Catalytic converter theft on new models?

[TazUddin]

Automatic is alot more busier than manual these days. Pushing electric cars in London so more demand. 

 

Didn't do the sides yet but will do after the replys I've heard

[HybridLover]

Ok, well I’m in SE16 so if I know anyone who’s looking I’ll point them your way.

[Timmon]

On 8/21/2020 at 6:10 PM, AndrueC said:

I used dental floss but it took about half an hour and I didn't manage to remove all the glue.

The 1.8 is absolutely fine for all normal and reasonable purposes. I don't accept this modern fascination for power. You can navigate Britain's roads perfectly well with a lot less than 100hp. The Corolla has more power than that and consequently far more power than any competent driver actually needs. There's enough surplus power to allow for a little fun. You'll keep up with anything short of a rabid BMW or Audi and the sooner they naff off into the distance the better.

I tend to agree with you Andru! 

I was concerned about the change from a 2Ltr Turbo to a lower powered car, as I did enjoy being to drive effortlessly in the turbo. But when I got the turbo, I drove 30K miles a year, much on rural roads, and to pass slow vehicles safely to get to a meeting, was important. Much of my road years was spent with 1.4 and 1.6 old style engines which took half an hour to get to 60 mph! But having driven the 2ltr, these days I don't do the miles, or have the corporate pressure anymore, so I am sure the 1.8 ltr would be fine. I test drove the 1.8, and it was fine, but was tempted by the 2ltr because of the car I already had.

I think Toyota made a good decision to introduce the 2 ltr, as there will be younger drivers who probably do need that extra power, maybe on the road doing 30 + K miles a year. And if they buy Hybrid rather than a big engine petrol only our diesel only, that must be a good thing. But Electric will soon be viable for most drivers, and even the slowest will knock spots off the 2 ltr Hybrid in terms of accelleration and power.

[AndrueC]

7 minutes ago, Timmon said:

I think Toyota made a good decision to introduce the 2 ltr, as there will be younger drivers who probably do need that extra power, maybe on the road doing 30 + K miles a year. And if they buy Hybrid rather than a big engine petrol only our diesel only, that must be a good thing. But Electric will soon be viable for most drivers, and even the slowest will knock spots off the 2 ltr Hybrid in terms of accelleration and power.

Yeah Toyota have given us a reasonable choice. Both vehicles are pretty good choices for their target market and both are eminently drivable.

[HybridLover]

Thanks, I'll report back on what I think of the 1.8 in due course.

[AKLZ]

I asked the Toyota salesman about this for my 2.0 Excel Touring Sports and he said it was a non issue as the catalytic converter was ‘buried in the engine’ and not practicable to steal. I’m just repeating what he said...

i’m tempted to get one of these; any thoughts?

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Toyota-Corolla-2019-ON-Catalytic-Anti-Theft-Protection-Shield-Hatchback-Touring-/283862468705

Can an independent fit it without voiding any warranty? Or, would Toyota fit such a thing, being non-OEM?

[FROSTYBALLS]

It would be down to the individual dealer to decide whether or not to fit third party parts. As regards the warranty, the work done or any removal of the third party parts if there was an issue with the cat later on wouldn't be covered. 

[greenwich676]

Sharing as an owner of a 2019 1.8L corolla, Our cat converter was stolen the other day from a private car park - so if this affects anyone's decision to buy a cage - please do so!!! (SE10) - Luckily insurance are covering, but we have no indication of when this will be repaired as Toyota are out of stock with no restock date to hand.

[W1P30UT]

I've previously asked this question to Toyota, and got the following response.

"I have received a response from our Product Technical team who have advised that due to design the catalytic convertors are now integrated into the exhaust manifold itself. This allows quick warming of the catalyst and therefore reduced emissions. It also means access to the catalysts on the models mentioned is very restricted."

[Gerg]

28 minutes ago, W1P30UT said:

I've previously asked this question to Toyota, and got the following response.

"I have received a response from our Product Technical team who have advised that due to design the catalytic convertors are now integrated into the exhaust manifold itself. This allows quick warming of the catalyst and therefore reduced emissions. It also means access to the catalysts on the models mentioned is very restricted."

As I understand it, this is entirely correct on a Yaris hybrid, and the previous model Yaris hybrid as well.  Yaris hybrid catalyst thefts are almost completely unheard of, as they are quite inaccessible.   Unless someone knows differently.

 

3 hours ago, greenwich676 said:

Sharing as an owner of a 2019 1.8L corolla, Our cat converter was stolen the other day from a private car park - so if this affects anyone's decision to buy a cage - please do so!!! (SE10) - Luckily insurance are covering, but we have no indication of when this will be repaired as Toyota are out of stock with no restock date to hand.

You have my genuine sympathy.  Thanks for informing this forum.  I had my suspicions about the whether new design was sufficiently different to stop this.  Or maybe the thieves were just very determined in your case?

Apologies for 'rubbing salt into the wound', but it would be useful to know if the front of your exhaust was unbolted from the car, or some other means was used to detach it.  The exhausts are usually cut through, downstream of the catalyst, as well - I imagine this happened to yours too.

[TonyHSD]

Well that is a sad story, it seems like some tech were talking nonsense as usual, Corolla is exactly the same as Prius gen 4, we know that these cars has been targeted already therefore Corolla was just about time. Cat locks, plates , de badges and all necessary steps will need to be taken from all Corolla owners against the plaque. 

[W1P30UT]

38 minutes ago, Gerg said:

As I understand it, this is entirely correct on a Yaris hybrid, and the previous model Yaris hybrid as well.  Yaris hybrid catalyst thefts are almost completely unheard of, as they are quite inaccessible.   Unless someone knows differently.

I asked them about the Corolla as well, and that's what they told me.

[Auris James]

Sadly it seems Toyota salesmen just want to sell you a car. It's not in Toyota/their interest to inform you of cat theft. Sadly I do feel in Other Posters case of Cat theft on 1.8 Corolla have let buyers Down. The Corolla 1.8 should of hopefully of had the cat relocated to engine bay, if not the case then a real let down by Toyota as know the cat location under the car is dead easy to remove. Presume like Auris hybrid corolla 1.8 still underneath?

Is your cat that was stolen underneath? A photo would help everyone greatly.

Sad that we have to protect our cars.  I'm in same boat as have an Auris Hybrid. I did know before I bought as looked at Google search etc.

Hope you get your car sorted.

James.

[greenwich676]

 

3 hours ago, Gerg said:

Apologies for 'rubbing salt into the wound', but it would be useful to know if the front of your exhaust was unbolted from the car, or some other means was used to detach it.  The exhausts are usually cut through, downstream of the catalyst, as well - I imagine this happened to yours too.

 

41 minutes ago, Auris James said:

Is your cat that was stolen underneath? A photo would help everyone greatly.

The area photoed was around the middle front half of the car underneath. It was in a private car park so they may have had a bit of time to work.

41 minutes ago, Auris James said:

Sadly it seems Toyota salesmen just want to sell you a car. It's not in Toyota/their interest to inform you of cat theft.

In terms of replacement the response is the part is on backorder due to the continuing theft of these parts, so they must be aware of the issues

[Auris James]

1 minute ago, greenwich676 said:

 

 

The area photoed was around the middle front half of the car underneath. It was in a private car park so they may have had a bit of time to work.

In terms of replacement the response is the part is on backorder due to the continuing theft of these parts, so they must be aware of the issues

Sorry to hear of the theft. I feel for all owners. Sounds exactly the same location as the Auris Mk2. Seems Toyota didn't re-design the cat location! Be interesting to know if the 2 litre Corolla is different. Sadly seems that the up to 84% reduction in precious metals in the cat hasn't worked.

Being on back order seems a common thing I have experienced myself. AC Condenser for my Auris and 12 volt Battery. 3 months wait last year for Condenser. Battery now waiting a month to 6 weeks so far.

Seems little stock is kept and can see that dealers can't cater for all models and variants. Think though Toyota would keep certain parts same for most models for ease of production. Cats, Battery etc.

James👍 

[Gerg]

11 hours ago, greenwich676 said:

The area photoed was around the middle front half of the car underneath.

Thanks for the picture.  As far as I can see the thieves have left behind one of the catalysts on the car, perhaps because the access was too awkward?  So they have only stolen half of the 'active' (valuable) part of the system.  I think the front cut has been done with a cordless reciprocating saw, pushed through the gap in front of the 'protective' aluminium extrusion.

I used to think the second box (which yours is missing) was a silencer, but I think there are two catalysts in series, and that is the second, unregulated one, that has been taken. 

If the, now open, pieces of pipe were joined/welded back together with a suitable length of pipe, there is a very good chance the car would drive normally with no dash warning lights, just a marginally louder note to the exhaust. There are Lexus owners who have successfully done this, for exactly the same reason, but I appreciate that knowing this may be of no use to you, especially as the car is under warranty.

Perhaps someone knows different to all this?  "Every day is a school day", as they say.

Best of luck with getting it back on the road quickly.

 

[AKLZ]

Well this is shocking news as received wisdom on here was that the new Corolla was ‘safe’. I specifically queried this with the salesman before I bought mine (2L version) who said it had been redesigned and was impossible to get to ‘without dismantling the engine’ etc etc.

I wondered why my insurance renewal was around 110% more last month, with every single company (I have no points, no claims, have not made any other changes etc) - the insurers have obviously become aware it’s a vulnerable car.

[AKLZ]

Just been reading around about these ‘cat plates’ and the RAC website says insurers consider it a modification, and so could invalidate insurance / raise premiums (see my thread re: aborted idea to hardwire a dash cam when insurer said it was a modification and wanted to triple my premiums!). 
 

You just can’t win with insurers, they’ve got the biggest racket going and we’re all at their mercy.

Has everyone who fitted a cat plate informed their insurers?

[Rolando1]

Same here 1.8 TS owner and very sad to hear about the theft from a Corolla. Fingers crossed it was a time consuming job for the scum which might act as a deterrent to other wannabes.

[FROSTYBALLS]

53 minutes ago, AKLZ said:

Just been reading around about these ‘cat plates’ and the RAC website says insurers consider it a modification, and so could invalidate insurance / raise premiums (see my thread re: aborted idea to hardwire a dash cam when insurer said it was a modification and wanted to triple my premiums!). 

You just can’t win with insurers, they’ve got the biggest racket going and we’re all at their mercy.

Has everyone who fitted a cat plate informed their insurers?

Suppose from an insurance view fitting a cat protection device is a modification - as is any change to the car's standard specification. When one takes out or renews an insurance policy, you actually agree that the car has not been changed from the standard spec. The insurer would record any notification of mods. An insurance policy is effectively a contract between the insurer and the insured.

One of the things insurers look at when deciding premiums, is cost of repairs. If an exhaust system needs to be replaced due to an accident, a cat protection device could make it more difficult to dismantle, and result in increased labour costs when replacing the system. Plus they may have to replace the cat protection device.

So if a modification hasn't been declared, and a claim made, you would risk the car only being repaired to the standard spec (ie without the modification). 

[TonyHSD]

That’s right insurance companies classified these plates, cat locks as modifications and so they rise the price of the policy, which is absurd as they should actually reduce it as the car becomes safer. I ask about my previous provider and they said yes it’s an modification and I told them don’t worry then I am not fitting any, I am the 7th owner of the car on documents, how they can proof that I personally made any modification?, they can’t, nobody can. 
I asked them : 

New oem Toyota alloys smaller size ? No modification 

Black wrap on the roof? Roof only no modification, side colons abc pillars yes modification 

Cat lock? Yes modification 

 

[barrycoll]

Oh dear, I have a 2.0 on order for May, and my neighbor was very keen on buying our 2017 Prius.....until they heard about the Cat Scam!

has anybody seen a 2.0 on a hoist, and can comment on the location of the Cat, and whether it is different to the 1.8???

my Toy dealer is now putting up notices in the showroom, offering a fitment of a cat-lock

 

[Parts-King]

As far as I know, the cat on the Corolla 1.8 and 2.0 is very high up on the manifold, at this moment in time, I have not seen a Corolla one stolen, I think the bit you see is not actually a cat. I could be wrong, however these numb nuts thieves won't have a clue, so steal anything that remotely resembles a cat 

[AKLZ]

3 minutes ago, Parts-King said:

however these numb nuts thieves won't have a clue, so steal anything that remotely resembles a cat 

And therein lies the problem. Especially if the repair means a whole new cat assembly anyway

[FROSTYBALLS]

35 minutes ago, TonyHSD said:

how they can proof that I personally made any modification?, they can’t, nobody can. 

Insurers don't ask who made the modification, they ask whether the car is standard spec or has been modified. It will also vary between insurers as to what they consider to be a modification and whether it attracts an increased premium.

For example my insurer gives a discount for having a dash cam.