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Stolen catalytic converter in london uk

Discussion in 'Newbie Forum' started by Priusinlondon, Aug 24, 2018.

  1. Data Daedalus

    Data Daedalus Senior Member

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    I guess I could get the local constabulary to finally show up, if I caught one or two of these parasitic scrotes ripping off a Prius red handed and proceeded to go (proverbially speaking) medieval on their hind bits.....And lo! Quicker than you can say “Jackie Onassis”, they’d be here in a shot!

    They’d turn up in 5 cars, sirens blazing, and I’d surely get a dose of a couple of truncheons - after I’d been accurately tasered repeatedly for daring to brazenly protect my own property.

    The CAT burglars would get off scot-free and I’d be plastered all over the front page news (with a suitably haggard picture of me looking like a decidedly demented swivel-eyed loony, keenly foaming at the mouth).

    I can see the headlines now......“Psychotic Prius owner inflicts grievous bodily harm on two innocent Prius lovers who were taking a keen interest in the aerodynamic underneath of his car”.

    The thieves would be given free legal aid to sue me to the point where I’ll end up attired in a wooden barrel with straps, hanging off my shoulders (a.k.a. Taken to the cleaners). I’d probably have to sell my kidneys on the internet to pay them off.

    I’d eventually end up in London’s equivalent of Arkham Mental Asylum, driven stark raving mad by the very System meant to protect me.

    And justice, by their reckoning, would have been served!

    Where’s the Batman when you really need him?

    (I wrote this out of despair, because I was bored....!!! ).




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  2. Skibob

    Skibob Senior Member

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    You get the government you deserve. Start voting for someone who will crack down on real crime and help him get elected.
     
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  3. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    You need the right signal:

    upload_2018-12-18_14-5-13.png
     
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  4. Leadfoot J. McCoalroller

    Leadfoot J. McCoalroller Senior Member

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    I thought the trick was to call emergency services, ask for help and then say "Actually wait, never mind... I'm going to take care of this one myself. Thanks for the pep talk!"
     
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  5. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    yeah, elect someone who's tough on crime like we did ;)
     
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  6. El Dobro

    El Dobro A Member

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    Maybe it's the Bobbies just trying to make a living. :p
     
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  7. Steven Edwards

    Steven Edwards New Member

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    Update on the car: insurance company will pay me £1813 to keep the car. Garage can fix it for £580. Result happiness. Should be back on the road in the new year. Whoop.
     
  8. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    How long until the new Cat get's stolen though. Definitely insure yourself to the teeth.
     
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  9. Data Daedalus

    Data Daedalus Senior Member

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    The thing about thieves in London, is that they’re all cowards - every single one of those spineless roaches. They’re disgusting opportunists who think they’re incredibly smart, a bit like rats.

    They want those valuable twin nuggets of Platinum / Palladium / Rhodium from under the Gen 2 in under 90 seconds of risky work. That’s the only gamble they’re prepared to take. Under the vehicle, out in scant seconds and off in a getaway vehicle with no pursuits.

    They certainly DO NOT want to spend 15 minutes or more struggling with security cages and disabling alarms while they get spotted by the vehicle owner who might rally the locals and ultimately attack him with malice aforethought.

    They don’t want to be there long enough to discover the seemingly mild mannered bespectacled Prius driver is really just another Bruce Banner in disguise who is actually ALWAYS ANGRY.

    They don’t want a knife in the guts, a well placed kick to the unmentionables, or a sound beating from a bystander or the irate owner who is ready to defend his Prius to the death.

    They DO do a check for any security before attacking the vehicle. IF they find it has security, they’ll sure as hell WALK AWAY.

    We need a solid and effective security solution, (see CatStrap) - otherwise, Insurance in the UK is just another government supported SCAM. You loose every which way - believe me.

    So, instead of relying on extra insurance (an arm here, a leg there...) we need a reliable CAT security solution that will put these parasites off harvesting any Prius fitted with it.

    Personally, I’d prefer a system that would result in the painful demise of the thief.....but I am reliably informed that such a security solution would be highly illegal. Shame. They deserve the very worst punishment really


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  10. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    Can you convert an arm and a leg to Pounds or US dollars? It seems to me it's a financial impact on insurers, not vigilantism posturing, that will get the police motivated.
     
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  11. Steven Edwards

    Steven Edwards New Member

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    The possibility that it could happen again is a real concern to me. However if the repair works out well, I'll be back on the road in a car I know and love. That to me is a win over the scumbags who disrupted my family's life. I'll have £1200 quid profit in the bank which will help with the inevitable insurance premium increase. At the moment I'm working on the principle that lightning rarely strikes twice. I'll also be keeping a keen eye out for said scumbags.
     
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  12. Data Daedalus

    Data Daedalus Senior Member

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    I can see where you’re coming from - your observations would work in any proper and decent society where insurance does its job properly.
    I’m incredibly lucky my Prius was repaired under an insurance claim - likely because I had Business Insurance, and had shelled out for extra clauses like enhanced courtesy car and legal aid, protected no claims bonus et al.

    They will of course try and recoup their losses from ME with future with steeply increased premium costs for my insurance. When I questioned this, considering I had done nothing wrong, they simply shrugged and claimed that since they couldn’t identify who was responsible for the theft of my CAT, I get penalised financially. As I said, the UK insurance companies literally get to eat their cake and have it.

    A few years ago, it was NOT like this.....but legislation gets quietly changed under the counter, the rules are skewed in favour of the insurers and the customer is taken to the cleaners.

    A significant number of affected Prius owners have been given “short shrift” and had their cars written off, forcing some to buy it back off the insurance company and then repair it themselves, while others get a derisory payment and loose the car altogether.

    Many car insurance premiums are not worth the paper they are printed on. I was incredibly lucky.

    The Police here (bless them) are badly underfunded (and have been over the last 5 years) so they’re cutting their services in response, now unable to do the job they used to do so well. It never used to be like this years ago.

    The Police in London particularly have been neutered to the point of being largely ineffective. Despite my sarcasm towards their plight, it REALLY isn’t their fault. And I guess a “few” Prii being plundered by criminals is the least of their worries. They don’t even turn up to burglaries anymore, as they haven’t the resources.

    If my CAT gets stolen again, my insurance Company could refuse to insure me. I’ve seen it happen to a motorcyclist who had her bike stolen twice, despite all security protocols being adhered to and the bike being fully alarmed, chained, et al.

    So yes, in an ideal society what you said is absolutely true. Just not here....sadly


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  13. Skibob

    Skibob Senior Member

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    You know nothing is a scarier sound to a thief than the sound of someone racking a round into a 12 gauge pump. You guys need more of those.
     
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  14. Keberos

    Keberos New Member

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    Unfortunately I became the victim of the cat converter theft today having parked in a local supermarket car park. When I returned to my Prius the engine roared. I immediately took it to the garage where they told me the cat converter had been cut off. Unbelievable.

    I was totally unaware that this was a crime that was on the rise and there seems to be no publicity regarding it at all. I was glad to have come across this website to vent.

    I reported the crime to the police obviously but now I’m absolutely stuck in determining what to do next.

    My Prius is a 2008 model with only 45,000 miles on the clock. It’s been a fab car and I really don’t want to get rid of it.

    I have some questions if anyone might be willing to answer them?

    Am I safe to drive the car to the garage in order to have the new cat converter fitted? It’s a about a five minute journey from my house.

    Do I have to report the theft to my insurance company or can I just have the part replaced myself?

    The garage have told me they can lock the new cat converter down to the car to help prevent a further theft has anyone done this and do you think it will work to deter any further attempts.
     
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  15. The Governor

    The Governor Junior Member

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    Mine got taken yesterday at midday near croydon and a friend had his taken half a hour after mine in Norwood SE London. I have the whole incident on cctv and also dash cam footage as the sensor got triggered. I’m trying to up load but the forum won’t allow me. The car which took mine was a black skoda Octavia reg: SL11YLX. It has been reported but the police obviously have bigger fish to fry. I’ve done my own investigation on the car and it’s a cloned plate, and not even from the same model car it belongs to a skoda superb and it’s registered in Glasgow. They clearly just found it on the web as if you search the reg old you tube videos come up of the car for sale.
    They guys took mine look very similar to other images I have seen on the chat group.
    Anyway I will try to up load or even still images if the videos don’t work.
    Considering sending this to the daily mail as the love a video but waiting for the police to collect the evidence first. If they ever contact me back. The catstrap looks spot on and I’m trying to get them to ship to the uk. I’m willing to even buy a few and sell the rest on eBay.
     

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  16. RobH

    RobH Senior Member

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  17. Skibob

    Skibob Senior Member

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    You guys need to dispense some vigilante justice already. Bait the wankers with a Prius then 10 of you go out with baseball bats and beat the snot out of those punks and set their car on fire. Have some tossaway knifes on you and throw them on the ground next to them when they are too beaten to use them.
     
    #157 Skibob, Dec 19, 2018
    Last edited: Dec 19, 2018
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  18. Data Daedalus

    Data Daedalus Senior Member

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    Burglars now so brazen they don't even wait until you've left home https://mol.im/a/6513815

    This is why they’re getting away with it!


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  19. Data Daedalus

    Data Daedalus Senior Member

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    It’s clearly the same two guys from the previous video, judging from their body build, and what is visible of their faces. They’ve now ironically graduated to covering the lower half of their faces. Just like REAL highway robbers.


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  20. jack black

    jack black Active Member

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    this is weird, this was common in states way back in 2008 when platinum prices were high, but now when platinum is cheap, makes no sense whatsoever.
     
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