hopped in his 4Runner, as soon as he started it up, we knew what happened. Theives used a sawzaw with ease. Both cat and cat clamp were gone...

I feel the cat clamp is a decent deterant, but after what I've seen first hand, I'll pass on one.

I've been very fortunate to have neither of my 2 cats stolen off my '02 4Runner. A few months ago, the dealer quoted me $2,200.00 if I ever had to have both cats replaced. I have full coverage on both my '02 4Runner and my wife's '04 Sequoia. I even have each of our deductibles set at $250.00...and we only pay $110.00 a month total. I def don't want it to ever happen, but I'm prepared if it does.
 
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Catalytic Converter Thefts on Rise Again (DFW)
By Ellen Goldberg
Thursday, Jan 3, 2013
Updated 10:19 PM CST

The city of Dallas is seeing a spike in catalytic converter thefts.

Two were reported Wednesday within blocks of one another near Oak Lawn and Maple avenues.

"These people are good at this," Christopher Nichols said.

His son's catalytic converter was stolen in broad daylight outside the U.S. Post Office on Oak Lawn Avenue.

Nichols said his son was only inside the post office for about 15 minutes to mail a package.
 
I wish someone would steal my cats. I have full coverage, never filed a claim in the almost 20 years I've been driving. My truck has P0420 code after new front and rear O2 sensors. I'd love to have the insurance company replace the two cats on my truck instead of me.
 
Where r u parked ? :spy:

PitbullRescuer said:
I wish someone would steal my cats. I have full coverage, never filed a claim in the almost 20 years I've been driving. My truck has P0420 code after new front and rear O2 sensors. I'd love to have the insurance company replace the two cats on my truck instead of me.
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