If you happen to hear the sound of a hacksaw blade or electric power saw at work near your car in the wee hours you may want to take a peek under the undercarriage as it appears Converter Miners have been busy of late.
An alert neighbor perked up at the sound of saws at work under a car in Concord this morning and – investigating further – was surprised to see a person and not a raccoon under the vehicle. With some tools.
The police were summoned and they recovered a recently amputated converter – valued for the metals they contain – and a pair of miners who had come equipped for the job. This happens a lot, with the Toyota Prius a favorite target
Pick up trucks, big or small with better ground clearance, are good targets.
Indeed. And, of course, if you’re parking outdoors you run the risk of having someone skooch under your vehicle in the dead of night.
TweakerMania.
No worries. I swapped mine out years ago for a 2 liter soda bottle with holes punched in it. Never ran better. The wife knows I’m on my way home from a block away.
Worry no more they’re going to be putting numbers on the catalytic converters at least the newer cars Troy told me that the only way they can track the person who is trying to recycle the converters for money how do these teenagers know it’s enough is enough is enough any car if they can fit under they will take and bring it to the recycle place that’s why they hold it for three days to see if it’s stolen this time they can hold it for three days and the number on the converter matches a stolen converter and of course they have to go to name and address they’re busted but let’s not let them know it’s between you and me nowadays converters are about $800 or more
These guys are not smart. There is a plumbing tool that is used for cutting pipe. It looks like a strap wrench with chainlinks that have cutting wheels mounted. The chain is mounted around the pipe and locked to the tool handle. The handle is rotated back and forth cutting thru the pipe. It makes less noise. Honda Elements are favorites because of the high ground clearance. Catclamp makes a cable and bracket set to block access to the pipes. Costs over $3k to replace catolytic converter. Must buy from dealer$1,1k, O2 sensor $450 damaged pipes $400-800 labor adds the rest. Theives like BART station parking lots. This is a known problem with the Feds. Get smart clamp your cat.
A friends Prius in Clayton was involved back in early October. It is not a cheap fix either.
Yes… we hear almost a grand? Depending on make and model?