Are used CCs sold as CCs or are they stripped of their precious metals and that is sold? (really asking)
Alarm systems need a squat switch that sends an alert to a phone.
Recovering the valuable metals from a CC is more than a backyard operation. According to the 2nd post in this thread, there are companies that buy up used CC’s and that’s where they go.
All joking aside, do they tend to target pickups and SUV’s with the clearance needed to get underneath? Quite a few passenger cars, there is no clearance to reach the CC unless it is close to one edge of the car. (Is it? Google tells me it’s in the center, and near the front wheels, usually). Or do thieves show up with a jack? Seems to me if the “target of opportunity” is the path of least resistance, then the high ground clearance vehicles would be the main victims.
Vehicles with enough ground clearance to wriggle under are easier targets, but that doesn’t mean your econobox is safe. Rapid-pump floor jacks take a bit more lever force to use, but they can raise a car pretty quick; slip a cinder block under the tire, release your jack, and get to work on the CC. The jacking/bricking process might add just 20-30 seconds to the job (you leave the brick behind when you flee).
If you’re risk-tolerant (and thieves generally are), then you skip the brick to save time and just get under there while the car is up on the jack.
Without going back to the site, the Cat Clamp I looked at was $176 (I think). Someone posted he’d bought one, and had it installed for $75. I asked the shop this morning, if they’d heard of them. They hadn’t, but they said they have something like a ‘plate’ that goes on with safety bolts for $300. I think I’ll have them put one on. Three hundred clams is less than my $500 deductible.
There’s legitimate reasons why someone might have a bunch of catalytic converters to sell . Maybe they have a side business repairing cars and are junking a couple of them. They’ll get more money stripping the cat converters off and selling them separately.
A while ago I bought a lot of 18 traffic signals being removed from an intersection by a contractor. I kept a couple, sold a bunch, and scrapped about half of them that were badly deteriorated. The scrap dealer asked no questions and cut me a check. Most of them are honest and don’t want to become a fence for stolen property, but there’s legitimate reasons why people might have stuff and asking too many questions is antithetical to their business.
As long as this thread has been bumped…
To replace a catalytic converter and oxygen sensor in a 2004-2009 Prius (mine’s a 2005) costs $4,543.
Since the repair agent rent the shop’s estimate back to my insurance carrier for an audit, I think it is very likely they’re going to total the car.
‘Sent’, not ‘rent’.
It looks like I left out a few things I meant to mention.
The one that looks like the best solution, but isn’t available for all makes and models:
Maybe that’s the plate they were going to install for you. I think the manufacturer started with the Prius because it was a huge target, so the return on investment would be obvious, whatever. I could have sworn they started making it for other makes/models but I can’t find them. If you get another Prius maybe you could DIY, etching the VIN on it and painting it first. But be careful…
I also meant to mention that the Arlo footage indicated that our thief was slim. Neither he nor his lookout jacked it up and I don’t think he even climbed under. Basically his arm + the tool were long enough to reach.
I have no sympathy.
On their website it seems the one for cars is $176 with a more robust version costing $385.
For medium duty to heavy duty trucks costs range from $375 - 920.
A friend pawned some jewelry. Not only did they take, & save, a picture of the jewelry with her license but that photo was put on the web. I bet if they regulated scrapping anywhere near the way they do the pawn business that theft of cats, along with copper pipes, iron fences, manhole covers, etc would go way down. Sure someone like you who legitimately acquired goods could still sell them, but a thief who’s getting x number per week wouldn’t want to put his name & photo next to what he stole.
Do people really steal manhole covers?
Mrs. L v1.0 was from India. She said over there, people do. That’s a problem in monsoon season because poor people are wading down the street and fall through the holes.
Bumped.
My niece’s husband has had his CC stolen five times in the not-so-great neighborhood of LA in which they live. There’s no off-street parking available, unfortunately. He has some skill at metalworking and created a cage around it, but it made no difference.
Hard to feel too sorry for this guy:
If law enforcement ran stings on the scrap metal dealers who buy this stuff, the problem would be greatly solved.
Wonder why they don’t.