Preventing Catalytic Converter theft

That one should be able to fend off a larger coyote pack. Maybe even a few wolves too.

 

Cerberus...

First heard the name in a financial report, Cerberus Capital Management was making a "take over bid"...

 

lets start petition to force Toyota weld at least bars into their Cat

 

Require the manufacturer to laser engrave the VIN number of the car on the catalytic converter. The buyer is then required to check a stolen catalytic converter data base and to check ID of and record the seller's information even if his or her record comes up clean.

In South Carolina, since the CAT is stainless steel, a permit secured from the local county sheriff is required when selling a CAT to a scrap dealer.

 

This wont help as most of them are never installed back, scrapped for metal. I did extensive check in SF Bay Area there is no market from used CAT unless they came in a whole piece from junk. And there is no reason to export them abroad . Typically thief get ~100 from metal dealer for G2 Cat, one night run to get 5 of them, $500 not bad for same people.
I searched didn't find any cases when police get somebody.

 

How well is this being enforced?

In theory, the Brits have something roughly similar. In practice, very few Gen2 Prii in the London area still have their factory cats.

 

I'm not sure I would trust you to know how to handle a firearm if you don't know basic stuff like: by definition, "hollow point" means not "full metal jacket."

Anyway, I've joined the cat shield club but from a different exhaust shop--Miller. It's a few bucks cheaper than Cat Security, but doesn't come with a rear piece for the Gen 3. IMO that isn't needed anyway; this completely covers the second cat, and that extra piece would have covered one end of the coolant heat exchanger which thieves aren't typically after.

 

You're right. I should have said jacketed hollow point:
Jacketed Hollow Point
JHP ammo follows a similar construction to FMJ. The difference is, a JHP has a hole in the tip of the bullet, giving it a hollow center. When a JHP makes contact with the target, the bullet expands like an umbrella which creates a cavity in the soft-tissue. JHPs don’t usually go through their target, but they do cause more damage. On impact, the energy transfers from the bullet to whatever stopped it, slowing it down drastically and leading to devastating damage. Since these bullets cause more damage, you might be able to use fewer bullets to stop your target. However, JHP bullets will not be able to penetrate harder targets, such as body armor, steel, and concrete. JHP bullets are best used for police duties, hunting, and self-defense.

What do you daily carry?

 

Hand sanitizer.

 

Muffler Tech in Sacramento had several good ideas. The posted some videos on their website of multiple deterrents they offer, the idea being that multiple deterrents make it much harder for bad guys to have the time and equipment to defeat all of them. So far I have only installed one deterrent, a CatClamp.

I recently read a Wall Street Journal article that said palladium price is way up and Prius cat converter may fetch $450 for scrap. That's more than 2x what I had heard a year ago when mine was stolen. Given that 2 guys can remove an unprotected one in about 2 minutes silently using a pipe cutter and unbolting the other end, it's become even more lucrative now.

Dogs and weapons are good deterrents if your situation allows for that. For people who live in apartments or other situations where the car is not so close by, I'm glad that inventive and enterprising people have developed deterrents that (I believe) are effective. The deterrent doesn't have to be impossible to defeat, it just has to be difficult/time-consuming enough to not be worth the effort.

 

Here's the solution I just got for our Prime from Cap City Muffler in Sac:



They make similar solutions for other generations of Prii.

This should at least offer a deterrent .

 

I vote for the CatEye. That's the first thing I was thinking of while reading the beginning of this thread. 130db sounds fun!!

 

This is an interesting idea. We need some type of superglue that only sticks to theives and not road debris or mechanics...

 

This seems like the same concept as the Cat Security without the pricetag. It's definitely a deterrent. Sorry you've gotten hate for sharing an idea.

 

How bout a sheriff's office parking decal on the left lower corner of windshield, a bumper sticker that says cops lives matter, and a blue line, and a GPS beacon on the trunk?

 

I did install DYI tilt sensor while waiting factory ones from Japan (kidding from CH)). Signal line is inserted into the plunger door sensor wire on one of the back door. Pretty simple. You can pry a cover under back seat to get access, no need any disassembly.
Not sure what side thieves prefer to dive under , I think from the Right one ? Judging from the videos, at least in UK.
This way no need to do any installation under the dashboard or any other connection modifications.
V

 

hello Mr. Decker, do you know what the cost is to install it? I was thinking of getting this exact one, I know the actual part costs around $150 but I was wondering what the labor cost is.

 

That was how airbag thefts were sharply reduced. One guy operating in New York made millions of dollars running an airbag theft ring, often selling and re-stealing the same bags several times. Then unique ID numbers got put on the bags, some bait cars put out. Bags got stolen then a sting operation was done to buy the numbered bags and bust the thieves.

 

I went with Cap City Muffler Cat Security Shield as it is only 160 and has multiple fasteners. Also I just think it looks cool. They have great customer service, they helped me when USPS refused to deliver to my place of residence.

regarding the install, I would highly recommend to get a professional, or at least someone with a lot of tools and experience, preferably a lift.

theoretically it is simple... attach a sheet to the bottom of a car. in practice, as an amateur, i found it rather tricky, as i was barely able to jack up enough, with my small jack, to get my drill under the car, and placement and drilling were rather tricky. my jack stands only went up about 3 clicks. my jack is great for tire rotation but not for this. i even had to enlarge one of the holes to make it fit on the front three bolt studs, im not sure if i went in at a bad angle or there was some temperature issue (high 90s f outside) but i had a difficult time getting the front three holes to line up with the bolts on the car. it is tough to lift the shield up while trying to install it, while can barely maneuver underneath. If I had a lift I think it would have taken like 10 or 20 minutes without issues, but I was having to contort my body all kinds of weird positions to get to it on my small jack/jack stand setup. I also only had a drill bit that was slightly too small for the screws so getting a screw in was extremely difficult. i am still working on how i will get the rivets in, but at least it is better than nothing. i dont think the thieves have made it to this part of the country yet but im sure its just a matter of time.

 

Just joined stolen cats club. With 270k on the car and likely to be stolen again without spending more money on installing theft deterrents, thinking about selling the car to junkyard.