And the 1st Gen Prius, as I found out. On that front. I do not regret selling my pristine Prius as I have peace of mind now, but crikey it just points out how reliable it was. My replacement Honda has already had to go back for a small (highly annoying) problem. In all the years I had 'The Sitting Duck' it never once had to have anything done to it. Never once did it let me down. Okay wear and tear items, but nothing ever failed on it. Not bad for a car pushing 18 years old. I miss it a lot. I am keeping a close eye on this thread as I am contemplating a Gen 3 Prius in due course. I am already bored of the Honda, and want another Prius.
See if you can get the “Creme de la Creme” PiP based on the 3rd Gen Prius. You can set up a charger in your garage and enjoy between 10 to 15 miles of pure electric driving. Even if you drive it in blended Hybrid mode, with 4.4 Kilowatt Hours of energy to exploit instead of approximately 0.8 KwH in a regular Prius. T’is the only version of the 3rd Gen Prius that I’m remotely attracted to - and would jump at upgrading to iPhone 6s +
Still going strong people keep your Prius safe you got to use your car sometime how can you not go shops hospitals school etc what’s the point of having the car then if you cannot use it?
Agreed, I have welded bolts on the cat, a Catloc fitted, a tilt alarm sensor fitted and the cats are security etched, and I'm still thinking how can I protect the cat even more, madness.
Update on my side: The insurance backtracked and installed an OEM Cat to get a Toyota Catloc on it. Toyota then installed the catloc, etched the cats and put stickers on the car. No rattle to report. It's still lovely and quiet. Thank goodness!
Glad yours isn't rattling, I was told by the dealer that the rattle is normal and that I would have to live with it. I do think I know how to solve the rattling anyway so when I get the car up on a lift I'll do it then.
This reminds me of the BP oil spill in Gulf of Mexico: insane labour and expense, and nobody able to turn off the tap.
I'm another victim here; woken up midnight with what sounded like a angle grinder outside- saw them drive off. Phoned PC plod who did'nt seem much interested. Anyway, insurance co are taking it away tomorrow and giving me a courtesy car; it's a 2008 model and done about 109k miles; what are the chances of them repairing it rather than writing it off and offering some money? Is it too late to repair myself, and not get my premium sky-rocket next time? My feeling is now that I've reported it, even if they don't fix it, my premiums will still go up.I was hoping to sell it, but if its written off then the value will fall thru the floor.
Sorry to hear about your Prius being ransacked. BIB, just as an example. Your car is a 2008 model with 109k on the clock. Mine was a 2001 model with 97k on the clock. They repaired mine without hesitation. I think yours will be repaired. Though your premiums going up will be another matter. Again I am very sorry to hear about this. I share your pain and immense frustration at the total ineptitude of the law enforcement agencies in this country. Shockingly inept in every way!
Hi Mark, Thank you for that info... I suppose it does depends on the Insurer,and I only have TF&T; the repairer will only use toyota parts apparently. The tow truck driver told me he'd been to one lady in south London who's had her cat removed 3 TIMES ! Also, she had a some sort of protector ( probably toyota's own, as they fitted her's with an OEM cat) , and they cut thru that as well!! It seems Toyota are doing all they can to help their punters,who've bothered to buy their goods... I was looking at tilt alarms, would anybody know if they are any good, and what are their limitations?
Welcome to Prius Chat Dancingbrave, sorry to hear you’ve become yet another victim of the Grand Theft CAT gang . The really painful part is knowing that our once world envied law enforcement are now reduced to toothless bulldogs by an inept government who feel that its citizens no longer deserve protection from criminals like these. My 2008 Tspirit was assaulted in a similar manner last November, and the bastards got away with my catalytic converter too. I was attending a very private funeral at the time, and I was supposed to drive the distraught widow home. I couldn’t.....because of these untouchable parasites that have been foisted upon us via a lack of commitment or care to stop them. My Prius was at 110,000+ when it happened. Insurance fixed it, and I got a courtesy car too - for about 2 weeks. And yes, they fixed it too, albeit with a non-OEM catalytic converter, but I’m not complaining. Works as well as it ever did. Got 558 miles out of my last tank of fuel (42 litres to refill to full tank). Hopefully they won’t write it off, 109,000 miles is nothing for a Prius. They’ll do 250,000 before they’re considered old - and they still hold their value in the UK too. Good luck, hope you get your Prius back soon. If they install an OEM catalytic converter as a replacement, make sure you have a protection cage installed, otherwise those thieving troglodytes will be back to molest your Prius quicker than you can say “What The Foxtrot”..... Keep us posted
Thank you DD for your kind words, But what what a terrible thing to have happened when you are attending a private funeral. It just shows how callous these an....s are; they dont care at all about the victims. It seems if they do fit the cat, it'll be a OEM, in which case I shall have to have a cage fitted as you did; I will learn today what the insurer has decided. Are they ignoring the later models, because they don't have the precious metals? I'm thinking of getting a newer one if I can afford it.
Spoke with the garage yesterday and mentioned the above to them: apparently, it wasn't the toyota lock kit that she installed but some other. They did however, offer to install the toyota lock kit should the insurer authorises the repair. Will this do the job? Will they be able to cut thru this as well? It will cost £287.00 inculsive. Would really appreciate any input on this.
Hello D'Brave. Three times, Crikey. I sold my Prius soon after it was mugged. I know of at least one other Prius that had its CAT stolen from outside my house since I sold mine on. I suspect they returned to nick mine again, but as I'd sold it they took hers instead. My paranoia was somewhat justified I feel. If it helps any my Gen 1 Prius had its CAT replaced with an OEM CAT, so don't write yours off just yet. Your Prius is worth far more than mine was as well. Not sure if the lack of comprehensive insurance will be a problem or not. I wish you good luck. Let us all know how you get on.
Hi there, Firstly sorry to hear you have had your catalytic converter stolen, I had mine done back in march this year. The kit in the picture is fitted to mine, Jemca in Sidcup done it for £200 all in. It can only be fitted to a genuine Toyota cat though. As for the tilt alarm, I had one installed a week before the car was targeted, and it didn’t stop them from stealing it. I would concentrate on getting the lock fitted first before anything else. I left my unprotected car in my work car park for a week before it was booked in to have the lock fitted, due to paranoia. The lock can rattle underneath the car, and like anything if they really want it they’ll take it, but it’ll slow them down somewhat. Ironically in my local news just now two people have been arrested due to cat theft, so hoping the crime drops. Mine is a 2008 model, 126,000 miles and repair was authorised. All the best with it all.
Kindke, Thank you for the info, did you get it fitted? Thank you Mark, I'm thinking also of selling it; are the later models "safe" to buy? I really need a larger vehicle as I use it for work and it is a bit small for that use. Can I ask if you got another hybrid or electric vehicle,as I 'd like a recommendation. I was thinking of the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV, but the Which? review is mixed re MPG. Thank you Nozzavtr , You shouldn't need to go to such measures, but it seems the victims aren't going to get any help from the authorities. So I won't bother with the tilt alarm as a result of your experience- at least we are saving each other a little bit of agro thanks to the internet . A sign saying " catloc fitted " in the window might deter them
Blimey, you say two people have been arrested for catalytic converter theft just now? Can we have a link please? Any further information on this would be highly appreciated. Thanks iPad ? Pro