Catalytic converter stolen

[kluza2786]

Originally Posted by curver900

they won't be... there aren't enough rare earth element resources to accommodate the demand.. or they will but it will cost you 300k for a batt car... that goes 300 miles per charge... you think oil is "a limited" resource... go take a look at the rare earth elements... called rare because they are and very finite...

You might want to take a look at Lordstown Motors - pretty nice looking electric pickup for sale right now to commercial fleets. The range is 250 miles - probably enough for the current target audience - price VERY competitive with a Ford F150 when looking at total life-cycle costs. Towing capacity is about 7500# as I recall. When they get the range up to 450 miles before a recharge, I think there will be a lot of demand. Just one opinion.

[Camper_bob]

Originally Posted by kluza2786

Maybe we need law enforcement to treat the junk yards/recyclers/purchasers of the stolen catalytic converters the same way pawn shops and gun shops are treated - i.e. require a photo i.d. from the "seller", require a photo be taken of the transaction, log of units purchased with details. I normally am against making more new laws vs. enforcing the ones that we already have, but the people purchasing these "cut-outs" HAVE to know something's not right. In my opinion, some of them are enabling this activity to occur by turning a "blind eye" and purchasing obviously stolen merchandise.

I absolutely agree. If someone is recycling more than one cat per year, they are likely an exhaust shop or a thief. When paying someone for a cat to be recycled, the recycler should be required to report that. There should be a log of the transaction that is auditable. The recycler should be required to pay via some kind of secure and trackable means, like a card or an electronic account (NO CASH). Cats should be serialized. If there's no intact serial number, there's no exchange. If anyone is found in possession of un-serialized or non-recorded cats, they should be immediately assessed an exorbitant fine.

I bet it wouldn't take very many raids on recyclers and the issuance of some STIFF fines for all of them to stop buying stolen cats.

These aren't $50 car stereos we're talking about. To purchase a replacement cat from Ford for an E-450 is almost $1,000 before installation or replacement of the O2 sensor. We'll never be able to stop theft, but if we could dry up the market, or make SOME effort to stop this, it would be helpful. As it is now, no one seems to have any interest in curbing this VERY expensive problem.

[bluztoo]

My daughter has her cat sawed off her week-old Mitsubishi SUV. She was at work in a nice part of Minneapolis, very open and visible. Apparently St. Paul had restricted or stopped selling of cats but Mpls. did not. We need to get smart about this and all work together. I’m guessing like other things, the pandemic has made this more prevalent.

[Bill Johnson]

Originally Posted by bluztoo

My daughter has her cat sawed off her week-old Mitsubishi SUV. She was at work in a nice part of Minneapolis, very open and visible. Apparently St. Paul had restricted or stopped selling of cats but Mpls. did not. We need to get smart about this and all work together. I’m guessing like other things, the pandemic has made this more prevalent.

They need to make junkyards take photos of everyone thay brings in a converter and a copy of their driver's license. If they come in with 6 converters show proof that they own 6 motorhomes. They should video all transactions for review

[deepsea5]

Originally Posted by Camper_bob

I absolutely agree. If someone is recycling more than one cat per year, they are likely an exhaust shop or a thief. When paying someone for a cat to be recycled, the recycler should be required to report that. There should be a log of the transaction that is auditable. The recycler should be required to pay via some kind of secure and trackable means, like a card or an electronic account (NO CASH). Cats should be serialized. If there's no intact serial number, there's no exchange. If anyone is found in possession of un-serialized or non-recorded cats, they should be immediately assessed an exorbitant fine.

I bet it wouldn't take very many raids on recyclers and the issuance of some STIFF fines for all of them to stop buying stolen cats.

These aren't $50 car stereos we're talking about. To purchase a replacement cat from Ford for an E-450 is almost $1,000 before installation or replacement of the O2 sensor. We'll never be able to stop theft, but if we could dry up the market, or make SOME effort to stop this, it would be helpful. As it is now, no one seems to have any interest in curbing this VERY expensive problem.

Maybe also add a civil asset forfeiture provision to the above mentioned penalties. I suspect a scrap yard, or even a "professional" converter thief, would think twice about lifting or buying a stolen converter if their property ownership was at risk.

[Bill Johnson]

Originally Posted by deepsea5

Maybe also add a civil asset forfeiture provision to the above mentioned penalties. I suspect a scrap yard, or even a "professional" converter thief, would think twice about lifting or buying a stolen converter if their property ownership was at risk.

Also if a junkyard gets caught they should be shutdown for 3 months all locations they own and jail time

[Work4theMan]

We were going from Minnesota to Florida. Had the Melbourne parked in front of our house in the city for one night to facilitate loading. Started up to leave and got a check engine light. Pulled out and heard a horrible clanking sound. End of trip.
On the Mercedes Chassis it was a $2000 replacement cost. Progressive Insurance was wonderful. SearsImports (Mercedes Benz Dealer) of Minnetonka did the job and they are terrific. $500 deductible. Stolen on a Sunday and all fixed on Wednesday.

On the diesels the catalytic converter also handles diesel particles, I believe.
Repair guy said mine was the THIRD Sprinter Chassis catalytic converter in two weeks.

He also said that the resale value of these particular converters is only $50.
He also said the thief did an expert job on removal which kept replacement costs down.


Could have been worse in many ways.

[bluztoo]

Wow. I have heard that there is supposed to be some crackdown on this with like 40 arrests in the Twin Cities. Hope it is taken seriously country-wide. Such a terrible thing. Glad you were still able to pull out so fast!