Stolen catalytic converter in london uk

Great info in this thread. I had my Cat stolen from my 2005 Prius in Cardiff last week. My local mechanic has just quoted me £577 all in to replace the cat with the O2 sensor which they also knackered. Seems like a great price given other experiences. Will obviously be an aftermarket rather than OEM replacement.

My predicament now is whether to go through my insurance, with the hassle that entails plus my £150 deducible and increased premiums or just pay out of pocket and cancel the claim I've already filled through them.

My mechanic has also said he'll fit a metal sheet cover and weld it up to deter future moronic thieves that might be inclined to try and steal my almost worthless aftermarket cat in the future.

Any advice on the insurance question welcome given past experiences of others that have gone that route. This type of theft has happened numerous times around Cardiff in the last 2 weeks so other owners in the area beware.

 

A guy I get parts from told me people started going to his office and taking out of his clients, so he only do at home repairs now.
Is it this simple to steal with all models?
I'm thinking of getting a newer prius soon...

 

No one with a gen4 (that I'm aware of) has reported a theft, but the gen3 is nearly as hot as the gen2 and gen1.

 

Toyota Dealerships (garages) in the U.K. are now offering a cat-lock installation at the annual service, so it is clearly a known, widespread and continuing issue.

 

Anyone know if the cat-lock installation is available in the USA?

 

I see the UK tabloids have finally got around to reporting this problem. They're only about three or four years too late, but better late than never I suppose. Though in doing so they have now told everyone just how lucrative these cats are.

Metal found in car exhausts worth 20 times that of gold sparking surge of thefts across the UK
Valuable metal in car exhausts 'worth 20 times more than gold' sparks rise in car thefts - Mirror Online

 

I’ve also noted several public car parks in London now posting warning signs up to alert parkers to be aware. One was at our local hospital car park!

Mine is a 2016 model Gen 4; and was surprised to be offered a cat-lock installation at its last service and MOT a few months back. I had also thought it was less common amongst Gen4s.

 

I suspect these degenerate catalytic converter thieves would slice their own grandmothers wide open if they thought there was a catalytic converter inside her .

They’re getting pretty desperate for catalytic converters to steal, and they’re now targeting old BRITISH cars....!!!
Somebody somewhere has started swotting up on the specs of much older vehicles available in the UK, to see which ones have a juicy “Rare Metals” cache underneath, ripe for cutting out.

Until the Police start to crack down in earnest on these brazenly criminal activities, NOTHING will stop these despicable parasites from leaving a trail of broken disabled cars and equally traumatised owners in their wake, as they continue to plunder our personal vehicles with dishonourable intent and malice aforethought.....

p.s. Whatever happened to “To Serve and Protect”....?!!


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Hi everyone,

Sadly today I've join the victim club of stolen catalytic converter on my beloved 2007 Prius .
Toyota dealership said it'll cost approx £1800 for a replacement. I am debating if I should claim it through insurance or get a cheap non-toyota make which cost the same as my insurance excess.

Can any member of the victim please kindly share if your insurance had gone up the next year? Also, If you didn't go though the insurance claim, how is your cheaper cat con holding up?

 

Sorry for ur lose, I had mine stolen last year and claimed through insurance with 5 years no claims protected my insurance didn’t go up or down stayed exactly the same as last year maybe without the fault claim it would have went down a little but i don’t think it would have gone down £1000, the cost of claim including towing the vehicle to Toyota 12 miles away was £1250 towing the car was £125 which Toyota managed. When I tried getting a quote for replacement cat and cat lock I was quoted approximately £1600-£250 for catloc, insurance get 10%-15% extra discount apparently but when ur a victim of this crime Toyota don’t give you extra discount like the insurance companies get.

p.s. as ur car is a older Prius not sure you want to claim through Toyota

 

It is a marketing slogan. Such slogans are not enforceable even against private companies, let along against governments with sovereign immunity.

 

Mine was stolen November 2018. My insurance company surprisingly fitted an aftermarket catalytic converter made by Klarius (EU manufacturer). I checked the specs, they seemed to be okay.
Nevertheless, I wrapped the cat in heavy armoured shielding to deter opportunistic morons who can’t tell the difference between aftermarket and OEM.

How has it held up? No complaints whatsoever.

My MPG went up, with me getting 68.1 mpg from a 45 litre tank commuting as a key worker during the lockdown last year - also got 641 miles from that fill up. Never happened before!

As of this morning I have 65.9mpg on the MFD, only 2 bars of fuel used and 242 miles travelled from my recent refuelling.

“The Spaceship” is only maintained at a Toyota dealership and no complaints or warnings from them either.

My Klarius aftermarket catalytic converter cost £150 at the time - I went online and checked reputable locations (NOT EBay where you’re more than likely to be ripped off).

Of course, I replaced the exhaust gaskets with genuine Toyota parts when having the cat dismounted for the custom armoured shield installation.

I’m happy to say “The Spaceship” hasn’t been molested since.
I’m sure they’ve looked, but the armoured shielding put them off.

So, the aftermarket Klarius cat is a sure bet.
No problems whatsoever from it. If it lasts 6 years, I’m happy!
Just make sure you have a shield installed afterwards.


Source: iPhone 12 Pro Max 512GB ? Pro

 

Many thanks for the info @jubel ahmed .

Although this thread is mostly for London Prius owners, the horrid crime is now spreading to the south coast. I am in Brighton & Hove, the police said there's a surge of Cat-con theft in my area recently. They caught a gang in operation few month ago during a route patrol, the thief were working as a gang of 4 wearing hi-viz vest pretending to be mobile mechanics. Insurance has collected the car for damage assessment, the collection guy say they usually use genuine toyota parts, I now worry I might be the target again. Sigh.

 

Some updates:
Insurance has got back to me saying they will replace it. The repair estimate is £1380, which is what @jubel ahmed said that garage/insurance get a good discount from Toyota parts. My next worry is how to prevent another theft. The Police said there are several cases already in Sussex (I'm in Brighton) and I also saw from neighbourhood app that 2 other Cat-Con theft also happned in the past week. I guess it's now spreading to the south coast.

There are several cat shield on eBay, anyone has them? They are cheaper than cat lock but are they better and more secure?

 

If you don’t want to get a catloc from Toyota look for a garage that has a standard one they are between £80-£120 fitted, I just didn’t want to chance my new cat for £100-£150 more so I paid Toyota to do it £250 as I was worried about it getting stolen the night I get my car back while sleeping

 

Can anyone please share where to buy quality cat shield/plate in UK? My Prius is coming back, I'm very anxious about being targeted again.
Also, which Catloc model to buy if I'm to install it myself? I emailed Catloc and they say to contact toyota but I don't like my local toyota dealership.

 

Partial to the expanded metal idea myself. @Kaptainkid1 has been using this on various gen2's for years now with much success.

Initial post : Preventing Catalytic Converter theft | PriusChat
Parts list : Preventing Catalytic Converter theft | Page 2 | PriusChat

The above linked thread also has some other security(?) products/ideas. Not sure how effective any of these are when given enough time.

A recent updated thread @Kaptainkid1 here : Going over board in Protecting my catalytic converter!!!! | PriusChat

This thread may offer some help with your anxiety or not : Catalytic Convertor Stolen Even with Cat Shield | PriusChat

Let me know if you need assistance using the advanced search feature, as it can be confusing to find and then navigate.

 

Guns?? They're not even allowed to have knives...

 

I recently had a Toyota catlock fitted (£185). Disappointed that it makes a rattling vibration noise when gently pulling away. I took it back and was advised they had adjusted it but its still noisy. I was told that its usual to expect some noise!! Surely its a bad design if that's the case. Up until the catlock was fitted, the car glided along with no noises. Can anything be done - Anything I can ask the Toyota dealer to check? Here is a list of the agro since having the Cat stolen
1 - Police take 5 weeks to follow up on crime report and the video of it happening got deleted - There was a clear picture of the number plate of the getaway car but told its probably stolen.
2 - Non Toyota cat fitted by insurance
3 - About 3-6 months later - engine light
4 - Original insurance repair shop do not repair cats
5 - About 9 months later Insurance assessor advises to get sensor checked
6 - Local garage install Toyota sensor
7 - A few months later, Engine light comes on again
8 - about 3 months later Insurance suggest local garage check sensor
9 - Local garage advise that the sensor causing engine alarm because of non Toyota cat fitted
10 - Insurance agree to pay local garage to fit new complete CAT assembly. Car is driving very nicely.
11 - Fit Toyota Catlock and now getting vibration noises and told that's to be expected!
All this because somebody decided it would be a good idea to make a few hundred pounds by cutting off the CAT.

 

Did you get a plate, like this one that I put four radial bends in? The bends eliminate all contact, especially with the rear center that is most likely to contact the rear of the catalytic converter.