I was outside checking the fuses in my car this afternoon and a neighbor walked by and told me about how there was a rash of catalytic converter thefts on Prius' around here. His got stolen and he said several others on our street and the next street got stolen. I searched on here and my only results came up in the Gen 2 forums. Is this an issue for Gen 3? Neighbor told me it cost $2200 to replace it, and also told me about CatClamp, which costs $160-350 to purchase, no idea how much to have someone put it on. I had the catalytic converter of my old Toyota pick up truck stolen before and don't want that to happen to my Prius so I'm wondering if I should by the CatClamp. Oh! And while looking for info I also read about Hybrid batteries being stolen! Is this a thing? Thanks!
I've seen it done on trucks that are easy to slide under and cut the Cat off in a minute or two, a Prius? First you would have to jack it up and that would take some work. I think there are enough big trucks rolling around that would be a much easier score for a catalytic converter. I think you could score least three to four from CUV's, SUVs or pickups without a floor jack in the time involved to get one off a Prius. The Hybrid battery now that is a totally different issue due the cost of replacement. That is a specific item they are targeting. I need a replacement pack cheap, no problem his chop shop buddy says I can get you a used one in a day of so for $500. Poof someone loses their HV battery over night.
I'm sure it happens in places like SoCal, but it's not something that I would worry about. In most parts of the US, people either use used/aftermarket cats or just straight pipe them and move the 02 sensors to keep from having to put black tape over the CEL. Outside of megalopolises in coastal areas, crawling under a car with a sawzall and a flashlight isn't nearly as profitable since even people who are Eco-sensitive can put a NEW cat on a Prius for a few hundred bucks. 2004-2009 Toyota Prius Catalytic Converter - Bosal 096-1692 - - PartsGeek.com
The 'trouble' is that CARB regulates aftermarket Catalytic Converters and has never approved one for any model Prius. so the only option is the $1400 Toyota model. In any other state but CA and NY, you can get a Cat for $350, which makes theft much less attractive. Catalytic Converter Database Toyota Prius (2010-2015). #1741037160: Catalytic Converter. Exhaust Intermediate Pipe. Exhaust pipe. FRONT PIPE. 2010-2015 Toyota Prius Catalytic Converter - Exhaust - Eastern Catalytic, Rear 10-15 Prius Catalytic Converter - 30440-05456633 - PartsGeek
It's been in the news for my particular area of Los Angeles. Searched after my neighbor mentioned it. Not sure if it's Gen 2 only so far. Perhaps as the Gen 3s start getting older it will happen on these too unless there's something different in how they are secured that deters theft. Catalytic converter thieves target Silver Lake Prius owners | The Eastsider LA If you read the comments you'll see a lot of people posting theirs was stolen. Every time someone mentions a year it's a Gen 2 though, so maybe that's part of it. One of the articles says something about now that Prii are cheaper and lower income people own them that the thefts are on the rise. Rash of Catalytic Converter Thefts Reported by Eagle Rock Prius Owners | KTLA LA County catalytic converter thefts spiking, thieves moving away from enforcement crackdown
Heh. The monetary point I think is valid. But in the comments at one of the links people are making fun of people in my neighborhood for being "kale eaters" and such.
Yes they are!!! I have a 2010 Gen 3 Prius TSpirit. As I found out the hard way this afternoon (01/08/2019). Parked my car in the Islington area for two hours and returned to find my car started up sounding like a tractor. Looked beneath the motor and found the heat-shield had been ripped open and was dangling down and the Lambda Sensor was cut off too. I’m officially stranded without my beloved Prius!
Furthermore, closer inspection revealed that the catylic converter had indeed been cut off and stolen by some foolish miscreant of society!!!
A little more lax than they are in some American cities. Actually, a firearm is the wrong tool for miscreants stealing car parts. I maintain that a solar-powered electric fence energizer will get the job done far more efficiently.
Considering buying either a Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV or a Lexus IS300h hybrid.... due to being targeted and traumatised by an incident in which my Catalytic converter was stolen from my Gen 3 Prius... Anyone know if they target the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV or a Lexus IS300h hybrid for their catalytic converters in the UK or elsewhere??? Don’t want to be targeted again
Maybe things have changed in the UK, but when I was growing up there, my father, a farmer, had a registered shotgun. The only other person I knew of with a firearm, apart from other farmers, was a jeweler friend of my father's who had a licensed pistol. Even the regular police, I think, are still not armed: they call in "authorised firearms officers" (I think I have the term correct) when they are needed.
