PSA: Flat cat shield not enough in San Francisco

This is the new MillerCat model

 

Good reason to clear a space in the garage too, if practical.

 

Yeah I have a garage but as concerned these days just at the shopping mall where thieves now roam with impunity

 

I just heard about thieves getting wise to this method. I recently put the cheaper aluminum eBay flat Cat shield on, but I am working on adding a tilt or proximity sensor to the factory alarm. Most all dealers add their "alarm box" to the factory alarm and put a shock sensor on it, but the shock sensor isn't enough to trigger by someone jacking up the car. I know alarms are useless unless you are within earshot, but it is another level of deterrence I can do for not much money.

 

Supposedly with some flat shield designs the thief can cut the pipes and slide the cat out. Not sure how that works but that’s the report. The new MillerCat design tries to prevent this.

 

The problem is at least twofold
First the lack of law enforcement nationwide to catch these scoundrels just entices more theft. Seems it could be made illegal to resell OEM cats and prosecute the scrap yards which are easier to find.
Second, the CARB regulations that mandate only OEM or very expensive aftermarket cats when other options meet federal standards makes repairs uneconomical.

I’m getting a new MillerCat complete design stainless shield installed as a deterrent in a week or so. If that doesn’t work, then I’ll just sell the car too. My insurance would pay for the replacement but in the end they’d jack up my premium anyway.

 

I wonder how emissions inspectors would be able to see the cat? Those vent grills don't look that big.

Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.

 

Where I live it doesn’t matter if it is visible, a call or email to MillerCat probably would answer your question. They answer emails within an hour, pretty amazing service.
After getting it installed Saturday at my local Toyota shop I immediately noticed the whole exhaust sound was noticeably quieter. Very nice product.
Am anticipating vandalism if a perpetrator can’t get to the catalytic converter now. Such is life.

 

Yeah that’s crossed my mind too.

 

Ugh. I'm up in the Oakland Hills, and someone took my converter from my car, parked in my driveway for 2 hours yesterday afternoon. We had been keeping the car in the garage at night since the first theft, 2 years ago. I am...livid.

Looking at the new MillerCat above, if I were a thief, I'd use a sawzall just below the mounting points. I suppose I'll get a MillerCat like that but will augment it with some stuff to make those rear points more difficult to access to saw off. I've got the tools and the MOTIVATION to do this. This is the last converter they get from me.

Also to the above, a neighbor of mine down the street had a plate installed on his car and sure enough when they found they couldn't take his converter they kicked his front grille.

Good luck out there folks. Wouldn't wish this on anyone. I'd recommend a good shield to any Prius owner at this point.

 

Until there are no places to sell the converters, they’ll keep stealing them. I never see follow up press reports on the supposed crackdown on buyers when they’re caught with hundreds of converters. Initial report that they’re arrested but never convicted it seems.

CaRB states exacerbate the problem by mandating high value converters.

In many cities the police no longer respond to converter theft in progress 911 calls. They’re afraid they will go to jail if they have to shoot a thief.

 

[QUOTE="theGlass, post: 3255387, member: 144131"

Looking at the new MillerCat above, if I were a thief, I'd use a sawzall just below the mounting points. I suppose I'll get a MillerCat like that but will augment it with some stuff to make those rear points more difficult to access to saw off. I've got the tools and the MOTIVATION to do this. This is the last converter they get from me.
[/QUOTE]

Yeah I've been hit 3 times in Socal. I was looking at the new MillerCat design but I had the same concern about the vulnerability of those rear points. Did you end up going with this new design? If so, did you modify in any way to beef up the security here? I'm really at a loss for what shield to go for at this point, and I doubt my ins company will cover another converter.

 

My experience with MillerCat support is that they reply to pre-sales questions within an hour or two. Maybe you should email them and express your concerns about vulnerability and see what they say.
I suspect nothing will stop a thief from trying or resorting to vandalism even if the cat can’t be taken. My deductible is $100 on theft or vandalism.