Catalytic Converter thefts

[DaveDom]

7 hours ago, TonyHSD said:

Any car, any size engine can be fun as long as you don’t expect to receive more than what actually the car was designed for. Some people especially auto journalists drive cars built for efficiency and compare those with hot hatches or cars with completely different nature, power trains etc and calls the first one boring, sluggish, dull. You can have a lots of fun with Prius for example or small Aygo, if you know what you are doing and what you are looking for. Buy the car that suits your lifestyle, needs and budget. Some people prefer Golf R, Audi TT , I am fine with my Auris hybrid, not the fastest, not the most efficient but 8 times around the globe and keep going, that’s what I am after., plus the fun factor is out there, you just need to discover and enjoy it 🏎🏁👌

 

Yeah i'm interested in Auris the most atm cuz fun aint my top1 priority. Reliability and fuel economy is my priority. But i'll avoid hybrid because i don't want to get my cat stolen again. I sold my Prius just for that reason. It's getting crazy out here with cat thefts. I'll either get petrol or diesel. But as i understand petrol cats are stolen just as much as hybrids.. so.. yeah. 🤷‍♂️ But idk.. i didn't really have fun with Prius. I always drive how car "dictates it". If it's slow and sluggish i don't push it. If it's fast and has some punch then i might push it a little. I always said that car pretty much dictates how it wants to be driven and how it's healthy. Sure you can push Prius like a madman but that's not healthy at all. 

[TonyHSD]

22 minutes ago, DaveDom said:

Yeah i'm interested in Auris the most atm cuz fun aint my top1 priority. Reliability and fuel economy is my priority. But i'll avoid hybrid because i don't want to get my cat stolen again. I sold my Prius just for that reason. It's getting crazy out here with cat thefts. I'll either get petrol or diesel. But as i understand petrol cats are stolen just as much as hybrids.. so.. yeah. 🤷‍♂️ But idk.. i didn't really have fun with Prius. I always drive how car "dictates it". If it's slow and sluggish i don't push it. If it's fast and has some punch then i might push it a little. I always said that car pretty much dictates how it wants to be driven and how it's healthy. Sure you can push Prius like a madman but that's not healthy at all. 

I never actually drive a gen 2 Prius for long enough to understand or appreciate it but gen 3 hybrids plenty of them all Prius variants and Auris and I can say that they drive pretty well, also not dead at all, they have a punch when needed and can easily put a smile on your face when pushed, and you are right , they actually promote relaxed and smooth drive, but that’s good and this is how you gain efficiency and reliability too. Cat thefts I believe are on decline in uk , also Auris can be masked not to look like hybrid easily plus there are cat plates that most likely will put off eventually any thieves passing by. I think Toyota does  it’s hybrids best and of all other types , yet to see how they will do it with electric cars. Yaris hybrid or Auris hybrid you may consider if within the budget. Or 1.4d if outside big towns and cities. 

[DaveDom]

48 minutes ago, TonyHSD said:

I never actually drive a gen 2 Prius for long enough to understand or appreciate it but gen 3 hybrids plenty of them all Prius variants and Auris and I can say that they drive pretty well, also not dead at all, they have a punch when needed and can easily put a smile on your face when pushed, and you are right , they actually promote relaxed and smooth drive, but that’s good and this is how you gain efficiency and reliability too. Cat thefts I believe are on decline in uk , also Auris can be masked not to look like hybrid easily plus there are cat plates that most likely will put off eventually any thieves passing by. I think Toyota does  it’s hybrids best and of all other types , yet to see how they will do it with electric cars. Yaris hybrid or Auris hybrid you may consider if within the budget. Or 1.4d if outside big towns and cities. 

Well.. i mean.. if i would want a hybrid i wouldnt have sold my prius in the first place. It's a good hybrid dont get me wrong, but yup, totally meant for relaxed chill driving. Unless Auris has it's cat somewhere else where thieves cant reach it then i might be interested in hybrid. But it probably has cat in the same place as prius? Do you know anythin bout Auris petrol cats? Are they stolen just as much as hybrids?

I know it's kinda stupid to dismiss a car just because there's a risk of theft.. but damn. At this point i really don't want that risk anymore. Really sucks to get your cars original cat stolen. Plus it's quite hard to install a new cheap one and reprogram it. At first it might seem ok but later on there might be computer issues with it. Especially with hybrids. Diesel cars are ok from my experience, easy to reprogram and cut out dpf. With hybrids i would never risk it.

[TonyHSD]

10 minutes ago, DaveDom said:

Well.. i mean.. if i would want a hybrid i wouldnt have sold my prius in the first place. It's a good hybrid dont get me wrong, but yup, totally meant for relaxed chill driving. Unless Auris has it's cat somewhere else where thieves cant reach it then i might be interested in hybrid. But it probably has cat in the same place as prius? Do you know anythin bout Auris petrol cats? Are they stolen just as much as hybrids?

I know it's kinda stupid to dismiss a car just because there's a risk of theft.. but damn. At this point i really don't want that risk anymore. Really sucks to get your cars original cat stolen. Plus it's quite hard to install a new cheap one and reprogram it. At first it might seem ok but later on there might be computer issues with it. Especially with hybrids. Diesel cars are ok from my experience, easy to reprogram and cut out dpf. With hybrids i would never risk it.

Auris 1.6 and 1.8 hybrid are same exhaust layouts and both been targeted, there are cat plates available and easily bolt on, security bolts as add on and removing the hybrid badges., and hope they will just drive past your car and not be interested, in case they stop and find out it’s a hybrid, has a plate likely to just leave it and move on. 
Here how look Auris cat and with plate installed., no badges no any info on the car.  👍

[Catlover]

27 minutes ago, DaveDom said:

Well.. i mean.. if i would want a hybrid i wouldnt have sold my prius in the first place. It's a good hybrid dont get me wrong, but yup, totally meant for relaxed chill driving. Unless Auris has it's cat somewhere else where thieves cant reach it then i might be interested in hybrid. But it probably has cat in the same place as prius? Do you know anythin bout Auris petrol cats? Are they stolen just as much 

The Gen3 Prius (2009-2016) is way different to the Gen2 Prius you had, and the Gen4 Prius (2016-21) is different again. For sure Gen3 and Gen4 can be relaxing to drive, and economic, but they will move briskly if that what the driver wants to do.

[DaveDom]

47 minutes ago, TonyHSD said:

Auris 1.6 and 1.8 hybrid are same exhaust layouts and both been targeted, there are cat plates available and easily bolt on, security bolts as add on and removing the hybrid badges., and hope they will just drive past your car and not be interested, in case they stop and find out it’s a hybrid, has a plate likely to just leave it and move on. 
Here how look Auris cat and with plate installed., no badges no any info on the car.  👍

 

Interesting 😊 Never really thought about something like that. But if thieves would have more time (during the night) they could still do it i suppose. But it surely makes it harder for them and hopefully they'll just go on to the next target lol.

[DaveDom]

31 minutes ago, Catlover said:

The Gen3 Prius (2009-2016) is way different to the Gen2 Prius you had, and the Gen4 Prius (2016-21) is different again. For sure Gen3 and Gen4 can be relaxing to drive, and economic, but they will move briskly if that what the driver wants to do.

Might be, never really tried gen3/4. But i assume it has more punch to it since it's +20 more hp. And gen4 is like +40more hp. 

[Cyker]

I'd only get a diesel if you can get a pre-DPF one and aren't affected by all the 'air tax' charges the authorities seem to love aiming at older cars and especially diesel drivers. Any diesel with a DPF is much less reliable, esp if they're used for short runs and urban driving most of the time.

I'd avoid turbo petrols too; Turbos on petrols are far less reliable than turbo diesels because of the much higher heat.

1.33 petrol Auris isn't vulnerable to cat theft as the cats are in the engine bay, but that doesn't stop moron thieves cutting off the resonator by mistake.

TBH if you're looking at petrol, I'd look elsewhere than Toyota too - Mazda, Hyundai, Kia, and others make better NA petrol cars IMHO. The era where you're looking at Toyotas is where they kinda sucked for normal petrol engines because they were focusing on diesel and hybrids. They're not bad, they just don't bring anything unique to the table to offset the Toyotaness of the design and interiors vs e.g. the drivin dynamics and driver focus of Mazdas or the superior infotainment of Kia and Hyundai.

 

[DaveDom]

11 hours ago, Cyker said:

I'd only get a diesel if you can get a pre-DPF one and aren't affected by all the 'air tax' charges the authorities seem to love aiming at older cars and especially diesel drivers. Any diesel with a DPF is much less reliable, esp if they're used for short runs and urban driving most of the time.

I'd avoid turbo petrols too; Turbos on petrols are far less reliable than turbo diesels because of the much higher heat.

1.33 petrol Auris isn't vulnerable to cat theft as the cats are in the engine bay, but that doesn't stop moron thieves cutting off the resonator by mistake.

TBH if you're looking at petrol, I'd look elsewhere than Toyota too - Mazda, Hyundai, Kia, and others make better NA petrol cars IMHO. The era where you're looking at Toyotas is where they kinda sucked for normal petrol engines because they were focusing on diesel and hybrids. They're not bad, they just don't bring anything unique to the table to offset the Toyotaness of the design and interiors vs e.g. the drivin dynamics and driver focus of Mazdas or the superior infotainment of Kia and Hyundai.

 

Im not from NA, im in Europe. And we really dont like Hyundais, Kias or any korean cars. I really doubt ill ever look at korean cars. It has a very bad reputation for its quality and reliability. Mazda is so-so but in our country all Mazdas are rust buckets. They really rust so bad, you barely can find a decent mazda with no rust lol. If i had to choose i'd go with MT Auris 1.6 Dual VVT-i or MT 1.6 Valvematic. Any idea about those engines? Also not very good? Cats are also located in the engine bay? Might aswell consider Yaris 1.33 Dual VVT-i. 

[TonyHSD]

5 minutes ago, DaveDom said:

Im not from NA, im in Europe. And we really dont like Hyundais, Kias or any korean cars. It has a very bad reputation for its quality and reliability. If i had to choose i'd go with MT Auris 1.6 Dual VVT-i or MT 1.6 Valvematic. Any idea about those engines? Also not very good? Cats are also located in the engine bay?

These has the cats exactly same place as my pictures, plate will be needed for peace of mind. Which country are you from? , why don’t like Korean cars? These proof better than European and recently as good as Japanese brands. The worst cars in terms of reliability are the German brands, all of them, simply pure garbage, sorry, no offence or hard feelings, I still like many of them but will not spend my own money on any of their products. One of the 1.6  Auris options has known issues with valvematic actuator, there are some posts regarding the issue and which years are most affected  cars. 

[DaveDom]

18 minutes ago, TonyHSD said:

These has the cats exactly same place as my pictures, plate will be needed for peace of mind. Which country are you from? , why don’t like Korean cars? These proof better than European and recently as good as Japanese brands. The worst cars in terms of reliability are the German brands, all of them, simply pure garbage, sorry, no offence or hard feelings, I still like many of them but will not spend my own money on any of their products. One of the 1.6  Auris options has known issues with valvematic actuator, there are some posts regarding the issue and which years are most affected  cars. 

I'm from Lithuania. It's quite harsh winters here so rust is a major factor. Oh and yeah i completely agree about German cars, i'd never buy one. Well maybe newer korean ones are alright, but i'm still looking at 2010-2013 era. Only Hyundais i30 are considered ok, but i've driven one and i really didn't like it at all. It just felt stiff and plasticy. I'd rather take Ford Focus then but really not hyundai 😂 Though i would need to "research" about Ford Focus which petrol engines are alright cuz i just have knowledge of diesel engines of focus (though i think they're still made in Germany for european market so there's that...)

[TonyHSD]

Fiesta diesel or Peugeot 208 diesel and you will get better mpg than a hybrid and they usually age well. 

[forkingabout]

21 hours ago, Vainona70 said:

I have the PSA 3 pot puretech 130BHP turbo petrol engine in my Vauxhall Grandland X 8 speed automatic - fun to drive & averages 41 MPG over the 22000 miles I've driven. MPG calculated on spreadsheet, not per vehicle display.

Ouch - Keep up the Vauxhall main dealer servicing history as your gonna need it. 

If its a keeper, might be worth investing in one of these:

Timing Belt Checking Gauge for PSA, 1.0/1.2 | VSE5094 | 1 Year Guarantee | Sealey

I agree the Puretech 130 is very fun to drive, but its long term reliability is dreadful - its the reason I'm getting rid of mine.

[DaveDom]

48 minutes ago, TonyHSD said:

Fiesta diesel or Peugeot 208 diesel and you will get better mpg than a hybrid and they usually age well. 

Well yeah if i would go for a diesel i'd go for fiesta/focus/auris/yaris. But i was now wondering about petrol cars if i were to buy one i dont really know for which i would go. Well atleast now i know about cats and how to avoid it. If i were to buy a petrol one i'd need a plate probably.

[TonyHSD]

1 hour ago, DaveDom said:

Well yeah if i would go for a diesel i'd go for fiesta/focus/auris/yaris. But i was now wondering about petrol cars if i were to buy one i dont really know for which i would go. Well atleast now i know about cats and how to avoid it. If i were to buy a petrol one i'd need a plate probably.

The thing is that thieves are targeting any make and model that has cats under the car and easily cut off, Honda jazz, Mitsubishi colt, lancer probably too, most Japanese petrol cars. Auris 1.6 2010 for example at least you have a cat plate ready available just buy of eBay and fit it onto the car yourself with security bots and been non hybrid they most likely will drive pass and not been bothered. 

[DaveDom]

4 hours ago, TonyHSD said:

The thing is that thieves are targeting any make and model that has cats under the car and easily cut off, Honda jazz, Mitsubishi colt, lancer probably too, most Japanese petrol cars. Auris 1.6 2010 for example at least you have a cat plate ready available just buy of eBay and fit it onto the car yourself with security bots and been non hybrid they most likely will drive pass and not been bothered. 

True. Well i bet mechanics can come up with custom plates for any car.. but anyways. I'll take my time for now, really not sure what i want. I would enjoy Focus 1.6tdci 110hp (very good engine) but yeah.. dirty diesel. I wouldnt mind a petrol but.. cats/fuel consumption/power. Gonna have to make Pros/Cons list 😂

[Vainona70]

9 hours ago, forkingabout said:

Ouch - Keep up the Vauxhall main dealer servicing history as your gonna need it. 

If its a keeper, might be worth investing in one of these:

Timing Belt Checking Gauge for PSA, 1.0/1.2 | VSE5094 | 1 Year Guarantee | Sealey

I agree the Puretech 130 is very fun to drive, but its long term reliability is dreadful - its the reason I'm getting rid of mine.

RAV4 HEV ordered 3 months ago, so only have to worry about wet timing bet for another 6 months ...

[forkingabout]

39 minutes ago, Vainona70 said:

RAV4 HEV ordered 3 months ago, so only have to worry about wet timing bet for another 6 months ...

Good call 😎

I've got a C-HR on order & its looking like it will be built in the coming week.

Hopefully rid of my Puretech late April / early May.

[robbygaz]

My mum has a 2001 yaris verso and the cat was nicked the other day. Annoying because I'm visiting from Australia next weekand was planning to borrow it as she  doesn't use it. I'll prob just replace it myself, though apparently they are hard to do

[davidif]

3 hours ago, robbygaz said:

My mum has a 2001 yaris verso and the cat was nicked the other day. Annoying because I'm visiting from Australia next weekand was planning to borrow it as she  doesn't use it. I'll prob just replace it myself, though apparently they are hard to do

Wow! that's a hell of a road trip😀

[flash22]

Clueless scum, a 21 year old cat converter is worth bugger all - the replacement cat is bolt on the expensive part is the o2 sensors assuming they just hacked them off

[Mojo1010]

That's pretty bad these scumbags are like copycat, probably heard about how easy to cut off the cat and make a quick buck. 🤦‍♂️

[TonyHSD]

The cat theft is actually a  “cut by order” and thieves will cut and get anything that is under the car accessible and easy to get. Been a Toyota also adds, as they been told Prius and Auris and all other options when order been made by the metal traders.   

[bathtub tom]

5 hours ago, flash22 said:

 a 21 year old cat converter is worth bugger all

I heard of someone who had one replaced to pass the MOT. On finding out they had a considerable scrap value they went back to the garage, paid the fifteen quid fee for not returning the old one and got £150 for it at a scrappy.

[TonyHSD]

43 minutes ago, bathtub tom said:

I heard of someone who had one replaced to pass the MOT. On finding out they had a considerable scrap value they went back to the garage, paid the fifteen quid fee for not returning the old one and got £150 for it at a scrappy.

Now we all know why the cat thefts will never stop. 🫢