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Cat Shield Recommendations?

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by Rebound, Aug 17, 2021.

  1. Rebound

    Rebound Senior Member

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    Cats are getting stolen a lot here so I want to install a cat shield. A thief might get away with unbolting a cat in front of my home in the middle of the night, but for sure he won’t get away with running a grinder or a drill to get the cat shield off.

    Any recommendations for shields which you personally bought and installed? (I know I can Google and stuff; I want recs from people who have done this.)
     
  2. The Critic

    The Critic Resident Critic

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    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.
     
    #2 The Critic, Aug 17, 2021
    Last edited: Aug 17, 2021
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  3. xliderider

    xliderider Senior Member

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    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. 20210508_205357.jpeg

    Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
     
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  4. Georgina Rudkus

    Georgina Rudkus Senior Member

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  5. Rebound

    Rebound Senior Member

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    If the thief gets the security bit, can’t he just take the cat shield off in a minute?
     
  6. Georgina Rudkus

    Georgina Rudkus Senior Member

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    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.
     
  7. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    Does this make lots of rattling noises?
     
  8. Rebound

    Rebound Senior Member

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    That makes sense. The Miller Cat comes with thick standoffs which keep the rear of the shield about half an inch away from the frame. Now I see why... it's to prevent rattles.
     
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  9. Georgina Rudkus

    Georgina Rudkus Senior Member

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    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.
     
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  10. The Critic

    The Critic Resident Critic

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

    xliderider Senior Member

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    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.

    Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
     
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  12. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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

    Rebound Senior Member

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    Then…do any of these shields really prevent theft?

    I’m not trying to be a jerk; I just want to install the right thing.
     
  14. Georgina Rudkus

    Georgina Rudkus Senior Member

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

    The Critic Resident Critic

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

    Rebound Senior Member

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    I just ordered one. Thanks, buddy!
     
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  17. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    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.
     
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  18. burrito

    burrito Active Member

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    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
     
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  19. NewHybridOwner

    NewHybridOwner Active Member

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    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."
     
  20. xliderider

    xliderider Senior Member

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

    Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.