Catalytic Converter Theft Victim

Your post would've been more effective if you would've kept your political commentary to yourself.

Hope this helps.

 

I wouldn't put a lot of money on the bet that the low-lifes could tell the difference between a genuine part and an aftermarket part, so I'd also be looking at some kind of cat lock/screen deterrent device after installing a new CC and O2 sensor.

 

Actually your anti-political commentary is far more lothesome. What's going on in the UK right now is unbelievable and unprecedented. No modern country in the world has ever let itself get destroyed by corruption in so many ways so quickly. I suggest informing yourself on the serious level of crisis going on over there before you tell people to shut up about it.

My heart goes out to the people of the UK and the relentless attacks they're going through right now:

"The UK economy suffered its biggest slump in more than three centuries last year, with GDP falling by nearly 10% over the course of 2020. That means the Covid-19 pandemic has effectively wiped out all growth in the United Kingdom over the last 7 years, returning the economy close to the size it was in 2013. The 9.9% slump in UK GDP was less severe than expected but still surpassed the 9.7% collapse experienced during the Great Depression in 1921, making it the worst annual drop since 1709, according to a Bank of England database." cnn.com/2021/02/12/economy/uk-gdp-record-fall/index.html

"The City of London’s astonishing exemption from the UK’s freedom of information laws creates an extra ring of secrecy. The UK also appears to be the money-laundering capital of the world. In a devastating article, Oliver Bullough revealed how easy it has become to hide your stolen loot and fraudulent schemes here, using a giant loophole in company law: no one checks the ownership details you enter when creating your company. You can, literally, call yourself Mickey Mouse, with a registered address on Mars, and get away with it." If you think the UK isn't corrupt, you haven't looked hard enough | George Monbiot | The Guardian

 

Toyota supply line for OEM is in such tatters right now that even Toyota Stealerships are installing after-market non-OEM cats. These are unprecedented times and sometimes people get their cats stolen more than once regardless of aftermarket or OEM. Adding a motion detector alarm to your car and ensuring they can't easily cut the wires to the horn can help. Also a cat shield slows them down too.

 

There's plenty of prius owners that will never know about it and never be a theft victim and live on their lives happy and content as though the problem never existed. Then there's those of us who spend way too much time thinking about every nuance and detail and if you look at the theft numbers in relation to how many Prius out there, odds are very much in your favor of it never being an issue.

 

Man I can empathize dude. I live in a nice area and it was stolen in the dead of night. No way would I guess I would be a victim but you never know. It happened this past February. Anyway I would think the thief’s are acting quickly and they won’t tell the difference between aftermzker and factory cat. I definitely recommend reinforcing security. Bars, razor wire, shields, alarm with tilt sensor. Anything to keep it safe.

 

You can also get custom bumper stickers made to put on the car. One on the rear bumper and maybe on the side of the car down low where they would easily see it when attempting to jack up the car. Something simple like "Aftermarket catalytic converter installed"

 

I live in Oakland CA without a garage and my cat was stolen 4x in a single year. Each time the insurance covered the cost minus deductible and all the time I wasted. I have tried the shield and "the cage" which cost $550. This last time, I was so fed up I took it to a driveway mechanic and had an eBay cat installed that cost around $100. I was on the fence about what to do but I wanted to do something different otherwise I knew I'd be back at my regular mechanics in month.

I have attached signs to my windows announcing that it's a cheap eBay cat not worth stealing. Crossing my fingers, Maybe I'll get bumper sticker -

Here's my question: there's a smell inside, slightly like exhaust and kind of like that bad smell after the cat has been removed. It goes away if I use the fan (or heat or AC). What is this about and is it related to this after market cat?

Also when my last Toyota cat was stolen, many of the lights went on on the dash and they are still on.

Is there a way to test to see if anything toxic is leaking into the air inside the car as it drives?

Thanks ...

 

Park your car in a puddle. Wrap cat with a loose bike chain. barbed wire and metal. See Mendel Lisks signature's. Or you can also put something undesirable......poop, peanut butter, MOT paperwork, etc on the ground under the car to make it harder to gt under the car without being damage. Also I have heard of painting the new cat Hi Temp orange. some even have window sticker about good cat stolen, shitty cat installed,,,,YOU ALREADY STOLE IT.