Catalytic converters

[One-Off]

We were just at the Toyota dealer and he showed us 100 cars on the lot waiting for catalytic converters. He said it is such a big problem right now that it is a months long wait to get one. A new converter is well over $3000. He tried to sell us an anti theft shield for $700. Does this sound right? The extent of the problem, the wait time, the price?

 

[$kully]

Yep it's for real.

My friends down the street had two stolen in the last two months from both of their cars. One parked on the street and the second in their driveway. The first was from a Mitsubishi and they're still waiting on the part, and the second was for a Prius and they were told that the wait list on the part is around 6months! They're friendly with their mechanic and he was able to weld a pipe that bypasses where the cat converter would be straight to the muffler in both cars at no charge and their cars work and sound fine. Just won't pass a smog test.

I've been pulling our cars behind the gate into my backyard every night before bed. I don't need to be dealing with that kinda sh!t right now.

 

[$kully]

Also $700 seems steep for the antitheft device. I feel like I've heard more like $300-400. But supply and demand, as demand goes up so do prices.

 

[keenfish]

I removed my catalytic converter so the jokes on them if they try and steal mine.

 

[Pico]

Someone needs to develop a security system that lowers the car on the thief if it detects it being cut

 

[Pico]

I removed my catalytic converter so the jokes on them if they try and steal mine.

I’m looking at deleting the DPF on my 250

 

[Firebird]

A group of bad guys broke in to the city yard where I work and stole the catalytic converters off all of the city vehicles including the cop cars, dump trucks, old fire trucks, etc!
The only thing that saved the front line fire trucks was that they were parked in the engine house.
So, two weeks later after they were all replaced, the yard got broke into again and they hit all of the same vehicles!
Never caught the guys. No security cams. Your tax dollars at work.

 

[steamroller]

CatShield for a prius costs 160$ on amazon but you gotta install it yourself...so add 1.5 hrs under the car drilling and pop riveting...plus lots of cussing and about 5 broken drill bits per car.

..or you can buy the 3/16"diamond plate aluminum from homecdepot and fabricate your own...still costs about 100$ for the plate and another 1.5 hrs cutting drillining and measuring

prius is a hybrid so the smog guys dont need to stick the probe in the tailpipe...they just connect the OBD computer...if they steal your cat converter you can replace the missing section with a scrap piece and muffler tape it in so its quiet and add a low pass filter circuit spliced in series with the return sideof the downstream oxygen sensor...simple cpacitor resistor circuit that will fool the computer into thinking your catalytic converter is doing its job even though its not there...

or you can add a 2$ spark plug spacer to the downstream oxygen sensor which effectively pulls the probe out of the exhaust stream ...the problem with that is the computer reads zero on the downstream sensor...if the tech guy checks this which he is supposed to do hell notice something fishy and look under the car...if he sees the spacer hell fail you and flag your VIN with the DMV as a cheater...you dont want that at all

 

[steamroller]

We were just at the Toyota dealer and he showed us 100 cars on the lot waiting for catalytic converters. He said it is such a big problem right now that it is a months long wait to get one. A new converter is well over $3000. He tried to sell us an anti theft shield for $700. Does this sound right? The extent of the problem, the wait time, the price?

yup 3000 is about right forjust for the exhaust...it comes in one long 12 foot long tube from the ngine mount all the way to thevend of the car...2 cats and expansion tube and muffler...one long thing

 

[casa_mugrienta]

He tried to sell us an anti theft shield for $700. Does this sound right? The extent of the problem, the wait time, the price?

Or for free, PM me a photo of your vehicles and you won't have anything to worry about next time.

At least from me.

 

[Duffy LaCoronilla]

We were just at the Toyota dealer and he showed us 100 cars on the lot waiting for catalytic converters. He said it is such a big problem right now that it is a months long wait to get one. A new converter is well over $3000. He tried to sell us an anti theft shield for $700. Does this sound right? The extent of the problem, the wait time, the price?

Piece of plywood, box of nails, hammer.

Hammer nails through wood. Leave a foot or so of the wood un-nailed. Place wood on ground under car. Roll tires onto un-nailed portion of wood.

Should cost less than $50.

 

[casa_mugrienta]

Piece of plywood, box of nails, hammer.

Hammer nails through wood. Leave a foot or so of the wood un-nailed. Place wood on ground under car. Roll tires onto un-nailed portion of wood.

Should cost less than $50.

This is actually smart.

I'd use plexiglass though.

Damn, I might actually have to do this.

 

[Duffy LaCoronilla]

This is actually smart.

I'd use plexiglass though.

Damn, I might actually have to do this.

Why plexi?

 

[ElOgro]

Isolate the exhaust system and run some 12vdc current through it?

 

[casa_mugrienta]

Why plexi?

So they're less like to see it when they crawl underneath.

 

[Havoc]

tacoma got hit and they cut out both. min quote to fix was $1100. gotta live the liberal DAs in commifornia

 

[Duffy LaCoronilla]

So they're less like to see it when they crawl underneath.

The whole point is for them to see it and move along.

 

[casa_mugrienta]

The whole point is for them to see it and move along.

Seems practical if you have a driveway. Street parking not so much.

 

[Duffy LaCoronilla]

Seems practical if you have a driveway. Street parking not so much.

I’ve only seen them in street parking situations

 

[Ifallalot]

I got one stolen off my rental car in KC last week

Mitsubshi POS