Stolen Cat - What are my options?
Discussion
Why is it Toyota's fault? They designed the cars when CAT theft wasn't a thing. Toyota and Lexus CAT's are nicked for 2 reasons, they have more precious metals in them to make them less polluting, and being hybrids, the CATS are cleaner and not full of shyte, so worth more. The next generation of these cars will have the CATS placed as part of the manifold, but can't help those cars currently for sale. Toyota are already selling replacements at massively discounted rates to help customers, but there isn't much they can do against professional thieves with specialist cutting gear and no morals.
Modern cars tend to have the cats so close to the engine that they're virtually inaccessible without taking the engine out - good for light off time for the cat, plus avoids thermal shock from standing water, and added bonus of reduced theft risk. Not a universal change so plenty can still be got at with a battery angle grinder in a matter of seconds.
Cheap aftermarket cats are generally good enough to get through one MOT (maybe 2 if you've bought it as a result of an emissions MOT failure!) but there's a good reason they're generally a tenth the price of an OEM part. They also tend to be an appalling fit.
For the OP, if it's not going to get through an MOT I'd just get the exhaust sleeved or a universal silencer fitted if it'll fit in the space. Depends if there was a lambda probe chopped out too?
Cheap aftermarket cats are generally good enough to get through one MOT (maybe 2 if you've bought it as a result of an emissions MOT failure!) but there's a good reason they're generally a tenth the price of an OEM part. They also tend to be an appalling fit.
For the OP, if it's not going to get through an MOT I'd just get the exhaust sleeved or a universal silencer fitted if it'll fit in the space. Depends if there was a lambda probe chopped out too?
Parents new Lexus NX got done last week, to make things worse they scratched a number two in the bonnet. Lexus recovered it and said they'll fit a cat lock - someone phoned today from the dealer fitting the new cat to say they don't actually do one to fit the NX. It's only done a few thousand miles and will probably now change for something electric.
Stu78 said:
Parents new Lexus NX got done last week, to make things worse they scratched a number two in the bonnet. Lexus recovered it and said they'll fit a cat lock - someone phoned today from the dealer fitting the new cat to say they don't actually do one to fit the NX. It's only done a few thousand miles and will probably now change for something electric.
Hybrids don't need a CAT to pass the MOT so may as well get a straight pipe welded in its place.It won't be long before scum realise how much money can be made from breaking electric cars for the batteries that dodgy recyclers will take no questions asked.
A friend of mine works at a big Toyota dealer and a couple of years ago the forecourt got hit and they stole something like 30 cats. They mostly did Hilux models as apparently they are the easiest to steal the cats from.
Caused about £50k worth of damage in one night.
Now they spend over an hour every day pulling all the Hilux trucks and a few other models into the workshop for the night and getting them all back out again in the morning.
It’s a massive pain in the arse.
Caused about £50k worth of damage in one night.
Now they spend over an hour every day pulling all the Hilux trucks and a few other models into the workshop for the night and getting them all back out again in the morning.
It’s a massive pain in the arse.
untakenname said:
It won't be long before scum realise how much money can be made from breaking electric cars for the batteries that dodgy recyclers will take no questions asked.
Not so sure about that one. Hybrid/EV system batteries are very well integrated into the cars design and require some serious mechanical work to release them. The issue with Cats is that you literally crawl under, the exhaust is totally unprotected and exposed, battery grinder, quick whizz, done.
Newer cars tend to have at least one of their cats as a "mani-cat" right up straight off the cylinder head, so less easy to get to.
90s/00s Japanese cars seem to be the main target, eg MK2 MX5s a focus too currently.
untakenname said:
Stu78 said:
Parents new Lexus NX got done last week, to make things worse they scratched a number two in the bonnet. Lexus recovered it and said they'll fit a cat lock - someone phoned today from the dealer fitting the new cat to say they don't actually do one to fit the NX. It's only done a few thousand miles and will probably now change for something electric.
Hybrids don't need a CAT to pass the MOT so may as well get a straight pipe welded in its place.nsa said:
It's also strange that the government can impose draconian lockdown measures almost overnight, but they can't implement legislation to hobble the cat theft problem.
In their minds, they already have (all the restrictions on scrap metal dealers) but the issue is those acting as middle men to buy up stolen ones, then acting as legit suppliers into the scrap metal trade - virtually impossible to prove the items are stolen, unless some serious police time involved to investigate thoroughly (which takes time and resource they don't have)Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff