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Old 01-24-2020, 01:53 AM   #1
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Catalytic converter thief

Today i went to R V storage to run the generator and M H because they had been setting for about 4 weeks.

WOW what a loud surprise when the M H started. I shut it off, went outside and took a look under. It was what I thought. A THIEF had sawed off the catalytic converter--even left a broken saws-all blade.

I called the office and they were there in a minute. I explained what happened and asked if anyone else had reported problems with theft. The answer was no, so I suggested they look under other M H in this storage area and they found 3 more had been sawed off.

This is a very large storage facility that seemed safe with code entry, high fence, lights every where and many cameras. While waiting for the police the office returned and said they saw the thief on camera. He had 2 converters in a back pack and was carrying 2 on his way out. During the day on Monday he entered and left thru a drain under the road from another storage next door.

Watching the thief just confirms my thoughts about cameras. They are not a thief deterrent. A brazen thief knows that out of thousands of people you probably can't find them, even if you have their picture.

It looks like the sensors came unplugged from the converter and were not damaged. Hopefully I can order a converter by my VIN from a local Ford dealer, have a muffler shop weld it on and plug it back in. If this won't work it is 90 to a dealer with a bay big enough to handle a GT5.

Don't know if there is an insurance deductible for this or how much a new converter cost.
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Old 01-24-2020, 05:58 AM   #2
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Yes I feel your pain, my rv storage facility was broken into in November. They damaged several trailers when they broke into them. I was told my trailer was untouched, a few weeks later I went to get it and as I was making my pre trip walk around. I discovered my spare had been stabbed. To make matters worse, I didn’t have time to replace the spare before leaving for my trip 25 miles from making it home got my first blowout ever.
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Old 01-24-2020, 06:33 AM   #3
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That really sucks! Let us know how this turns out.
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Old 01-24-2020, 07:02 AM   #4
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Should fall under comprehensive. I carry a 100 dollar deductible for comp, because something can smash your windshield anytime, and it wouldn't be worth claiming with a high deductible. Also, deer collisions fall under comp to my surprise. Had $4k in deer damage to one car, repaired for 100 dollar comp deductible. Nice!
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Old 01-24-2020, 08:29 AM   #5
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Have it tack welded.
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Old 01-28-2020, 05:14 PM   #6
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Have it tack welded.
Please explain how/where to tack weld

Thanks
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Old 01-28-2020, 05:30 PM   #7
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I don't understand all of these converter thefts. Guess they are trying to convert their Fords into Cadillacs.

In all seriousness, sorry to hear about your theft.
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Old 01-28-2020, 05:42 PM   #8
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I don't understand all of these converter thefts. Guess they are trying to convert their Fords into Cadillacs.

In all seriousness, sorry to hear about your theft.
We've seen recent news reports in our area of thieves stealing converters from church vans in broad daylight in front of security cameras. Not enough being caught and penalized, I guess.
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Old 01-28-2020, 05:44 PM   #9
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Quote:
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Please explain how/where to tack weld

Thanks
Btm
If you're concerned about the drive to get it repaired, I read that another person took the measurements of the exposed exhaust pipe and got a piece of flex exhaust pipe from an auto parts store and installed it temporarily to get it to the repair location.

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Old 01-28-2020, 05:51 PM   #10
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Lots of converter thefts going on the SF Bay Area..any vehicle with high ground clearance is a potential victim. A battery Sawzall at 3am and 3 minutes is all it takes.
Cats contain a variety of precious metals which is worth a lot on the black market.
https://www.ktvu.com/search?q=catalytic&ss=fb
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Old 01-28-2020, 05:52 PM   #11
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Old 01-29-2020, 12:15 AM   #12
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Repaired

Doppleganger

Thanks for the photo--I will be making something similar to yours to protect from another thief.

I found a muffler shop about 5 miles North of me towards Moody Tx. This shop also specializes in converters. He explained differences in quality and how converters are "packed", so I decided to pay much more for a Ford replacement. It seems that off brand converters can give poor readings and may not last as long. He said off brands would work fine , but I wanted exact replacement.

He said that he would come to storage to install it so I would not have to drive the M H. Converter cost was $1475 with $140 labor, including a new O2 sensor An off brand would have been about 1/3 this cost. Everything was installed today, so now on to insurance for my money back.

Today a police detective called me and wanted some info and said they CAUGHT the thief. He said 2 days ago the police stopped someone with 10 converters in their car, so they matched camera footage from the storage to his face and it was him. The thief had walked within 2ft of the camera looking directly at it.

He also asked if I would press charges if the D A decided to prosecute. Absolutely I will. He thought the DA was going to court for criminal charges because of the value and increased thief around here.

Even though cameras will not stop thefts, they sure are good to identify thieves.

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Old 01-29-2020, 12:21 AM   #13
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Converter pics

Cut off sections and new converter

Btm
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Old 01-29-2020, 06:28 AM   #14
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Sorry to here about the theft and glad he was caught.

It has calmed down here for awhile but converters were being stolen off car dealer lots, copper wiring from the empty factories and the outside AC units were being stolen from churches. Even manhole covers were being stolen. All for scrap. It slowed down when laws were passed where the the scrap dealers had to record the personal information of anyone who sold scrap and what they sold. Scrap prices are down as well.

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Old 01-29-2020, 07:16 AM   #15
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This makes no sense at all. A saws-all will cut through that rebar just as easy as the exhaust pipe. The constant heat from the converter and cooling will aid in the annealing process of the rebar.



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Old 01-29-2020, 07:51 AM   #16
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"Even manhole covers were being stolen. All for scrap"


In many older towns like Boston the man hole covers are cast iron works of art , some a century old.


They become high buck tables .


Converters are sold as converters , not scrapped , as converters are expensive.
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Old 01-29-2020, 07:54 AM   #17
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That sucks!

This makes feel fortunate we have the facility available that we do and makes the rather hefty monthly fee seem more worth it.

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Old 01-29-2020, 08:16 AM   #18
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This makes no sense at all. A saws-all will cut through that rebar just as easy as the exhaust pipe. The constant heat from the converter and cooling will aid in the annealing process of the rebar.
It makes very good sense to me. I doubt that converter heat would change the re-bar. Even if it does it would require more cuts and time to get the converter. After going thru the hassle of replacing a converter anything that might prevent a theft makes sense. Yes a saws-all will cut re-bar and the pipe, but anything that makes a thief have to make more cuts might make them go some where else.

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Old 01-29-2020, 08:42 AM   #19
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Talking

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Doppleganger

Thanks for the photo--I will be making something similar to yours to protect from another thief.

Btm

Well, wasn't mine, just a photo I found. I've seen that picture in a "When you park in a sketchy neighborhood" meme, too. There are actually pre-made devices that clamp on to the cat to slow them down, too. Funny thing, is that only OEM cats really have a value to them, aftermarket ones don't.


Straight pipes and spark plug no-foulers have no value, either.
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Old 01-29-2020, 08:43 AM   #20
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Would the RV storage owners possibly be responsible for the cost involved? Or are they park at your own risk?
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