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Question about CC shield: do I also need custom locking bolts?

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by Kelsuhh, Apr 29, 2021.

  1. Kelsuhh

    Kelsuhh Junior Member

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    Hi PriusChat,

    I've still got my trusty 2008 Toyota Prius at 215k, and I want to keep it as long as I can. Somehow, I've managed to not have my catalytic converter stolen so far, but I obviously need a shield on it (living in Portland, OR, so it is truly just a matter of time.) I trust the shop I take it to a lot, but I'm not fully understanding the suggestion they made. Could someone explain to me?

    They suggested the "Cat Security Shield Lvl 2 upgrade" (can't include a link, but the $250 one from Cat Security). They also suggested adding ""custom prius cat locking bolts". I understand the idea of the shield, but I had thought it was possible for someone to sawzall through the entire shield, and the point is just to make that too much of a pain in the nice person. If I don't get some extra-annoying bolts, could it also technically just be taken off? I'm guessing the idea is to just make this all as big of a hassle as possible, but I wanted to make sure I was understanding right.

    Tl;dr: Getting a shield + custom bolts and then just trying to park somewhere safe is the best deterrent, right?

    Is there anything else folks on here have tried and liked for their purposes?

    Thanks for reading!
     
  2. SFO

    SFO Senior Member

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  3. Kelsuhh

    Kelsuhh Junior Member

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    Ah yes, extremely helpful. Thanks so much for linking those, my bad for adding to the noise.

    Makes me wonder if I should just sell the stupid thing myself and replace with aftermarket, as some folks are saying...
     
  4. SFO

    SFO Senior Member

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    If possible, store it in a safe place to sell in the future, as it will increase in value as time marches on.
     
  5. ETC(SS)

    ETC(SS) The OTHER One Percenter.....

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    If somebody jacks your car up, throws out some lookouts or a block car, and slides underneath with a pipe cutter, they're gonna take the cat regardless of whether or not it's an OEM unit. Especially at night and if they're in a hurry.

    So....I would only sell the OEM cat if it were worth more (real world) than the time and parts it would take for you to source and install an aftermarket replacement, otherwise the juice just isn't going to be worth all the squeezing.

    If you already have the cat shield it won't hurt to put it on.
    It's like a speed bump.
    It won't stop every thief, or maybe even very many of them, but it will slow down the less determined.

    I do not think that it will matter in the end what type of fasteners you use....because the would-be thief isn't going to burn a bunch of clock sitting there unscrewing them.
    They're already practiced up and know where to cut the cat shield, or they will move on to the next victim.
    Besides.....unless you use something like SS rivets the only person who is going to have a hard time removing the fasteners is somebody who doesn't have anything faster than dial-up internet.

    SO....If you insist on staying in Portland with a G2, (it was a fantastic city 20 years ago!!) I would diy install the shield with whatever fasteners they shipped it with and save up for a replacement cat.
    Since you live in a place that (shockingly!) actually allows people to replace stolen cats with aftermarket units, your loss is limited to about $200-$400 per theft.

    That ain't nothing, but it's not worth hiring 24-hour security or lying awake at night worrying about.

    If you decide to sell the cat shield to somebody who lives behind the tinsel curtain, this site had a "For-Sale" forum.

    Good Luck!!
     
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  6. Georgina Rudkus

    Georgina Rudkus Senior Member

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    No need for custom bolts. Just fill the socket heads with putty or sealant. That makes them tedious and time consuming to dig out with a micro blade screwdriver.

    However, nothing is impervious to the battery powered angle grinder with an abrasive cutoff wheel. Angling the edge will grind off any fastener in a few seconds.

    Then, again, it can be used to cut off the exhaust pipe, too.

    I do paint the exhaust system including the cat with orange VHT paint and put yellow "catalytic converter engraved" stickers in the windows.



    A thief will almost always shine a flashlight under the car and look. Just seeing the exhaust painted orange might make him or her think of going elsewhere.
     
    #6 Georgina Rudkus, Apr 30, 2021
    Last edited: Apr 30, 2021
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  7. Kelsuhh

    Kelsuhh Junior Member

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    That absolutely makes sense, but it’s also so funny to me. Investing in gold is OUT, investing in the rare minerals of my 15 year old car is IN :ROFLMAO:isn’t life strange?
     
  8. Kelsuhh

    Kelsuhh Junior Member

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    that actually does seem like a reasonable and low cost thing to do as an extra “speed bump”, as the other commenter said. Thanks for linking the specific spray paint you used.
     
  9. Kelsuhh

    Kelsuhh Junior Member

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    informative post! Can you talk more about the fasteners? What is an “SS Rivet”? None of this stuff is my wheelhouse but I’m interested in learning.

    I’m sure they’d steal whatever cat they saw, yeah. A part of me is just salty at the thought of them getting to sell the expensive OEM one instead of me! But the real-world cost of time/energy isn’t something I’ve got much of right now either.

    As far as insisting on staying in Portland with a G2, when I moved here ~7yrs ago I had a 95 Honda Civic that someone immediately tried to steal when I went into a Goodwill for 30min. :) (previous owner installed a kill switch and the car didnt start unless the turn signal was on. Good memories.) so I have accepted that I’ll always be a little behind the curve, lmao. I like my car, and unless it becomes impossible to drive it around in peace, I’d rather not shell out for something else. Besides, thankfully, I’ve not heard of CC theft happening in the middle of the woods, where I really like taking the car.
     
  10. ETC(SS)

    ETC(SS) The OTHER One Percenter.....

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    That was me not being clear.
    SS for 'stainless steel' as opposed to some of the aluminum 'pop rivets' that some people use.
    As @Georgina Rudkus mentioned, you can just fill whatever fasteners you get with the shield in to make them harder to back out.
    Layered defense - or "defense in depth" if you want to get fancy.
     
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  11. Georgina Rudkus

    Georgina Rudkus Senior Member

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    Aluminum rivets are easily drilled out with a high speed steel drill bit on a battery powered drill, since the bit easily "bites" into the soft metal.

    Stainless steel is hard to drill and if it bites at all, the there is not enough friction between the rivet and the holes to keep the rivet from spinning in the holes. Adding a closely fitted stainless steel washer increases the likelihood of the spinning.
     
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