Cats being stolen

[Crispin]

I got an email from Simon yesterday telling me about a client who had a Hilux which was running a bit rough. When they got it on the ramp, the cat was missing.

The guy duly reported it to the police who said it's happening a fair amount lately (again...). This guy's 'lux was parked on his drive when it happened.

Easy targets seem to be vehicles where they can easily crawl under. The remaining pipe had been pinched close as if it was cut with a hydraulic snips or large bolt cutters.

Can you electrify your exhaust pipe

 

[Roger Fairclough]

After numerous attempts by the local arse wipes to steal my car, I asked the local fuzz if I could wire it up to the mains.

"Sorry sir", was the reply, "we would classify that as a serious assault or possibly even man slaughter".

You just can't win.

Roger

 

[Scott]

Same thing happened to a neighbours Ford Ranger about 3 months ago. The vehicle was parked on the street at the time, it looked like they used a battery power angle grinder to chop it out. A replacment cat from Ford was approximately £1000, the non genuine cat that was fitted cost between £300 & £400.

This has also happened to the editor of 4x4 Magazines HiLux. I believe there may be some products out there to try and prevent this, but I also think that if you have proper metal underbody protection, when the thieves roll under there and see that they can't access the cat, they are likely to move on, as the longer they spend under there the more chance of them being caught.

My neighbours Ranger is kept behind locked gates now, with the vehicle blocking the gates as well. My 4x4's don't have cats, fortunately.

 

[Crushers]

rough neighborhood ...

 

[fridayman]

After numerous attempts by the local arse wipes to steal my car, I asked the local fuzz if I could wire it up to the mains.

"Sorry sir", was the reply, "we would classify that as a serious assault or possibly even man slaughter".

You just can't win.

Roger

What if you were just trying to charge the battery and didn't know it isn't through the exhaust...?

 

[Crispin]

After numerous attempts by the local arse wipes to steal my car, I asked the local fuzz if I could wire it up to the mains.

"Sorry sir", was the reply, "we would classify that as a serious assault or possibly even man slaughter".

You just can't win.

Roger

Simple solution:
Add a current sense to the contraption. 1 second after the current starts flowing, a spring loaded spool winds your extension lead back in leaving a dead knob under the car and no trace. "must have been a heart attack brought on by anxiety"

 

[sae70]

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Ford-Rang...arts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM&hash=item35bee40898

 

[Roger Fairclough]

I wonder if you could sue those companies for aiding and abetting criminals.

Roger

 

[Crispin]

I wonder if you could sue those companies for aiding and abetting criminals.

Roger

The same way you can sue Smith and Western for killing people? Them tools are used (I guess) in the trade. Whatever trade that might be...

 

[hairyguy4]

i work for the royal mail in there garages in london and we've had around 20 stolen over the course of this year, they have been using the pipe cutters as there isn't room for a grinder so ive been welding a strip of metal on the exhaust from the flange to the cat then lighty welding up 2 of the bolts on the flange to the turbo and so far we haven't had a single one stolen since, would be a different matter if they could get a grinder in there though, one of the parcel force garages had over 30 cats stolen off of mercedes sprinters over the course of the last 3 day weekend!

 

[sae70]

Chap I know runs an under floor heating company and he had the CAT's nicked from off of both of his 6month old Merc Vitos in the same night! They cost £1200 each to put right!!!

 

[Crispin]

Surely its theft from motor vehicle which should be covered?

 

[sae70]

Yes, yes insurance paid up, but he still had to pay the excess and hire two vans for a week while the dealer got the parts in and then fitted them. From what I can remember they had the CAT's and the pipe back from them but not the pipe forward of the CAT's!!!

 

[Crispin]

I like the idea of the RM vans. You could weld a length of rebar along the pile. Not going to stop them if they really want it but will probably stop most of them as they might not have cutters strong enough.

 

[x_shaun]

i work for a fiat and hyundai main dealer an over the road is motorhome dealer. family travel centre they have had it happen twice this year where they have got over the 10ft fence and cut 6 or more of the fiat motorhomes but they dont just cut the cat of they cut part of the exhaust system behind the cat which is easyer to get on so it cost them even more.
there last bill was over 6 grand just in parts.

 

[sae70]

UK’s NUMBER 1 CATALYTIC CONVERTER ANTI THEFT DEVICE http://catalyticconvertertheft.com/

 

[J66P]

we have just had 8 brand new Isuzu Trucks have the cats go missing, just short of 20k we are looking at to repair them

I run 18 Sprinters and we were having a cat go about every month, we have now had cat guards fitted and none have gone since, the Sprinters are a piece of cake, one clip and its off

 

[TonyP]

So where do all these cat's end up? Are the sold on, or do they have value in they metal...

 

[J66P]

very high value scrap, basically they go to corrupt scrap dealers

 

[J66P]

an example of value http://catsman.co.uk/scrap-catalytic-converters-prices