It took three months of back-and-forth before I could get it fixed and driveable again.
AND, all catalytic converter thieves should be shot on sight.
We have the same problem where we live. All they need is a battery powered grinder with a cutting wheel and a vehicle they can crawl under easily. It typically takes them less than a minute and most people nearby have no idea what they are up to.
Unfortunately, the thieves will shoot back:
The solution is to spot and shoot the lookout first, then the thief.
Just fill the gap in pipe with a glass pack. $20 bucks and good as new.
Some areas have free “etching” of cats. I etched mine with license number and sprayed with heat proof paint. Thieves crawl under and see that and it is a no go. Assuming they have any smarts.
Not sure why this is the case unless the car is very old or low valued. Is the replacement catalytic converter more than half the car value?
Denver is a dump.
Question: If the insurance co. declares it totaled, wouldn’t they pay out so the driver could get another car?
PITA, of course, but it isn’t as if one would be stranded forever at home.
Concur.
Bastards stole mine; $1,500 to replace on my truck.
what a strange designation. Also seems improbable.
I had to replace one on a high-mileage vehicle, it was a couple of years ago but cost less than $300 with installation. The shop just welded it in place.
But that’s where shops differ. To do it back to OEM state, it means replacing exhaust pipes. And the OEM cat will be triple the aftermarket converter.
One shop I went to refused to put in an aftermarket, saying it wouldn’t pass. They were wrong.
Will a cheaper converter last as long as OEM? Probably not, but unless you’re burning a lot of oil and it clogs, it should go for five years or more.
Straight Pipes.....
Watched this chase live (from a “citizen journalist”, not MSM) last week.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z7261FvGG0c
This was Cal. but I guess in states like N.Y., with their OEM regulations/inspection, the cost to replace cats. often exceed the vehicles worth.
I have this problem right now. It’s a battle dealing with this whole process . Probably going to have to take it to arbitration
Direct pipe it.
Don’t you know that somewhere some EV owners are smuggly smirking; “Stealing catalytic converters? Not my problem.”
Some mentioned buying used CATs on eBay...Is this where the stolen ones are being marketed?
And agreed on the punishment for converter thieves, except they should be tortured to death. Likewise for anyone who buys a converter that isn't attached to a car. Supply and demand, ya know.
if the market value of your car is $500 bucks and the cost to repair it is $1000, they declare it a total loss.
THIS HAS BEEN STANDARD PRACTICE FOR DECADES.
Why is this even a story?
The scrapyards are partners in this crime.
Who are the scrap yard owners paying cash for them? I have to present ID just to take some old steel fence scrap to the scrap yard. And yeah. Shoot the bastards. If only we were allowed to defend our property. Who cares if their momma is on the TV saying “he was a good boy” and the democrats say “he didn’t deserve to lose his life for a catalytic converter.”