Stolen catalytic converter - need advice

can you get any help from the ag's office of consumer affairs?

i'm not following your insurance question, are they denying coverage?

 

Sorry to hear about your trouble.
I would contact the police about the converter theft, and the odometer.
Maybe even the department of transportation about the odometer.
You might be able to return it and get your money back.
Maybe the guy set you up?

I believe most insurance companies require full coverage to pay for any damage.
Maybe a junk yard has a replacement?

 

Sorry for your loss too. I'd contact facebook marketplace regarding the odometer issue.
You can always report the cat issue later if they are at least willing to intervene on your behalf for the odometer

report and document

 

Insurance companies generally don't cover losses that happened before you bought the insurance.

 

Didn't we have a similar situation out of the bay area with a super clean prius with incorrect mileage within the last year on the forum?

 

I'm sorry about your troubles.
File a complaint with local law about both the theft and the fraud.
Even if we both know in advance that there is a zero-percent chance that anything productive will come from it (like voting) it's your civil duty to do so.

As you know by now - insurance is pretty expensive and yes....you have to have comprehensive and collision coverage before the insurance will pay the loss. As a young driver, you're already paying super high costs for insurance, and not filing a claim just after you bought the car may actually help you out in the long run!

You have to get the car registered and smog checked.
Either way....if you have a 3rd gen Prius, you may HAVE to get the car repaired at the more or less properly because IIRC there's coolant involved, so you're going to have to close that loop before you start to worry about having a super clean 240,000 mile car.

My first step would be to call some muffler shops and see if they work on G3 Prius exhausts.
There are many disadvantages to living in SF, but one significant ADVANTAGE is the fact that there are a LOT of Priuses in your zip code that need muffler work - so you have options.

If you're still here in 3 months or if your car starts shuttering, knocking, or the "change owner" (Check Engine) light comes on start reading up in this forum about EGR coolers and head gasket failures - because sometimes bad things really do come in threes.....

 

the common issue is that the buyers verified the actual miles driven after the car was purchased.

 

I will add that it the car is ALREADY registered and smog checked for a year, then I would consider a band-aid solution for now (non-oem cat.....coolant patch) and drive the car until it fails a smog check for non-oem parts.

A 240,000 mile car may not actually last long enough to NEED another smog check......

 

I would first pursue, with the help of your local government, the apparent odometer fraud issue. Then once you get action on that, enlist the help of someone experienced to help you purchase your next car, thusly avoiding grossly overpaying for the next vehicle you wind up with.

 

that would convince me not to buy a cat converter replacement on the terms of states that doesn’t require inspections.