Two or three nights ago some [many expletives] persons with a cordless Sawzall stole the catalytic converter from our old Honda.:picard::censored: I have an appointment at our garage, but no clue yet what a replacement might cost. Well.....a quick search says about $700 for parts and $970 total. I have some hope that my faithful garage will beat that.

[QUOTE=kladner;533494]Two or three nights ago some [many expletives] persons with a cordless Sawzall stole the catalytic converter from our old Honda.[/QUOTE]
:bangheadonwall::spinner::s485122:

[QUOTE=kladner;533494]Two or three nights ago some [many expletives] persons with a cordless Sawzall stole the catalytic converter from our old Honda.:picard::censored:
<snip>[/QUOTE]A penalty too severe for people who do things like that, has yet to be devised by the wit of man.

I hope you filed a police report.

In theory, if your auto insurance had Comprehensive, you could file a claim for the replacement (less the deductible). In practice, it probably wouldn't be worth it.

I've heard that people take catalytic converters just for the valuable metal in them. Just like the thieves who steal copper wire, copper flashing, copper pipes, brass sprinkler control valves, etc.

IMO the metal scrap yards that [i]pay[/i] for stolen metal, no questions asked, should be put out of business.

You (or your mechanic) might be able to get a converter from a salvage yard. That would save you some dough.

[QUOTE=Dr Sardonicus;533504]IMO the metal scrap yards that [i]pay[/i] for stolen metal, no questions asked, should be put out of business.[/QUOTE]Some places have done things about it. [url]https://iscrapapp.com/scrap-laws/california/[/url]

I have filed a police report. I'm supposed to get a follow up call on that. On a 20 year old car, the insurance is purely liability. While the platinum or palladium in the converters is of value, I think the "pre-owned" parts market is more rewarding. Consider this "on the fly" chop shopping.


At least it still runs, if very loudly. EDIT: This encourages a feather-light foot on the gas pedal, but it's still loud. I guess that between reduced exhaust back pressure and very cautious acceleration one could get a couple more MPG from this incident.

[QUOTE=Dr Sardonicus;533504]You (or your mechanic) might be able to get a converter from a salvage yard. That would save you some dough.[/QUOTE]That way you might buy back your original converter. Seems like a great deal ... if you are a salvage yard owner.

It is probably the salvage yard owners that steal the things.

[QUOTE=retina;533518]That way you might buy back your original converter. Seems like a great deal ... if you are a salvage yard owner.

[U]It is probably the salvage yard owners that steal the things.[/U][/QUOTE]
Effectively, their free-lance minions do the harvesting. The yard owners are simple, honest second hand merchants. This is the "Gig Economy" at work. (Perhaps this ruse won't work in California, if the laws take effect there.)

[QUOTE=kladner;533514]I have filed a police report. I'm supposed to get a follow up call on that. On a 20 year old car, the insurance is purely liability. While the platinum or palladium in the converters is of value, I think the "pre-owned" parts market is more rewarding. Consider this "on the fly" chop shopping.[/quote]You're probably right. I checked, and in Illinois, scrap metal dealers can't (legally) buy "cats" that aren't attached to motor vehicles, except from people licensed to sell them for scrap, or who have the paperwork to show they own them or are acting for the owner.

If the people I've read about who've gotten caught stealing copper and brass are any guide, thieves who steal "cats" are likely meth addicts who want to turn them into cash. And folks who offer cash for "cats" are likely selling them as parts. In short, they are "fences."
[quote]At least it still runs, if very loudly. EDIT: This encourages a feather-light foot on the gas pedal, but it's still loud. I guess that between reduced exhaust back pressure and very cautious acceleration one could get a couple more MPG from this incident.[/QUOTE]
The car should perform as you indicate until repaired. Having filed a police report, and made an appointment to effect repairs, should insure you don't get ticketed for driving a car without a catalytic converter.

[QUOTE=retina;533518]That way you might buy back your original converter. Seems like a great deal ... if you are a salvage yard owner.

It is probably the salvage yard owners that steal the things.[/QUOTE]No. No legitimate salvage yard would buy "cats" that weren't still attached to motor vehicles. And I doubt a licensed mechanic would have anything to do with one that did.

There are plenty of perfectly legitimate "pull and pay" salvage yards where customers can legally buy parts for way less than at a parts shop. The yard buys junk cars, and lets customers cannibalize them for parts. I'm sure many of them count resourceful mechanics among their customers.

[QUOTE=kladner;533494]Two or three nights ago some [many expletives] persons with a cordless Sawzall stole the catalytic converter from our old Honda.[/QUOTE]That's what video surveillance is for. Where I used to work, we had daytime incursions of big brutes stealing hefty lumps of metal from the fenced storage yard, in full view of the cameras, to the extent that their auto appeared to be departing uphill due to an overloaded trunk. They "got away with it" until they'd pulled enough such petty heists with repetitions at various businesses that law enforcement could pattern them, like hunters study the behavior and path patterns of prey, and arrange to be in their path. These louts imagine that everyone is as intellectually challenged as they are.

Many years ago there was a custom-built stainless steel quasi-toroidal quilt of explosion-formed sections welded together, approx cost $15,000 US, for part of the vacuum vessel of a plasma physics instrumentation research machine [URL]https://hsx.wisc.edu/[/URL], stolen from a contractor's storage yard. It and the culprits were located by someone touring the area scrap yards inquiring if anyone had brought in something resembling a thick walled culvert that had been run over by a truck. The crime netted the perps the price of a case of ordinary mass market beer, plus felony theft charges as serious as if they had stolen a new car.

[QUOTE]That's what video surveillance is for.[/QUOTE]'Twould be nice to catch the mofos, but when we moved we lost off-street parking. The car was parked about half a block up the street when they hit. A coworker said that such thefts have been happening in her nearby neighborhood, too. With the restrictions on the purchase of 'cats' in Illinois, I wonder if some receiver of stolen goods is transporting the loot out of state.

Got the cat replaced yesterday. $1170.84 total. $120 labor, $871.94 for the cat, $71.20 for the rear O[SUP]2[/SUP] sensor which got damaged or torn out.