Catloc? are they worth it?

[Meridian man]

To the original poster, did you have the Toyota recall where they fit the locking nuts with caps so the crooks cannot use the long wrench on the manifold end, I was told they cannot cut the cat near the engine as the Battery saw cannot fit in.

[ToyotaAsif]

On 1/30/2020 at 3:10 PM, TonyHSD said:

Cat lock and anything that can deter the thieves is a good decision however if your car been checked by thieves and there is plenty of time, car parked in quite area for example nothing will stop them. The cat lock actually will prevent access to the bolts that holds the cat connected to the exhaust manifold plus the pipe to where exactly they cut it, if they cut behind the centre silencer they won’t be able to remove the cat even they find another way to undo the bolts. So first thing is to remove the cat lock, this will double or triple the time they need and may well put them off., hopefully walk away without braking (vandalising) the car. I installed two of those cat locks, they seem well made, fit perfectly and I also secure them with lock bolts. Cutting through the metal plate will produce a lot of noise and will take time equivalent of cutting 3-4 cat pipes. The Cat bolts with springs they usually undo them, it is so easy.  This is the one you need for your car from that seller, and remember auris gen 1 is same as Prius gen 3 but Auris Gen 2 is different, important when order. https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.co.uk%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F283702663688
Here are the bolts that I used: 26002SU Wheel Lock Bolts SU M12 x 1,25, flat seat, shaft length 34,5 mm, Overall length 63,0 mm, Hex size 17mm, Key diameter 25,8 mm https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0048EJNNY/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_tai_ihVmEb0FJ2X85 

 This picture is comparison between the sizes of original heat shielding and the cat lock that goes onto its place and protects the catalytic converter. 

Hi, 

I had my Cat stolen from a 63 plate Auris Hybrid and found your post useful in purchasing deterrents.  Would you know if the locking bolts you have suggested to use will fit my 2013 Auris too?

[TonyHSD]

On 5/5/2021 at 10:27 AM, ToyotaAsif said:

Hi, 

I had my Cat stolen from a 63 plate Auris Hybrid and found your post useful in purchasing deterrents.  Would you know if the locking bolts you have suggested to use will fit my 2013 Auris too?

Hi,

yes I believe the bolts are the same., but best to compare them and try to fit one bolt without attaching brackets just to make sure goes in smoothly and then fit everything and torque to specs, don’t remember how much was exactly but not crazy tight . 👍
Regards 

[Jack Moore]

Aren't windows stickers "Beware, CAT secured" etc more an encouragement then a deterrent? You know like a reverse psychology saying "Hey, my CAT is worth more than my neighbour's, be prepared bring more specialised tools". Shouldn't we aim, like TonyHSD said, de-badge your hydrid to be less visible rather than advertising it by stickers?

[BernieA]

De-badging is a viable option but far from fool proof if a thief spends more than ten seconds looking through the front windows. 

I reckon that 9 times out of 10 they will walk away if a catloc is fitted. It just adds a few extra minutes and extra noise to thes operation and increases the chances of them being challenged.

By the way, Toyota will now treat your cat with smart water and provide a window sticker to advertise the fact. This might put some of the scrappies off and will improve the chances of convictions when the liw lifes are pulked up with a car full of cats.

[Kojac]

I've read through a number of threads on this topic - truthfully - i'm more confused now than when I started to explore the topic.

I'm asking the community to distill all the wealth of knowledge in this thread to a straightforward guide - for those of us who have been, and are going to be - victims of this crime.

Car is in for repair - I need help with deploying a comprehensive & well thought out solution - to protect the new cat.

What I'm suggesting (a guide that discusses the multiple vectors of attack available to secure a cat) - will help many many people visiting the forum.

Open to constructive dialogue on this.

Kojac

[Catlover]

You not going to stop someone determined, all you can do is try and deter them.                  
Fit a cat protector plate. Doesn’t have to be. £250 one from Toyota.             
Fit a tilt alarm, expensive unless DIY              
Just go for stickers in the window bragging you got an cat plate/alarm fitted, even if you have not.                 
Put a photo of the mother in law in every window……. That should do the job

Personally, I bought a cat protector plate off eBay, got my local garage to fit, cost in total £45. That’s it.

 

 

[Kojac]

On 1/19/2021 at 6:35 PM, Gerg said:

The bolt that you mention has an unusual shaft, so I don't think any off-the-shelf bolts would go straight on.  I couldn't find any similar bolts at all,  even ones that weren't security bolts.  The thread is a fine pitch M8, if I remember correctly.

This is the actual bolt, here with the spring it locates and pre-loads. 

But, there are  anti-tamper, bolt head covers that stop the oh-so-easy removal of these bolts without some further aggravation.  They were launched by Toyota about 15 months ago (roughly), at the same time as the tilt sensor option for the alarm.

I don't have the part number for them, but that description above should be enough to track them down at a Toyota dealer.  They were £15 supplied and fitted, I was told.  it's a very quick job if you have no other catalyst protection fitted at the time.

But, these cap/covers will not be plainly visible from underneath if you have some sort of catalyst protection plate fitted as well.  It would be nice if you could get the message across to let these filth know that they are installed.

HTH

There are a number of us that need help with evaluating & sourcing these.

Are the anti-tamper bolt head covers still current? Has this preventative measure been superseded in any way, by new bolts or fasteners (or anything else of any nature).

If they are indeed, still current/relevant - could some help with part numbers?

I'm guessing that they can be used in conjunction with a cat-plate (not in spite of).

The number of catloc's/plates being removed/bypassed is concerning me now (even if rare).

[Gerg]

@Kojac

The bolt head covers that were developed by (or for) Toyota have the part number: TGBNGA - BOLT B.

I don't know if they have been updated or are still available, I would expect them to be.

They can certainly be used in conjunction with any other catalyst protection - the two manifold bolts they fit over the top of are quite a way up the 'transmission' tunnel.  At launch, about 20 months ago, they were around £15 a pair, fitted.  The same, unusual, manifold bolt fits Auris, Prius and some Lexuses.  And I wouldn't expect it to be hybrid-unique at all.  For instance, a very, very similar bolt is used on FIATs, but supplied by them only comes in boxes of 10...

I've not actually seen these protective covers in the flesh, just a grainy black and white picture printed out by a helpful Toyota dealer.

A catalyst plate of almost any type will make this extra bolt protection very hard to see, unfortunately.

[alex_alexs28]

Hi guys,

I am also considering to put a cat lock on my Toyota Auris 2016 Hybrid, Excel version. I have been going through your posts and other similar topics but I am left a little confused. The links from eBay suggesting what to look for are no longer available. However, I found myself some cat locks and a digital tilt alarm but when it comes to bolts, I don't know what to go for. I would appreciate if someone can drop some new links with bolts designed for my Mk2 Auris.

Also, this matter does raise some questions to me. Such as:

1. If I install a cat lock, for example this one: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/233878234342 - Is this likely to cause overheating underneath, that may be likely to lead to some serious issues later on?
2. Having a cat lock installed, if I would need some repairs or some work underneath, is that removable? Will I have it to remove it completely, by destroying it let's say, and then have some new one installed?
3. I found this digital tilt alarm: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/282804208870 - Should a go to a certain type of garage or a certain skilled person to have it installed? And if I do install it, how would a scenario of using it would look like? Like how would I arm it and disarm it?

Thank you, guys!

[BernieA]

Hi,

1. I believe this is the one I had fitted by my local garage around 6 months ago. It is not that different to the one available through Toyota dealers. I haven't had any problems with overheating that I am aware of.

2. I used a set of wheel locking bolts from Stoplock WLVP34 M12 x 1.25 x 34 which I found on eBay. These are easily removed with the supplied key. The alternative is to source anti tamper bolts of the same dimensions elsewhere. This type are are effectively destroyed by the action of removing them so will need replacing if removed. My garage said it is highly unlikely that they will ever need removing.

3. The anti tilt device is integrated into the current car alarm system and looks like another door contact to the system so its a case of fit it and forget it.

Don't forget that Toyota dealers are also offering to mark your cat with smart water, register it and provide window stickers for free.

Best of luck

 

Bernie

[TonyHSD]

Off topic but very interesting video how catalytic converters work and what is inside 

 

[Wooster]

Can I add my thoughts?  I posted 'catlocs-do-work' a short while ago:

toyotaownersclub.com/forums/catlocs-do-work/

[Gerg]

Edit to my earlier post:

I have checked an old email from a Toyota dealer; the Toyota security bolt covers for the exhaust manifold bolts are not called TGBNGA - BOLT B, they're called 

TGBNGA - BOLT C. 

My mistake!

[Wooster]

On 8/13/2021 at 9:54 AM, BernieA said:

3. The anti tilt device is integrated into the current car alarm system

This is not correct for my current Auris - nor for my previous Gen2 and Gen3 Prius.  A tilt sensor is/was not fitted as standard.

[BernieA]

Sorry, what I wrote was ambiguous. I should have said " 3. The anti tilt device will need to be integrated..... "

[Wooster]

On 8/13/2021 at 2:38 AM, alex_alexs28 said:

I found this digital tilt alarm: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/282804208870 - Should a go to

I've done a lot of investigating on tilt sensors.  To avoid false alarms, the Toyota (Prius & Auris anyway) alarm system needs a negative going pulse of at least 0.8 seconds.  Many after market tilt sensors provide a shorter pulse, which is why they (sometimes) don't work. I asked Hawk Alarms about the pulse length of their device but never received a reply.

In addition, when wiring any sensor into a door switch, the current the switch takes may destroy (or shorten the life of) a tilt sensor.  Although costly, the Clifford 507M sensor seems to be regarded as a reliable device and i can confirm it sends out a 1 second negative pulse which triggers the Toyota alarm.  ebay.co.uk/itm/280835960868

When I installed mine I used two simple relays to protect the sensor from excessive current draw.  I'll create a separate post when I've 'translated' my hand drawn diagram into something a bit more professional.

I'll also add that any Auris owner might want to upgrade their car horn if they fit a tilt sensor - the original 'toot-toot' horn is never going to scare away any scumbag trying to steal your catalytic converter!

 

 

[Kojac]

Straight forward exploration:

Pro's / Con's

A) Steel Plate alone (e.g official toyota catloc)

Vs

B) Steel Braid/Rope cage + plate

Multiple members on this forum - had "A)" - yet still - their cat was taken.

Why go for a plate only - why avoid the steel cable "cage"?

 

[alex_alexs28]

2 hours ago, Kojac said:

Straight forward exploration:

Pro's / Con's

A) Steel Plate alone (e.g official toyota catloc)

Vs

B) Steel Braid/Rope cage + plate

Multiple members on this forum - had "A)" - yet still - their cat was taken.

Why go for a plate only - why avoid the steel cable "cage"?

 

I guess from a repairing point of view, if would be the case. And maybe it does affect the performance of the cat. Like overheating. I am only guessing 😅

[TonyHSD]

12 minutes ago, alex_alexs28 said:

I guess from a repairing point of view, if would be the case. And maybe it does affect the performance of the cat. Like overheating. I am only guessing 😅

Popular Cat plates Toyota or other brands installed correctly does not cause overheating to the cat, catalytic converters on newer models are located closer to the engine and still get air stream pass through. , the problem is where the air goes after passing the cat and gets hot?! I had noticed that the car floor gets hot when driving on motorways for over an hour in hot days, unfortunately I can not remember if it was like that before installing the cat plate but I am sure that my previous car without any plates and even has it’s cat on the front of the engine the floor was getting hot too after same driving conditions, therefore I believe it’s normal and it’s caused by hot air stream underneath, that comes from engine, ac, radiators , and exhaust system. I have over 40k miles done and over a year since been installed a cat plate and to date I have no any trouble, car used every day, properly 😊👌

My advice is to use simple security cat plate that will allow air flow and also access and ability for any future repair or parts replacement., otherwise you may end up been refused any work from a garage or been charge extortionate amount for labour. 👍

[paulprakash]

Hi my Prius hybrid. 2005 cat got stolen, then after 9 months again with catloc by Toyota, then again insurance fitted catloc which now makes some vibration during acceleration, Toyota say on older model there will be some vibration, nothing can be done, as insurance took 3/12! hybrid Battery indicator and auxiliary Battery flat, Toyota asked 3600, then got man from Ilford on eBay to fit for £250, refurbished hybrid running well 3 months, will this cause any issues with mileage etc also Police had a catalytic converter theft aware Ness and marked the cat and said unlikely theft with catloc , unless not fitted properly, we just leave inside gate now

Also Toyota says after 2019 model cat does not have much precious metal and will be worthless to steal .the man who fixed hybrid Battery refurbished says just go fro non branded car converter next time,will this affect Prius performance

[Kojac]

2 hours ago, paulprakash said:

Hi my Prius hybrid. 2005 cat got stolen, then after 9 months again with catloc by Toyota, then again insurance fitted catloc which now makes some vibration during acceleration, Toyota say on older model there will be some vibration, nothing can be done, as insurance took 3/12! hybrid battery indicator and auxiliary battery flat, Toyota asked 3600, then got man from Ilford on eBay to fit for £250, refurbished hybrid running well 3 months, will this cause any issues with mileage etc also Police had a catalytic converter theft aware Ness and marked the cat and said unlikely theft with catloc , unless not fitted properly, we just leave inside gate now

Also Toyota says after 2019 model cat does not have much precious metal and will be worthless to steal .the man who fixed hybrid battery refurbished says just go fro non branded car converter next time,will this affect Prius performance

Paul,

 

Have we understood things correctly:

1st) Cat was stolen

Cat repaired. Then toyota catloc (official) was installed. 

2nd) Cat was (again) stolen - EVEN WITH official toyota Catloc.

3rd) Cat repaired & a new protection device was fitted. Paul - what did the insurance company fit this time?

[paulprakash]

1) cat stolen , insurance installed new, we got catloc from toyota, stolen again after 9 months, police at public awareness Bromley put water mark security and say they have not heard much theft with catloc, feel was not fitted properly?

2) second time again insurance fit both catalytic converter band catloc, can feel vibration at slow speed when accelerating, Toyota say due to the model of car will have some vibration after another check. 

3) with the Delay second time starter Battery went flat and hybrid Battery symbol Toyota wanter £3600, they charges £150 for diagnosis in Sidcup, whereas when we were in ---------- Toyota never charges for diagnosis. we got refurbished hybrid from eBay man in Ilford who fitted at home for £300, running well for 3 months , starter Battery ok after fill recharge and when Toyota checked for vibration said no problems with hybrid

[paulprakash]

That was Toyota in Lincolnshire, never charged for fault diagnosis , even other make cars, whereas Toyota Sidcup charges even to look at any fault, not sure why that stark difference

[Kojac]

On 8/22/2021 at 10:58 PM, paulprakash said:

1) cat stolen , insurance installed new, we got catloc from toyota, stolen again after 9 months, police at public awareness Bromley put water mark security and say they have not heard much theft with catloc, feel was not fitted properly?

2) second time again insurance fit both catalytic converter band catloc, can feel vibration at slow speed when accelerating, Toyota say due to the model of car will have some vibration after another check. 

3) with the Delay second time starter battery went flat and hybrid battery symbol Toyota wanter £3600, they charges £150 for diagnosis in Sidcup, whereas when we were in ---------- Toyota never charges for diagnosis. we got refurbished hybrid from eBay man in Ilford who fitted at home for £300, running well for 3 months , starter battery ok after fill recharge and when Toyota checked for vibration said no problems with hybrid

x2 theft WITH catloc???

A) Were (both) 1st & 2nd catloc both official toyota (provided) ones?

Or did you use aftermarket ones from eBay?

B) Who fitted the first catloc. Who fitted the second catloc?