Options for protecting catalytic converters?

[matrixprofessor]

Just wondering...

What are the options for protecting catalytic converters?

I can only find one single supplier in the UK.

In the USA, there is only one as well - they sell the same kit.

I have seem 2 posts elsewhere, where they add a grid underneath. Anyone have any experience of this?

Thanks.

 

[FROSTYBALLS]

See link in 

 

[wass]

Protection against  thieves? Well, it used to be called the law but then all sorts of protectional  clap trap was introduced by do-gooders and found more easy to enforce than actually stopping  the people from taking what doesn't belong to them. Now, you aren't allowed to give the individual who is helping themselves to your property a good pasting. Apparently, one of the most effective deterrents is prayer and the fear of being smited for ones sins by the almighty or in the case of prius catalytic converters, hope that God is looking and lets the jack slip.

[matrixprofessor]

@wass I'm a peaceful person.

I would be very calm and collected normally.

But if I saw the thief in action taking my cat, I would have done serious damage, maybe trying to flatten my car while he was underneath + grab the metal bar his friends hold while he watches out looking like a thug.

But that would have been wrong.

Instead of them getting damage, I could have endangered my own life.

I don't know what the right answer is.

Maybe these thieves are brainless morons - slaves to a cruel master? Who know, just making it up.

Punishing the foot solidiers doesn't hurt the master behind the whole thing.

Things aren't always black and white.

EDIT: I'm now looking into making my own protection solution to sell to others. I know I would have really appreciated having. I thought about it many times. I never got off my backside and did anything. I'd seen loads of videos galore of the thieves. My nephew had his stolen in a fairly busy open shopping car park. I never took any positive actions to protect my own cat.

[FROSTYBALLS]

1 hour ago, matrixprofessor said:

I'm now looking into making my own protection solution to sell to others.

Just as a heads up, unless you become an authorised trader, you won't be able to sell via Toyota Owners Club.

[FROSTYBALLS]

See also: 

 

[David Kent]

I have a 2008 Prius T-spirit and my catalytic converter was stolen on 26thy March.  The car was taken to Jemca Toyota and they suggested fitting a Catloc. It took a month to get the parts from Japan and when fitting them they also fitted the Catloc.

I still park in the same car park from which the bits were stolen.  I do hope that the would be thieves will see the window stickers, if they can read, and go elsewhere.   I've looked under the car and feel that it will be a deterent - according to the CCTV in the car park it took four minutes.  This Catloc, I hope, would take much longer,

[Fostel]

Quote

An explosion in thefts of catalytic converters from hybrid cars has left hundreds of owners of the vehicles unable to drive them because of a shortage of replacement parts, the Guardian has learned.

Criminal gangs are believed to be targeting easily identifiable models such as the Toyota Prius and Lexus 400h, because hybrids contain more precious metals than other vehicles.

Toyota said it had experienced a 2,000% increase in demand for parts as a result of the crimewave. While theft of the emission-controlling devices is a nationwide problem, it is particularly acute in London and south-east England. One Lexus dealership alone in the capital told the Guardian it had 500 on order, although it is not expecting to receive them until December.

There were 2,900 catalytic converter thefts reported in the first six months of this year, compared with just under 1,700 in the whole of last year, according to Metropolitan police figures provided to the Guardian.

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2019/sep/20/theft-of-catalytic-converters-from-hybrid-cars-surges

[FROSTYBALLS]

One thing the article doesn't say is that Toyota's Catloc supplier has introduced two additional shifts (increased from one to three) to endeavour to cope with the increased demand.

[PeteB]

One guy on another group I belong to has just had his cat stolen for the SECOND time.  Not a happy bunny.

[wass]

On 5/4/2019 at 11:54 PM, matrixprofessor said:

@wass I'm a peaceful person.

I would be very calm and collected normally.

But if I saw the thief in action taking my cat, I would have done serious damage, maybe trying to flatten my car while he was underneath + grab the metal bar his friends hold while he watches out looking like a thug.

But that would have been wrong.

Instead of them getting damage, I could have endangered my own life.

I don't know what the right answer is.

Maybe these thieves are brainless morons - slaves to a cruel master? Who know, just making it up.

Punishing the foot solidiers doesn't hurt the master behind the whole thing.

Things aren't always black and white.

EDIT: I'm now looking into making my own protection solution to sell to others. I know I would have really appreciated having. I thought about it many times. I never got off my backside and did anything. I'd seen loads of videos galore of the thieves. My nephew had his stolen in a fairly busy open shopping car park. I never took any positive actions to protect my own cat.

As far as i can tell, in these days of type approval ( europe effectively banning everything non standard fitted to vehicles) and  shall we say politically correct, cost effective law enforcement, maybe the only really effective device is actually prayer. So maybe you could invent  a bible app to put onto your telephone because it seems that the auto trade and law enforcement agencies have closed off all other alternatives.The only legal and compliant way I can see for anything to happen in order to stop or discourage a thief which cant be challenged by do gooders is quite literally "act of God". Every other method seems to be illegal in some way or another. Say for example you are sitting waiting in your prius for a friend or partner to return from their shopping expedition, you feel a bump as someone starts to jack up your car. You are allowed to wind the window down carefully and politlely ask them to stop, you are not allowed to try to drive away because you might injure them, you cant open your door because that might shake the car and cause it to injure them or the door might hit them and injure them. You can call the police in the hope that they will majically appear before the prius is damaged. About all you can do is not drive your prius to anywhere which isnt securely locked up beyond access or keep moving. So you drop off your partner and then continue to drive around the block  several times. Visiting relatives or going to the cinema or a restaurant would be completely out of the question of course. How has thieving been allowed to become such an insurmountable issue?

[jonbee56]

Pardon my ignorance on this and it’s a very long time since I’ve posted here. My cat was stolen from my car parked on the driveway on 19th sept and I’ve just been told that it’s at least early December before I get a replacement.

Has anyone approached Toyota stating issues of “neglect due to poor design” and also asked it there is a “quality enhancement” for the cat converters. As this would point to an option to ensure Toyota take responsibility for the issue and refund insurance excess costs and offer compensation 

[FROSTYBALLS]

Several owners on Toyota UK blog have raised the same question, only to be told it isn't a design fault.

The fact that thieves have found they can steal cats on some cars (and note that Toyotas aren't the only vehicles to be targeted by cat thieves) doesn't mean that the design is the issue. The same applies when cars are stolen.

Owners don't get refunds from the vehicle manufacturers when either cars are stolen, stolen from, vandalised or accident damaged - that is what insurance is for. So why should they in the instance of cat thefts.

[Catlover]

2 hours ago, jonbee56 said:

Pardon my ignorance on this and it’s a very long time since I’ve posted here. My cat was stolen from my car parked on the driveway on 19th sept and I’ve just been told that it’s at least early December before I get a replacement.

Has anyone approached Toyota stating issues of “neglect due to poor design” and also asked it there is a “quality enhancement” for the cat converters. As this would point to an option to ensure Toyota take responsibility for the issue and refund insurance excess costs and offer compensation 

The problem is not that the car design makes it easy for Cats to be stolen. The problem is the thieves who do the stealing. Have you thought of asking your MP to ensure the government makes sufficient provision to ensure would be thieves are deterred from doing acts of stealing.

[jonbee56]

I understand the point, but surely Toyota must realise that this is such an issue of vulnerability for security of an operational component that they must act upon the issue that has affected numerous owners. I feel they do not value their customer base by just issuing a cursory apology and telling customers that they need to spend more money to prevent the issue occurring (again).

[FROSTYBALLS]

28 minutes ago, jonbee56 said:

I understand the point, but surely Toyota must realise that this is such an issue of vulnerability for security of an operational component that they must act upon the issue that has affected numerous owners.

They have.

They have introduced model-specific catlocs, and got their supplier to increase production to meet demand (3 shifts per day instead of 1), which has increased by 2000%. Plus they have reduced the cost of replacement cats, which may not directly help owners where insurance is used, but does reduce the costs to insurers, which may help in keeping renewal premiums low by lowering the cost of repairs.

No manufacturer is going to be able to change the location of cats on obsolete models (Prius gen 2 and 3, and Auris), and, as cat thefts are not a safety issue, they don't come within scope of the DVSA recall system.

Other manufacturers which are being targeted for cat thefts include Honda (Jazz and Accord) and Audi.

[Heidfirst]

Toyota are not prescient (they certainly didn't foresee people using industrial grinders to just cut them off) & cat thefts were not an issue when the car was designed.

[RelaxedDrive]

It was an issue before the gen4 facelift came out in the uk and I was told that model would not be affected, but now it seems it can - why didn't they fix it then!

They are going to lose a lot of customers over this, bit of a 'Boeing' moment if you like...  😞

[Catlover]

2 hours ago, RelaxedDrive said:

It was an issue before the gen4 facelift came out in the uk and I was told that model would not be affected, but now it seems it can - why didn't they fix it then!

They are going to lose a lot of customers over this, bit of a 'Boeing' moment if you like...  😞

What have other manufacturers done to solve the problem?

[FROSTYBALLS]

8 minutes ago, Catlover said:

What have other manufacturers done to solve the problem?

See https://www.fleetnews.co.uk/news/car-industry-news/2019/09/23/huge-rise-in-theft-of-catalytic-converters-from-cars

[kithmo]

On 10/15/2019 at 7:48 PM, RelaxedDrive said:

It was an issue before the gen4 facelift came out in the uk and I was told that model would not be affected, but now it seems it can - why didn't they fix it then!

They are going to lose a lot of customers over this, bit of a 'Boeing' moment if you like...  😞

I've not heard of any Gen 4 having the cat stolen, only the Battery stolen from one in the USA. 🤔

[TonyHSD]

Toyotas are quite happy to have cat stolen from customers cars, it’s a profitable business for all parties involved, the only lost made is by the car owner. No one can blame car manufacturers for a design fault that actually it’s an item that is designed for a completely different purpose, it’s not a car lock, alarm or anything to do with car security, so can not blame. There is no way to protect in real world, thieves are unstoppable, purchase a cat lock , no guarantee, no point. 

[posing]

Local police had a free etch your catalytic converter session at the local dealer. They sent a notice around, but calling up the copper to arrange went to answer machine and they never replied.

I assume etching is less of a deterrent.

[Wooster]

If you've had your catalyst stolen and the car is out of warranty, there are alternatives to buying a genuine Toyota part - and waiting months.

I've no experience of them, but this business came came up when I was searching for something else:  https://www.bmcatalysts.co.uk/

[RelaxedDrive]

> I've not heard of any Gen 4 having the cat stolen

It has happened, see the toyota blog:

August 19, 2019

"Took delivery of my brand new 2019 Prius in mid July. CC stolen 1 August. £1400 pounds for a new one oh and by the way, the parts aren’t available until end of September. Had the car for two weeks."