Be on the lookout for Catalytic Converter Thieves! This kind of sneaky kind of auto theft has become more common over the past year or so according to police sources. A thief can sneak under you vehicle, especially if you have a tall vehicle like a SUV or truck, cut out your converter and leave you with a $500+ repair bill!

Catalytic Converters have been around since the 1970’s and they contain expensive metals like platinum and palladium. Since precious metals have been climbing in value this makes converter theft a profitable exercise for thieves. Right now platinum is selling for over $2,000 per troy ounce. Dishonest scrapyard owners will pay about $200 for a converter, even if it shows signs of theft.

How do they do it? They slip underneath a parked vehicle, usually a truck or SUV since they’re easy to get under, and use a battery operated saw to cut the catalytic converter loose, often causing other damage along the way. It’s not like they’re being careful, you know.

What can you do to prevent the theft of your catalytic converter? If you want to go to the expense, about $300, you can have a special cage installed that will prevent a saw from cutting loose your converter. The downside of that is that a pissed off thief might just vandalize your engine to get you back. The best thing to do is to be careful where you park, making sure that the area where you leave your car or truck is secure and safe. Simple crime prevention steps will, as they say, take a bite out of crime.

Tags: Catalytic Converter, crime prevention, thieves, vandalism