Tips For Preventing Catalytic Converter Theft
By Verdad Gallardo

Sadly, it could happen to anyone...

 

It’s easy - catch and punish the bad guys that are stealing which will deter future thefts. Or buy an EV!

 

Easier said than done. These thieves tend to strike at hours when most people are asleep.....typically 1 to 4 AM.

 

The best way to curb the problem is to have stricter laws. Like most things in my particular region, there is no patrol and no consequence. It really is as simple as that.

 

True dat! The problem is that the potential punishment isn't stiff enough. So long as there is not some serious consequence for theft of almost any kind, there will be those who will take - just for the thrill of getting something for nothing.

If thieves were punished for a felony (theft of under $500 is considered petty theft in Texas and handled as a misdemeanor, while a theft of over $1500 is charged as grand theft and is considered a felony, requiring jail time). I think this applies almost everywhere in the US. Jail time, and plenty of it would stop "petty" theft for certain. Going out and stealing anything is simply wrong, and if the thieves escape punishment for the theft of small items (to me, $500 is NOT a "small" crime) it will only encourage larger crimes in the future.

Why N0T steal if there is no consequence for the crime? A few weeks behind bars with the lovely denizens of our county jails should straighten almost anyone up.

 

I agree in principle, Bob, but no matter how strict or lenient the laws are, they mean little unless the perpetrators actually get caught. For example, we have laws against speeding, running stop lights, texting-while-driving, etc....but look at the enormous numbers of drivers who routinely ignore them and do it every day, never getting caught.

 

Due to all the catalytic converter thefts, we've gone entirely EV. This is the only way to stop this madness. </sarcasm font here>

 

Speeding is not organized crime while Catalytic Converter theft is.
These are mostly done by gangs that run a business of selling the parts to shops for $$$. Its not a random kid walking along and stealing it for fun.

Same for retail theft - it’s organized crime.

Unfortunately these days catching bad guys is no longer important so most ppl are on their own dealing with crime and much higher Insurance rates.

 

There are already reports of charging cables being stolen bec they can be sold off for its copper material. At least the battery is safe…..

https://www.kbb.com/car-news/ev-char...-theft-target/

 

Oooof yeah wouldn't doubt that people will find a reason and way to steal most anything. Luckily our cars are in the garage mostly.

 

LOL. Speeding is about as organized as crime gets. Probably half (or more) of all drivers do it.

The unscrupulous shops are probably the most to blame. They encourage the thefts....and sometimes even have contracts with these organized theft-rings.


Insurance companies sometimes try and go after these thieves on their own, to get compensation from them for what the companies had to pay out, but finding them and charging the thieves can often be very difficult if not impossible....not to mention the hassles of going to court.

 

We simply need a federal law making it a crime to possess/buy/sell/trade/recycle used cats, outside of licensed business franchises, regulated and overseen by each state (not unlike smog check businesses). Cats must come from automotive factories with engraved VIN's, and replacement cats should be required to have VIN's engraved as well. If you get caught possessing, selling, installing used cats, without VIN's...you get a mandatory jail sentence and fine!

 

Still won't do anything. The real solution is make cats worthless (here we don't need them and the only places they EVER get stolen is Cleveland where they do have emissions checks) or allow people to deal with the thieves without penalty. The second option will solve the problem very quickly

 

Thieves should be prosecuted using Middle East standards.

 

......Fine, until an innocent person gets shot because the car-owner thinks they were stealing something when they weren't.