Catalytic converter protection

Are you insured? It’ll be an expensive replacement in CA

 

Yes, I am insured. I already filed a claim, but insurance company referring me to body shops that don’t do this kind of work. So I am doing my own research on what are my options at this point.

 

This has nothing to do with a body shop. You just go to a mechanic (like a dealer) and they will take over the claim from there. DO NOT GO TO A BODY SHOP. I can recommend a mechanic to you that can replace the catalytic, it's not a job of the body shop to replace these parts

 

Unless they are stopped during their getaway, a thief would be a fool not to etch off the number as soon as they arrived home.

And the moment after they obliterate the VIN, they just say, "Yeah, I saw that when I purchased it and was wondering why it looked like that."

 

This is ridiculous. Still waiting for parts to be sent to Toyota dealer! It’s been almost 2 months. Anyone else still waiting on a catalytic converter?

 

This supply problem is sim to the 4th gen exhaust heat recovery failures: if the parts are unavailable, for MONTHS, they (gov, automotive manufacturers) should get together, allow temp fixes.

 

You can probably do just that until your next inspection time so if that's a year away at least you're not stranded more renting

 

He may have some difficulty finding an in-state shop to do that.

 

I guess there are no aftermarket parts made for the Gen 3 I find that hard to imagine but I guess it could be possible. If it is I would just order one and stick it on the car myself for now until the mess get straightened out with the government or the suppliers the car all runs just fine and if you're a year out from inspection or whatever You've got that much time I'd even try to fly it through inspection just for the hell of it all they can do is fail it and if they don't look and see it or don't notice it good on you. I can't believe that all these places in California are that thorough nah not even in New England places where they have similar emissions after you know the people at the place they don't mess with you too tough. You run the car in there and go through the same BS and you're talking to the dude hanging out smoking a cigarette or whatever he's not looking to rock the boat generally speaking at least they weren't in western Massachusetts. I guess in California buttholes could be clenched all the time I don't know I don't live there purposely.

 

Yeah you'd have to take that to a mod shop somebody that works on race cars and weird cars and old cars and all that sort of thing and if you were to have one of these aftermarket parts unboxed unwrapped he'll sit it out in the rain for a couple of days and let it start rusting even and you carry that over to him and it doesn't look brand new I can't even imagine it's not on him to make sure that the part is compliant for the government he's installing the part you supplied I don't think that they're going to come and give him a good whack for that if anybody even spots it.

 

There are numerous aftermarket parts for Gen3 that are legal or passable in most states, but not in California. And just one that was approved in CA last year, but also in short supply.

That works for people who can DIY, and have an out-of-state address to ship it to. Numerous aftermarket suppliers won't ship their not-CA-legal cats to a CA address.

From past replies, it appears that some readers have succeeded at some places. But there are enough competent and honest places in the CA mixture to make this a crapshoot.

 

I'm sure the people that get through this have a list somewhere or talk someplace or do whatever they may not be the kind of people you want to be talking to I do understand that but I would have no problem communicating with them I know they exist because the Latin community there is huge la Rasa. And all that so I know all that stuff is possible My brother lives out in California I haven't wasted much time out there but crime is ramping out there just like it is out here in the east so it is a happening thing it just ain't happening on this list I do's understand that No problem I don't want to talk about crime here no issues If I was there a couple phone calls we can get it happening but that's just me. Nobody's going to tell me about driving my car. Hell I haven't had a license in 26 years I drive everyday most all day If I get stopped in the four state area that I'm in they don't even write me a ticket and I have the lowest insurance rates in the country with six cars on them and pay about $840 a year. So much for legal beagle crap. Again this is my situation No shite. And everybody else is completely different I understand this.

 

I spray painted mine with a high viz orange paint, than scribed the vin number into it. Figured if the paint baked on over time, they would have to use abrasives to get it off and signs it was stolen. After that, I installed the stainless steel CatShield. Stainless is much harder to cut through than aluminum and will a lot more noise if they tried to cut it.

A neighbor of mine just installed CatStrap kit on his Tundra. Cable and bands that wrap around the cat/exhaust to help prevent cutting through it.

Anything that deters them or causes them a few more mins to mess with should make them move on the next vehicle.

 

Does anyone know where or how I can get an aftermarket cat converter in CA?

 

i think magnaflow is the only one approved

 

Lol! “Not for sale in California”

 

@AceJacob

Magnaflow is the only CARB compliant converter, I just got mine in August and they are already out of stock.

Wait time was about a year for me with an email sign up to get notified.

I got the direct fit cat 5631455

OEM has no ETA and toyota is not producing parts for it anymore.

 

If true, Toyota’s leaving a lot of customers in the lurch.

 

Toyota motor sales USA is leaving a lot of people in the whatever I would expect no other behavior from an American company please. And then all the states that are in cahoots with that there you go That's why I live where I live because of no emissions and all that sort of thing Nice big Southern state with plenty of air and water. So until that changes you know nothing will get done with anything. So now all those people in those states are just supposed to suck it up and go out and get a new car loan leave the thing sitting down in the driveway or hauled off for junk seem like it's going to be a buyer's market for folks it junk yards will have plenty of parts. Disgusting