Preventing Catalytic Converter theft

I have had two stolen on two different Gen2 in Milwaukee WI, one in March, the other in September. I did not have any theft protection on the cars.
On our third Gen 2, I'm replacing the cat with an $140 aftermarket, then I'm going to sell the converter. I realize that if you live in NY or CA, this is not an option, but I want to remove the incentive for stealing the cat, and heck this is 15 year old car worth about 3.5K, might as well have a little piece of mind not worrying when the cat will be stolen, and pocket a few hundred bucks in the process.

Just my 2 cents.
-andy

 

There are 3rd party cats that claim to meet the California requirements, and they're considerably lower priced than OEM. 'Course that doesn't mean some (expletive) inspector in CA or NY won't refuse to acknowledge the facts and insist it has to be an OEM cat.

 

Just out of curiosity, which $140 aftermarket one are you going with? I live in NY, so technically I'm not allowed to use an aftermarket, but while my mechanic said they can't legally install it, the car would pass inspection as long as the emissions were on point. Looking at the various protection options, it might make more monetary sense to change out than to protect the original, but only if it doesn't require welding, which I can't do on my own...

 

The big concern I would have using an aftermarket converter is that most are not good enough to keep the check engine light off. Some might last a year, others a few months, but I often see a P0420 cat efficiency code pop-up . That's a problem in places like NY where they have emissions inspections.

Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.

 

I have used two different ones, Artic Exhaust from Canada (on my 2009), and MAYASAF Catalytic Converter from Amazon (on two different 2005).
On all of them I added a 1" extension for the 02 sensor. So far so good on my 2009, but the 02 sensor is a valid concern.

On my son's 2005, I sold the cat converter on ebay for $1300 + 25 for shipping. After ebay and paypal fees, I netted about $1,100
- $150 for the replacement converter. So I'm still up $950 and don't have to worry about the cat being stolen.

I will post updates on the status of the 02 Sensor, hopefully it will not be an issue.
-andy

 

Mine was stolen as well.....2,777 to replace. I'm getting it welded on at muffler shop.....

 

Great post thank you. Can you expand on the 02 extension? What you did is the ultimate anti theft and made some money to boot.
Smart.
Thanks

 

So I thought I'd just reiterate the options here...

1. Pay as you lose. In any event someone steals your cat then you pay for it out of pocket.
2. Rely on insurance. Get comprehensive insurance and hope they pay for it. With these older cars it's possible that the costs of repair exceed the costs of the vehicle leading to a "totaled" loss. When this happens the insurance provider gives you a check for your cars supposed worth (before the incident) in exchange for taking what's left of your car. In theory you should be able to just go buy another car of the same year and mileage with the money. However, I doubt insurance companies give enough to cover all purchasing expenses.
3. Inscribe/weld your VIN and Plate # on the cat. Maybe even add "Stolen property! Call Police!" on it. That way thieves will have to do more work to try to cover their tracks and may decide it's not worth it and move to another vehicle.
4. Paint cat bright colors. Again this is to make the cat stand out so as to alert people in authority and deter theives.
   
5. Weld cat to frame. Take some rebar, bend it like two square U's, then weld the bottom to the top of each cat. Take out center console and floor carpet. Drill holes where the two legs of each U come up off the cats. With the cats installed, weld the rebar to the body from inside the cabin and cut off the excess. Then replace carpet and center console.
6. Cat Strap. This is a self-adhesive Kevlar "tape" with steel bands (maybe cables) and a warning sign. From what I've read it's effectiveness relies on the type of saw used. Some saws may cut right through it.
7. Cat Eye. This is an audible warning device that's supposed to be so loud it hurts the ears of the thieves.
8. Cat Clamp. This is a device with a bunch of steel cables that are supposed to be wrapped around frame members. I'm not sure there's a place to put them.
9. Cat Security. This is a plate that covers over one or both cats. (It looks like it only covers one on the Gen 2 Prius.) I guess you could make your own.
10. Catloc. A specially made metal box that fits around the cat and attaches to the frame of the car.
11. Get rid of the OEM cat. It can be replaced with either a straight pipe or an aftermarket catalytic converter. It is questionable, though, as to how well aftermarket cats work and how good their longevity is. Also in some areas aftermarket cats are illegal. And there's still a chance that some thief doesn't know the difference between an aftermarket cat and an OEM and still might attempt at stealing it.
12. Security cameras. Dash cams, driveway cams, etc.

Anything I missed??

 

Walker cats on ebay don't trigger p0420. The $99 ebay cat from Canada does trigger p0420. How will mv inspections know if it's oem?

 

They just look for the OEM numbers.

 

Anyone know where I could get my exhaust proteus coated?

 

What are some of those 3rd party cat?

 

Walker

 

Here's the CCM shield installed :



Also worked on @The Critic 's 2011 as well:


Just know on the Gen3 shield you'll need a 1/4" rivet tool .

Not all that common but Harbor freight had one in our time of need.

 

Becasue of your earlier post i did the same thing and sold my Cat about a month ago for $1300 to a guy in Mass. Man it was hot on eBay had unreal amount of watchers.
Painted my after market cat bright orange with header paint.

Thank you very much for that great idea!

 

Was the Cat still working or was it throwing a code? LOL cause mine is throwing a code and I would love to see it haha

 

Was working fine not going to sell a dead cat on ebay for $1300. that's a guaranteed pissed off customer and return.

Mine looked good too no rust.

 

Holy crap they get that anal?

 

Which brand aftermarket do you recommend?