I live in a fairly high theft town for cat theft. Although my prius is in an apartment parking lot, my space is at the end of the row of cars, so it's possibly more vulnerable. My mechanic does a technique of welding steel braided cables to the catalytic converter and exhaust manifold. They've installed close to 800 of these anti theft devices and are aware of 3 converters that have been stolen with that device. They've seen many tampered with, but unsuccessfully. It costs $290. It seems the "Cat Shield" also has strengths and weaknesses. What protection seems the most successful? Thanks 2005 Seaside Blue Pearl Prius 44,000 miles
Living in a similar neck of the woods, I installed the Cap City Muffler shield on our 2019 Prime. My goal was to deter the crime as if the thief is determined enough, they will get it. Some say the Miller Cat Shield is better (and not sure on a Gen2), I got the CCM shield for $160, which I thought was a good price . Get some protection is what I would say.
Still partial to the expanded metal idea. @Kaptainkid1 has been using this on a gen2 for years now. Initial post : Preventing Catalytic Converter theft | PriusChat Parts list : Preventing Catalytic Converter theft | Page 2 | PriusChat The above thread also has some other security(?) products available. Here is a recent thread with an update : Going over board in Protecting my catalytic converter!!!! | PriusChat
No. Not being my usual snarky self. The vid below is done by a tech who has lots of info on Prius cat theft prevention. WORTH an hour or so of your time.... $290 seems a bit steep for welding steel braided
i considered it kind of like buying insurance, a sort of cost/benefit analysis The first key variable is the cost of replacing the cat. It can range from like $150 to over $1500.00, depending on the laws where one lives about whether OEM replacement is required, whether one has a shop to go to vs dealership, how much DIY equipment and experience one has, access to a place to do DIY work, etc. The second key variable is the likelihood that someone will try to steal it - honestly at this point I'd say that has become really high for all of us Gen II-ers, regardless of where we park. Just reading the threads on this board and through personal experience. The third variable for me is kind of the intangible emotional aspect. I wanted to do something even if it wasn't 100% certain to work. Just for peace of mind.
