How to stop cat converter theft?
Discussion
I’m not sure the cat guard plate type covers offer any real protection, as they’ll just cut the pipe work further back surely ?
The vermin are becoming increasingly brazen and aggressive with this theft and it’s a concern .
Our neighbour has a 96 Vectra and they’ve hit him twice.
We could potentially have a gate across the drive, but I’m not really convinced that would stop them.
We obvs have security lighting, plus a new LED streetlight directly outside.
Back in the day, you could buy a simple tilt switch type alarm that sounded the horn and flashed lights, but I’ve not seen that type since factory security became a thing.
Insurance won’t cover it I don’t think, and If it does , you’ll get screwed at renewal time.
I frustrates me hugely that scum get away with s
t like this these days,and I’ve no real defence.
The vermin are becoming increasingly brazen and aggressive with this theft and it’s a concern .
Our neighbour has a 96 Vectra and they’ve hit him twice.
We could potentially have a gate across the drive, but I’m not really convinced that would stop them.
We obvs have security lighting, plus a new LED streetlight directly outside.
Back in the day, you could buy a simple tilt switch type alarm that sounded the horn and flashed lights, but I’ve not seen that type since factory security became a thing.
Insurance won’t cover it I don’t think, and If it does , you’ll get screwed at renewal time.
I frustrates me hugely that scum get away with s
t like this these days,and I’ve no real defence.
Set up a hidden laser "tripwire" type thing across your gateposts. When the laser beam is broken, it sets off an alarm in your house.
When the alarm sounds in the middle of the night and you see them starting to jack up your car, either go downstairs and chase them off with a golf club, or shout at them from your bedroom window and tell them you are calling the police. Depends what level of bad-assery you aspire to.
When the alarm sounds in the middle of the night and you see them starting to jack up your car, either go downstairs and chase them off with a golf club, or shout at them from your bedroom window and tell them you are calling the police. Depends what level of bad-assery you aspire to.
Turn7 said:
I’m not sure the cat guard plate type covers offer any real protection, as they’ll just cut the pipe work further back surely ?
The vermin are becoming increasingly brazen and aggressive with this theft and it’s a concern .
Our neighbour has a 96 Vectra and they’ve hit him twice.
We could potentially have a gate across the drive, but I’m not really convinced that would stop them.
We obvs have security lighting, plus a new LED streetlight directly outside.
Back in the day, you could buy a simple tilt switch type alarm that sounded the horn and flashed lights, but I’ve not seen that type since factory security became a thing.
Insurance won’t cover it I don’t think, and If it does , you’ll get screwed at renewal time.
I frustrates me hugely that scum get away with st like this these days,and I’ve no real defence.
You are thinking of the old pendulum alarms.The vermin are becoming increasingly brazen and aggressive with this theft and it’s a concern .
Our neighbour has a 96 Vectra and they’ve hit him twice.
We could potentially have a gate across the drive, but I’m not really convinced that would stop them.
We obvs have security lighting, plus a new LED streetlight directly outside.
Back in the day, you could buy a simple tilt switch type alarm that sounded the horn and flashed lights, but I’ve not seen that type since factory security became a thing.
Insurance won’t cover it I don’t think, and If it does , you’ll get screwed at renewal time.
I frustrates me hugely that scum get away with s
t like this these days,and I’ve no real defence.Tilt switches are available, if you wanted to connect one via a switch to a secondary siren.
https://uk.rs-online.com/web/p/tilt-switches/62297...
My mate sent me a videos of when they nicked 1 off his mums car - once when he parked at a friends house on the road and the second attempt was at home in the driveway.
The second time they didn’t want it as they checked and it was an aftermarket replacement.
Team of 4 - 1 driver that waits in the car - 2 mechanics 1 to jack up car the other to cut it off - the other stood just outside the front door with a baseball bat.
The first time they took it and was gone before he realised, checked the camera and one was stood directly outside the front door with bat.
The second time parked on the drive his doorbell camera alerted.
- he was in bed not dressed, so he jumped up to the window and shouted at them, they obviously didn’t like be shouted at, so the driver broke protocol and got out with a baseball bat and smashed his rear window and rear lights on his m5 which wasn’t the targeted vehicle in the first place.
Who thought it would be so dangerous to have a Toyota parked on the drive!
The second time they didn’t want it as they checked and it was an aftermarket replacement.
Team of 4 - 1 driver that waits in the car - 2 mechanics 1 to jack up car the other to cut it off - the other stood just outside the front door with a baseball bat.
The first time they took it and was gone before he realised, checked the camera and one was stood directly outside the front door with bat.
The second time parked on the drive his doorbell camera alerted.
- he was in bed not dressed, so he jumped up to the window and shouted at them, they obviously didn’t like be shouted at, so the driver broke protocol and got out with a baseball bat and smashed his rear window and rear lights on his m5 which wasn’t the targeted vehicle in the first place.
Who thought it would be so dangerous to have a Toyota parked on the drive!
Edited by Dan-k on Wednesday 1st March 09:51
Round our way, very little was deterring them. They'd be a gang of four, one dirver, one with a trolley jack, one with an angle grinder and one was the "muscle" with baseball bat/knife etc and would usually be done in under a minute, sometimes in broad daylight. Police advice was not to approach them and call 999 as a crime in progress and they would prioritise sending someone out. I believe they caught quite a few of them.
I heard the CatLoc just buys some time (it's a bit more metal to cut through), but the CatClamp is meant to be pretty good and makes it very difficult.
Fortunately both our cars have cats that are not easily accessible.
Chris
I heard the CatLoc just buys some time (it's a bit more metal to cut through), but the CatClamp is meant to be pretty good and makes it very difficult.
Fortunately both our cars have cats that are not easily accessible.
Chris
Dan-k said:
My mate sent me a videos of when they nicked 1 off his mums car - once when he parked at a friends house on the road and the second attempt was at home in the driveway.
The second time they didn’t want it as they checked and it was an aftermarket replacement.
Team of 4 - 1 driver that waits in the car - 2 mechanics 1 to jack up car the other to cut it off - the other stood just outside the front door with a baseball bat.
The first time they took it and was gone before he realised, checked the camera and one was stood directly outside the front door with bat.
The second time parked on the drive his doorbell camera alerted.
- he was in bed not dressed, so he jumped up to the window and shouted at them, they obviously didn’t like be shouted at, so the driver broke protocol and got out with a baseball bat and smashed his rear window and rear lights on his m5 which wasn’t the targeted vehicle in the first place.
Who thought it would be so dangerous to have a Toyota parked on the drive!
This is why God invented air rifles, and black widow slingshots.The second time they didn’t want it as they checked and it was an aftermarket replacement.
Team of 4 - 1 driver that waits in the car - 2 mechanics 1 to jack up car the other to cut it off - the other stood just outside the front door with a baseball bat.
The first time they took it and was gone before he realised, checked the camera and one was stood directly outside the front door with bat.
The second time parked on the drive his doorbell camera alerted.
- he was in bed not dressed, so he jumped up to the window and shouted at them, they obviously didn’t like be shouted at, so the driver broke protocol and got out with a baseball bat and smashed his rear window and rear lights on his m5 which wasn’t the targeted vehicle in the first place.
Who thought it would be so dangerous to have a Toyota parked on the drive!
Edited by Dan-k on Wednesday 1st March 09:51
If you have a car that is desirable to thieves then the best way is to preempt them by removing the CAT and just fitting it at MOT time though it can be a faff each time.
The thieves generally target early hybrids as the CATs on newer models are located very close to the manifold therefore harder to get at, hybrids don't need a CAT to pass the MOT so if it has been already targeted then just delete it rather than fit a new one and have them come back for it.
The thieves generally target early hybrids as the CATs on newer models are located very close to the manifold therefore harder to get at, hybrids don't need a CAT to pass the MOT so if it has been already targeted then just delete it rather than fit a new one and have them come back for it.
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