Featured Cat Herding

Maybe I'm missing something...how does putting a VIN on something stop criminals who remove it and sell it for scrap. Are the buyers all so honest they won't take it if a VIN is etched on it?

Mike

 

Of course it won't stop theft to a determined person. Neither will my alarm, alarm window stickers, and barking dogs stop a home invader if they really want to. Hell, even firearms can't stop a determined intruder. Just get more people and more guns to invade.

The idea is to make it a little bit harder and to make the thief think "hmmm, this Prius isn't worth it. I'll go find another." With a vin etched, if the thief gets caught, they are more likely to get charged since there is proof of stolen property. Maybe a recycler won't take one with a vin etched. It's all about minor things. If you want to really stop someone from stealing a catalytic converter, I'd suggest (totally kidding) installing some sort of flame thrower or zapping device!

To add, personally I'd never pay to have this done or diy it because I don't think it's worth it. My city does free events and that would be worth it to me.

 

So the thief shows up and sees the VIN number and says to himself/herself, "hmmm this is not worth it, because the guy who I sell scrap to won't take THIS one" but doesn't think that it is suspicious that I somehow bring him 5 or 10 of these every morning without questioning it.

Hey, remember back in the day when the police recommended etching your SSN on your TV and VCR in case they got stolen?

Mike

 

Yeah, that's what I was thinking... As in what kind of special effects can you do to scare the thief away. But maybe Vin number isn't dramatic enough? Probably a car jack motion sensor LEDfLED that makes them look right in the light when they look at where the are cutting and perhaps play a recording of a police siren... Of course the biggest risk of booby traps is when the go when they aren't supposed to.

 

A local metal-scrap outfit did turn over the photocopied driver's license and transaction video of the guy who wanted to scrap the vintage 1926 bronze post lamps cut down from a landmark building.

Oddly enough, even with all that, I don't think I've ever heard any news of an arrest.

 

This thread got me thinking. So yesterday I pushed the HV/EV button just to make sure my cat was still present in the bottom of my car. Was a little louder than normal when the gasser kicked in, but not as loud as if the cat had been yanked. Hadn't been in HV mode for something like 4 months. Traveled 20 miles in HV and used up what the car thought was 6 miles of gas. Still pegged as full, since late last year. Of course, with COVID, haven't done any real road trips. Been a weird year. In the Tesla forums (TMC, not here), people have been sad that their new Y's have just been sitting in their garages as they've been working from home.

 

I'm pretty sure a missing cat will also throw a code*. Modern cars will throw one for a loose gas cap.

*Of course once in HV mode, but I wonder if some ICE side checks are made whenever the car is put into ready.

 

There are two O{2} sensors in each end of the catalytic converters to measure how well they are working. Of course if there are two cut pipe ends, it won’t work.

Bob Wilson

 

Lol, I wish I had that problem... Would be so fun to drive around for months without hearing the engine and wonder how it's doing!!!

 

The front (pre-cat) O2 (Lambda) sensor's output is used to adjust the air fuel mix, the rear one (post-cat) is used to check and see how well the whole process is doing and is used as an indicator of the cat's health. If the post-cat sensor oscillates in synch with the pre-cat one, then there is something wrong with the cat.

 

I was researching this on Gen1 Prius and the O2 sensors after the cat sends a signal at a steady 0.5v and the O2 sensor before the cat sends a signal that rapidly oscillates between 0.1v and 0.9v. But that's for Gen1.

It'd be nice to know what the voltage readings are for the rest of the generations of Prius so people don't waste their time and money replacing O2 sensors, which from what I've seen on here is usually an act of futility.

 

If I remember right, Gen 1 had an O₂ sensor before and after. It was either Gen 2 or Gen 3 switched the before one to an A/F ratio sensor, keeping an O₂ sensor after. Overall principle the same but the signal characteristics different. Other changes might have followed later.

The repair manual (more info) has detailed sections on how to troubleshoot codes that might implicate the A/F or O₂ sensors, including what patterns of signal ought to be seen. If I were in the position of having to do some of that troubleshooting, I think I'd elect to stick pretty close to whatever the manual (for my correct model/year) suggested.

 

3 more nailed, i hope they get some info out of them:

42143420

 

'burglarious'

 

I hope these folks get life


Feds bring charges in catalytic converter thefts case

 

Sadly, I think the dealers like these guys.
Very sadly, I sold my 2012 PIP yesterday to my local dealer. A forced sale at a reduced price, basically.
After getting my cat stolen 10 days earlier I learned that I had no reasonable option. I could leave it at the dealer for 6 months to be on the waiting list for a new cat, while the battery (maybe both 12v and traction battery) go dead or sell it to them. Can't sell it to a 3rd party because with no cat you can't pass the required smog check so who would buy it?
Being on the wait list means paying DMV for registration (but there is a planned non operational reduced fee) plus pay insurance while the car sits and gets dirty and sun-baked.
As the dealer drove it away I guessed that my car will get moved to the top of the list so they can sell it soon. I got about $5K less than KBB, but did get about $2.2K from my insurance company for the cat theft.

Mike

 

our state & and many others have no requirements for smog checks upon registering a used car bought. guessing you could have sold it out of state?

It's not just a Cat shortage. Lots of car parts are in short supply. Better ½'s parked plugin minivan got smacked by stake bed P/U at a store last March. Dented rear door & blew out hatch window. Replacement parts won't be in until early july. Welcome to the new global economy.
.

 

But what would it cost to ship to MT? Can't drive it, the noise is very loud...plus it would terribly pollute along the way.
Someone will get a nice car in a couple of months

Mike

 

It's more of a long game. You're doing a public service id'ing your Cat. It might well still get stolen, but if the authorities catch up with the joker that has your Cat, and the serial number hasn't been ground off yet, they can trace it back to you, verify it's stolen and so on. BTW it's also recommended to put your license plate number on. I did both on ours.

I believe someone was asking how to engrave, with a simple engraving pen? What I did was print both the VIN and LIcense Plate Number as big as practical on a sheet of 8.5"x11" (using MS Word), taped it to an open space on the underside of the Cat, that patiently engraved all the black ink. Worked pretty good.


(I'm hoping the chain will deter them too; didn't cost me anything. The bolts have permanent lock-tite.)