Is stealing catalytic converters a thing?

[Drive it fix it repeat]

Clio 172 cats are in huge demand at the moment, lots of precious metal in them I'm told. Several breakers offering £500 per cat posted to them, genuine money received aswell. Just pricing up a decat pipe for my 172 and checking with a friendly MOT tester that it will still pass and then it's coming off. £150 for the decat = £350 profit minus the postage for my cat.

[Reciprocating mass]

Palladium is the metal currently at crazy prices
Perhaps that’s behind the sudden harvesting of peoples cats again

[Mr Tidy]

Someone posted on a local website that they parked their Lexus in Camberley today and came back after an hour and a half to find their cat had been cut off, so it definitely is still happening.

[JeremyBearimy]

Yes the police have issued warnings around my area as they are just driving round supermarket car parks doing it. It is the usual Lexus, jazz, prius that are the main targets.

[anonymous-user]

https://www.swindonadvertiser.co.uk/news/18197902....

Squished!

[GhostWKD]

Meanwhile I got told £20-25 per cat at the very most by the local scrap metal place - without even looking at them as after that I didn't bother going to fetch them from the car (Spare ones from my Noble, no idea what they're worth as imagine they are probably closer to the third party ones than oem type)

Drive it fix it repeat said:

Clio 172 cats are in huge demand at the moment, lots of precious metal in them I'm told. Several breakers offering £500 per cat posted to them, genuine money received aswell.

Have seen that, keep thinking of selling the one off my clio and buying a milltek (or similar) sports cat to fit and pocket the extra £150-200 odd. It's my station wagon so can't be bothered faffing with decats

Edited by GhostWKD on Monday 3rd February 16:18

[nsa]

I was curious how much these are worth to thieves. Assuming they get 25% of the end value, anywhere from £25 to £100 at current price of £1,600 per ounce (28g). This was never more than £100 to the thief even when palladium was £2,200 an ounce.

Total value of palladium in a catalytic converter:



Price of palladium in £:

[Jamescrs]

A guy I work with has a really old and battered Prius, I mean I wouldn't give him a grand for the full car, he had his cat nicked off the car outside his house, he went to Toyota who quoted him circa £500 for a new cat, he claimed on insurance hoping they would write the car off but they authorised the repair by the dealer and the thing is still going.

[SAB888]

Today: There are still scumbags out there.

Coronavirus: Doctor's car fixed for free after parts stolen

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-52402109

[A1VDY]

They're getting quicker at it as well, many are being stolen whilst sat at red lights. So quick in fact many drivers only noticing more noise and eml light on as they pull away...

[Chris32345]

A1VDY said:

They're getting quicker at it as well, many are being stolen whilst sat at red lights. So quick in fact many drivers only noticing more noise and eml light on as they pull away...

That just be from a 4x4 or van no way they get under a car with lifting it or the driver knowing

[Evolved]

A1VDY said:

They're getting quicker at it as well, many are being stolen whilst sat at red lights. So quick in fact many drivers only noticing more noise and eml light on as they pull away...

No way, that can’t be a thing

[CourtAgain]

Evolved said:

A1VDY said:

They're getting quicker at it as well, many are being stolen whilst sat at red lights. So quick in fact many drivers only noticing more noise and eml light on as they pull away...

No way, that can’t be a thing

Not at red lights, but usually car parks.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=KGctBq4bwOQ

Ingredients: 3 men, 1 Zafira getaway car, angle grinder, large car jack, 12 year old Prius.

[untakenname]

Would have to be very brave go under a car at the traffic lights due to the driver being able to drive away and cause injury but it is feasibly possible as it was less than a minute from getting the jack under to having the CAT in that video.

I doubt electric cars will ever have modular swap-able batteries for the same reason.

[Centurion07]

A1VDY said:

They're getting quicker at it as well, many are being stolen whilst sat at red lights. So quick in fact many drivers only noticing more noise and eml light on as they pull away...

I can't believe people have actually fallen for this...

[Hoofy]

I'd want to see proof of that. If you can't tell someone's grinding away at the exhaust pipe under the vehicle you're sat in, then you deserve to have your cat stolen!

[Krikkit]

CourtAgain said:

Not at red lights, but usually car parks.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=KGctBq4bwOQ

Ingredients: 3 men, 1 Zafira getaway car, angle grinder, large car jack, 12 year old Prius.

90 seconds start to finish, without rushing. Impressively easy!

If I had that gen of Prius I'd just decat it for now.

[Centurion07]

Hoofy said:

I'd want to see proof of that. If you can't tell someone's grinding away at the exhaust pipe under the vehicle you're sat in, then you deserve to have your cat stolen!

I was talking about the people in here asking if it's true.

[Hoofy]

Centurion07 said:

Hoofy said:

I'd want to see proof of that. If you can't tell someone's grinding away at the exhaust pipe under the vehicle you're sat in, then you deserve to have your cat stolen!

I was talking about the people in here asking if it's true.

[untakenname]

Some arrests made last night, good to see the police aren't treating it as a victimless crime anymore.

https://twitter.com/MPSLewisham/status/12945663338...