Stolen catalytic converter in london uk

This is getting beyond bad now.

How is this allowed to go on unchallenged by the authorities. I am hearing about this crime numerous times a day now, yet nothing is being done.

A few well placed 'dummy' cars need to be set up and surveillance needs to be in place. Nothing short of catching them in the actual act seems to be enough for the Police.

As things stand this crime is almost being allowed to carry on through a total lack of any interest from the Police. The criminals seemingly have cart blanch to do as they please.

 

All the CCTV footage seen so far clearly indicates that the first thing these scrotes do, is drop to the floor to take a look at the CAT. It happens virtually every time.

Only after they’ve verified it’s an OEM CAT, do they proceed to jack up the vehicle and cut it out.

Can you please direct us to specific reports of Prius CATs being stolen a 2nd time?
This might happen IF an original OEM CAT costing £1,800 was installed by Toyota and hadn’t been protected with a wrap around cage solution - yeah, they’d sell their grannies to steal that one too.
Steal a cheap replacement? Highly unlikely and not worth the risk for them - especially as the owners will be alert, paranoid and rather angry. A return to the scene of the crime could result in risk of injury to the thieves.
They’re not entirely stupid.

I have postulated that illiterate copycat thieves could target any Prius, thinking they’re hitting the mother lode......and goodness knows we have our fair share of get rich quick illiterates fresh out of school (a.k.a. Moped muggers).

That MIGHT happen, but so far, those incidents are at best anecdotal.

If anyone has a definitive link to such an incident (excluding gutter press reporters trying to embellish an article with fake news or tow truck drivers telling tales of the unlikely......

Anecdote: Shortly after I got my 2008 Prius back last December 2018, I took it into Toyota for its yearly service.
I spoke to the sales guy arranging my service, and asked him if there was anything 2nd Gen Prius owners could do to protect themselves - as in, were there any aftermarket devices to help with protecting from these thefts, as I’d just had a new CAT fitted.

I was shocked at his totally unsympathetic and almost sarcastic and wholly unhelpful response. He said there was absolutely NOTHING we could do. There were absolutely NO security solutions available anywhere. There wasn’t the slightest hint of sympathy, caring or concern. He seemed to revel in our plight.
His view was that we were STUFFED. His utter lack of sympathy was particularly disturbing to see.

He wasn’t to know I had already ordered a 2 x CatStrap Security systems from the US. Or that I was signed up to Prius Chat. Or that I’d intimately studied my Prius from one end to the other.

I had to point out possible solutions online (on my iPad) forcing him to glibly retract his previous statements.

I guess the idea was to get 2nd Gen owners to speedily part exchange their vehicles for peanuts out of fear, and gratefully anything from the next model up. Basically a cringeworthy salesman ploy.
I wasn’t impressed!

Also, they must have been rubbing their hands gleefully as some customers brought their CAT burgled Prii to them for an OEM replacement at almost £2,000 per replacement. They were even out of OEM CATs at the time and were waiting for a fresh consignment from Japan.

Even dealerships lie these days. Anything for a quick buck! That’s just despicable. It’s very difficult to pick out the truth these days


iPad ? Pro

 

I was reading a post earlier in this thread, where it was mentioned that this could make Gen 2 Priuses go extinct; it is very true; I saw some very cheap one when looking on eBay a few days ago, and when looking at the description, they were perfect cars, but it said 'cat has been stolen'.

There is a parallel between the UK-built Nissan Bluebird and the (Gen 2 in this case) Prius - both very reliable cars with a long lifespan, which suddenly get destroyed / made nearly extinct by thieves. Both ended up being Taxis (and driving in my white Bluebird in the UK I was often flagged down!), and in the UK, once the Bluebirds became rarer, they started being stolen for banger-racing. This happened to my first Bluebird; I was in NZ at the time, but they used a HIAB to access because it had been parked such that it 'couldn't' be stolen. At least they didn't get the engine (well, they got an engine with a blown head gasket, head removed partially, and probably rusted to nothing). The bodywork was still in perfect condition. I wrote a letter to the Judge, for what it was worth, when they eventually found who did it (when the car ended up at the scrapyard after banger-racing). I'm sure not much happened to the thieves, although I was sent a letter asking me to turn up to proceedings, and it did list the full name of the defendant.

The same is now happening to Gen 2 Priuses, except due to stealing catalytic convertors. Can someone link a good cage if there is one (I saw some earlier in this thread?). Do any cages actually bolt to the car so they can't be removed too easily? If not, it might be worth seeing where the fuel lines are, etc, to see if it is feasible?

 

They might have as well signed a non interference pact with the Police (metaphorically speaking of course); ensuring that they will never be disturbed or otherwise harassed or apprehended by the UK police while carrying out their dastardly Platinum Heist at our collective expenses. Anonymity guaranteed .

Victimless crime? Really scary hearing that come from the police after you’ve been hit by these smooth criminals.

There’s nothing wrong with these scrotes that a chunk of solid resistance wouldn’t cure. The real wonder is that normally law abiding British motorists patience haven’t snapped already and gone medieval on their worthless hides already.

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A quick question... I haven't looked at the exhaust of my NWH20, but... how electrically isolated is the exhaust, from the point of the cat that is being stolen, back? If it is like some older cars I have worked under, it is on rubber mounts.

In theory, it could be possible to connect a wire near the back of the exhaust and (using an additional 12v battery), monitor for continuity. Then, sound a ridiculously loud alarm (or other electronic countermeasures) if continuity is broken... The first 'cut' of the cat would then activate the alarm, and it might even stop them making the second cut. If I lived in London, a cheap higher-res USB webcam attached to a very cheap laptop hidden in the boot might be in order also...

 

If these guys are not British citizens can they be deported?

 

I know full well the insurance company will only authorise a Pattern part replacement, so am intending to get a cage fitted around that cat, as I'm hoping to have the car for a few more years. I just don't want the hassle of claiming on my insurance again for a new Cat any time soon. Thankfully I do have a second car to use for the time being, just had a look at the Prius and there's no damage to jacking points or under the car, which leads me to think they never jacked it up in the first place, which is a possibility. The Wife's Grandfather had his CAT stolen back in December from his Prius, didn't think mine would be so soon after.

 

No, because of the right to movement within the EU (I need to catch up on what Brexit is doing these days; I think it will be a disaster and I think they will keep freedom of movement anyway) :/

 

I think you're on the money there Data. The total lack of interest and complete acceptance by the Police is quite astounding.

Guaranteed though. If one of these miscreants is in any way harmed by a Prius owner during their theft I am pretty sure the Police will find the time to prosecute the owner. Further more if the jack collapsed onto one of them (please let this happen!!) during one of their thefts I am sure they would claim from the driver's insurance - and they'd get assistance from the local constabulary to aid their quest!!

 

They’d have to be caught first. 8 months and the Police can’t seem to pull their finger out and catch them.
Allegedly, it’s a victimless crime, so we’re supposed to metaphorically drape ourselves over yon Rusty Barrels, drop our britches, and allow them to plunder us with unbridled impunity and a shocking sense of entitlement.

We also have no right to mount a retaliatory response if we are accosted by these parasites. Break that rule, and face the wrath of your local constabulary.

You really couldn’t make it up.

We truly ARE the laughing stock of the solar system.


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You’re quite right!

This is absolutely depressing!


iPad ? Pro

 

You are definitely right about the replacement pattern part. A new OEM CAT from Toyota for my car would have cost a lot more than my car is actually worth, so I was grateful they replaced it with a patterned part. Otherwise it would have been written off, and I would have been apoplectic.

 

totally understand how you feel about the police, I was told that there has been two thefts today, the other car was a Mazda from a car park about 300m away, in Asda's car park. I rang Catloc to tell them of the theft, they said that to encode a new CAT I would have to pay another £10 for a new kit, so another cost I will have to pay for. Just irritates me that people can go round doing this, and get away with it.

 

So what exactly did you get for paying the first time? I mean you pay them money and you mark your cat and now it’s stolen. Now what happens?

 

By the sounds of it, F*ck all.

 

The problem with catalytic convertors is that the get hot. If they didn't, it would be very interesting to set one of those panic alarms, attached to the car (maybe on a piece of wire, and the 'pull tag' attached to the car - all 'invisible' if you are just jacking the car up and stealing the cat. The thief would end up with a very loud situation on their hands. If the cat was attached by another, longer wire, or even a piece of chain, again hidden, it might make them give up in their panic.

 

What did they say would happen? You get a new cat? Your insurance costs go down? What exactly did you pay them for? What is the purpose of their service?

 

I should of looked into it more, as it seems I'm only using their coding kit so that in the event of the CAT being found, it would be returned to me or the culprits who were apprehended being prosecuted after being found with a stolen CAT. As I can't see the CAT being returned to myself, I begrudge paying £10 for another bloody Kit so I have to encode the CAT myself.

 

So basically they take your 10 pounds and put your number into a database with the police? The police around here were doing that for free, including etching the number into the cat.

 

So, I was thinking about it; these thieves do smash-and-grab attacks on our cars. A cage is a good idea; assuming they can't chop it off?. An idea I had:

If it was possible to get a piece of sheet metal, mild steel, about the shape of the red square, cut out the yellow area to improve airflow, drill holes in it and bend it so that it isn't flat (so that there is more room for the cat to dissipate heat)...

Assuming that the black areas under the car are metal and not plastic, then on the diagram above, the blue lines represent screws and bolts that face upwards from the steel sheet. they would point at least 45 degrees 'backwards'.

The red circles would then be where the sheet metal is attached to the car.

The owner could then, having fabricated the sheet, put the four blue screws in, bend them forwards, simply put the sheet under the car, get the blue screws to enter the holes, and when moving the sheet 'flush', the screws will then be 'hooked' into those holes. If some bolts were placed in the holes where the red circles are before this, the bolts could be guided through pre-made holes in the sheets, and some nuts tightly fitted, holding the entire sheet in place.

Assuming the black area is metal, the only issues remaining would be drill holes / modify the sheet so in such a way to *ensure* there is adequate cooling. I would also want to check the location of any wiring and fuel lines and brake lines. It would be important to ensure that passive cooling of the cat is not too impaired.

If this was safe and possible it would likely stop the problem!