Cat Shield Recommendations?

Miller Cat > CCM Cat Security, by a long shot.

Stainless Steel MILLERCAT 2010-2015 Prius Gen 3 Cat Shield– MillerCAT Corp

I owned the CCM cat security one. It rattled, no matter what I did to adjust clamps or insulate it. The material flexed and made contact with various portions of the exhaust.

I replaced it with the Miller Cat Stainless Steel model. Not a single rattle after 5k+ miles.

 

I got the Cap City Muffler (CCM) shield off of Amazon for $160.

There are nockoffs on ebay that looks pretty much identical for a little over $100 too.

I have a thick piece of aluminum (6XXX series?) cross brace over my front shield, and have the shield fortified with some leftover 1/2 inch stainless steel mesh I had, for further visual deterrence lol.

To get my front shield off, they'd have to drill or grind off the rivet heads and unbolt or cut off the crossbrace first.

Note: the picture is reversed because I had to take the picture in "selfie mode", due to severe space limitations under my car when I was squeezed under there.

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I used this one.

CAT DEFENDER™️ 2010-2015 Toyota Prius Catalytic Converter Security/ Protection | eBay

I didn't even install the rear part. The stainless steel and special fasteners are not more than a marketing tool for the potential purchaser and does nothing to deter the thief equipped with a battery powered angle grinder that will do short work of any fasteners.

 

The rattle is quite easily prevented by making four "radial" bends over a 2x4 on the shield that clears the back of the cat downward by a half an inch.

 

Does this make lots of rattling noises?

 

The up and down bends prevent a phenomenon called "oil canning" in engineering terms. It is especially effective in sheet metal duct work and aircraft, since the metal is often used in large very thin sheets. Basically, I made one upward bend on each side in the metal close to the center and one downward bend on the outer "wings." The bends effectively makes the center rear of the front plate about half an inch lower than the rear of the cat.

 

My sharp chisels will remove rivets without drilling in a matter of seconds, so what’s the difference?

 

No rattles, but I did pull down on the back middle of the shield real hard after mounting it to get a bit more clearance.

I heard of bending over a 2x4, but didn't have the specifics of the bends, as described above, at the time of installation, so I didn't do that.

The CCM shield comes with spacers for the back of the shield, so that gives you some clearance.

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Basically no way to stop a thief, just slow them down a bit

 

It is basically a deterrent. If he or she is a thief, he or she is allergic to work.

 

They are just a deterrent - similar to locking your car.

 

I ordered one from Ebay for about $100, didn't use the rivets. I used bolts similar to the kit from Miller Cat Corp. I used bolts that required 2 different heads, a T25 head and a 10mm head. So you'll need both tools to take off the bolts.

 

When cat thieves get caught, they only tools found are always a floor jack, a battery powered saw, and spent saw blades. No one bothers with drills, chisels, or screwdrivers, and they certainly don't bother with jack stands. It's an in-and-out hack-and-slash job.

It reminds me of a time a place I worked for got broken into and had their computers stolen. The thieves smashed the front glass door with a rock from the planter nearby. Then they went around to each desk and they didn't even bother pulling the wires out of the back (mouse, keyboard, power, etc.). They used wire cutters to cut all the wires. It wouldn't have taken them any longer to simply yank the wires out, but they really, really don't care. If you can make things a little harder for them -- like by not having glass doors -- the thieves are more likely to look elsewhere.

I think the orange paint thing is another great deterrent!
Exceptionally cheap catalytiv converter theft deterrant... | PriusChat

 

A long time ago on another continent I read a piece by a(n allegedly reformed) former car thief who said that they never tried stealing cars that were left unlocked because it was very likely that the owner had simply popped into the store to buy a pack of cigarettes or something, and would be back in no time.
I have always locked my cars despite his "advice."

 

Or, it could be a trap setup by a police sting operation.

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