Catalytic converter - how do I know if my car has one?!

clive0510

maybe the title of this thread should be 'how do I know if my car HAD one', rather than 'has one'.

dipsomaniac

Lulu58 said:

Hi all, like most areas these days, catalytic converter theft has gone through the roof. I think the car makes a real row if the cat is cut out, but how do I know if either me or my husband's car has one in the first place?

more like through the floor;-).  need to keep in context.  out of 40 million cars in uk <3000 cats were stolen in 2019 according to bbc = 1 in 13,333 chance of having yours stolen

Scrapit

Even worse, I've heard some people steal the whole car!

facade

AdrianC said:

Lovely, an' all... I buy a used car, with no paperwork apart from the V5C. Where is that cat serial number recorded?

What if the cat was an ebay special (brand new) replaced by a previous owner's mate as a favour?

Are DVLA recording them? They don't. What other components would you like to be traceable? Engine number's on the V5C, obvs, but...?

My point is that it means when the Police raid a scrap yard, they can actually nick* them because the cats have serials that they can match to a database of stolen ones easily, and likely they won't have "put through the books"

It doesn't matter if you don't know the serial on your cat, someone will know theirs and it only takes one........

*Apparently, having a yard full of manhole covers, brand new railway line, and cable marked "Network Rail" isn't enough as they were all bought in innocence, "hidden in a load".

Round here they are stealing them in the street in daylight. People video them doing it and the Police can't catch them.

mattyprice4004

facade said:

Lulu58 said:

Why is it such a 'thing' to steal them these days? I constantly see comments about thefts etc on social media.

They are worth anything between £10 and £100 as scrap, and some people are prepared to work very hard, and risk being told they are naughty if they actually get caught for a few pounds.

The real problem is that scrap dealers are more than happy to accept them and get away with pretending that they had no idea that "Dodgy Dave" with a sackful of virtually new catalysts was anything but a licensed metal recycler.

They really ought to have a serial number that has to be recorded when sold to a scrap dealer.

£10 and £100? Try £600+ for some as scrap! Not exotic cars either, the Honda Civic and Jazz seem to have some of the highest values.
£100 is relatively low value for a cat, most thieves wouldn't bother.

AdrianC

mattyprice4004 said:

facade said:

Lulu58 said:

Why is it such a 'thing' to steal them these days? I constantly see comments about thefts etc on social media.

They are worth anything between £10 and £100 as scrap, and some people are prepared to work very hard, and risk being told they are naughty if they actually get caught for a few pounds.

The real problem is that scrap dealers are more than happy to accept them and get away with pretending that they had no idea that "Dodgy Dave" with a sackful of virtually new catalysts was anything but a licensed metal recycler.

They really ought to have a serial number that has to be recorded when sold to a scrap dealer.

£10 and £100? Try £600+ for some as scrap! Not exotic cars either, the Honda Civic and Jazz seem to have some of the highest values.
£100 is relatively low value for a cat, most thieves wouldn't bother.

https://www.cats2u.co.uk/997-honda#/type-catalytic_converter

Grumpy_chap

AdrianC said:

mattyprice4004 said:

facade said:

Lulu58 said:

Why is it such a 'thing' to steal them these days? I constantly see comments about thefts etc on social media.

They are worth anything between £10 and £100 as scrap, and some people are prepared to work very hard, and risk being told they are naughty if they actually get caught for a few pounds.

The real problem is that scrap dealers are more than happy to accept them and get away with pretending that they had no idea that "Dodgy Dave" with a sackful of virtually new catalysts was anything but a licensed metal recycler.

They really ought to have a serial number that has to be recorded when sold to a scrap dealer.

£10 and £100? Try £600+ for some as scrap! Not exotic cars either, the Honda Civic and Jazz seem to have some of the highest values.
£100 is relatively low value for a cat, most thieves wouldn't bother.

https://www.cats2u.co.uk/997-honda#/type-catalytic_converter

That's an interesting link.  Near us, the cat's are stolen from the Toyota Prius and Police report this is a £6k repair so the cars are a write-off.  Yet, the supply of the cat is a £400 part according to that link.  We are also advised by the Police not to attempt to intervene or video if we see a cat theft in progress because the gangs are armed and willing to maim or kill.

Something seems not right if the scrap value is so low.

facade

Grumpy_chap said:

We are also advised by the Police not to attempt to intervene or video if we see a cat theft in progress because the gangs are armed and willing to maim or kill.

Something seems not right if the scrap value is so low.

Same round here, there are 2 cars full, and 6 big men get out, jack up the car and remove the cat, and are away before the neighbours can organise a bigger gang to tackle them.

I suppose part of the blame lies with people buying Audis and BMWs that are so easy to steal as transport

You won't believe how hard people will work at illegal activities for a few pounds- even less split 8 ways, a paper round would pay more and be less work, but I suppose there is the thrill of never being caught and the warm tingly feeling inside knowing that they have helped spread a little bit of misery.

facade

Grumpy_chap said:

Yet, the supply of the cat is a £400 part according to that link.

The cheap ones only last about 12 months before they split, and that £400 doesn't include the new exhaust sensor, the repair to the wiring loom, and the work needed to weld two stub pipes on with flanges to fit, or new exhaust pipes each side of the catalyst.

Ebe_Scrooge

A few months ago I sold a car to a (legit, properly registered) scrap dealer.  They came to collect it as it was completely immobile, and gave me a reasonable price for it.  When the guy came in his transporter, the first thing he did was check that the cat was still there and said "Good, that's the gravy" (his exact words).  Implying that the cat was probably the most valuable part of the car to them, given the rest of it was completely knackered?