My daughter woke up at 0440 this morning to the sound of metal cutting. She looked out her window and saw two cretins stealing the catalytic converter from our neighbors 2010ish Honda Accord parked across the street. They were gone in a flash, but she heard a car alarm go off shortly after, around the block. She called a friend who is SCPD and was on duty. He sent a car over but she doesn't know if they were caught. Beyond the societal disgust, what I'm wondering is, why this car? Parked on my driveway at the same time was a 2021 Cadillac XT6, a 2022 Cadillac XT4 and a 2023 BMW 750xi. Why not one of those? Are those too new for there to be an aftermarket need? Are Honda's particularly exposed to this? Cars of that vintage? I hope they catch these low lifes but I seriously doubt they will. I feel bad for the kid and his parents that own the Honda, an unexpected expense entering the holidays.
They steal those for the precious metal inside. Scrap yards pay big money. I guessing that vehicle had easier access and nothing to do with the make.
Rampant in Texas. There was a ring in DFW area that was just busted. They were stealing the converters and shipping them to a processor in NY. I have heard mentioned in the news that there is a target list of car models. Not sure why they prefer one over another.
Why Are Catalytic Converters Stolen? Thieves hope to make a big payday by melting down the precious metals found in the anti-pollution devices – namely, platinum, palladium, and rhodium. Platinum, for example, was recently trading at $900 per ounce, and palladium was at about $2,200 an ounce. Rhodium – fasten your seatbelts for this one – was going for nearly $13,000. Yes, $13,000 per troy ounce. In comparison, gold was a mere $1,700 per ounce. Prices fluctuate greatly and frequently, so those numbers are subject to change. These metals are so expensive because there is high demand and limited supply globally, which is why gold is being explored as an alternative for the future. Thieves can make anywhere from $25 to $300 for a standard catalytic converter, McDonold said. Ones from hybrid vehicles can sell for up to $1,400. https://www.carfax.com/blog/catalytic-converter-theft
Toyota Prius's #1 target b/c of the amount of precious metals. In the auto service industry....fleets are getting hit big. Many are installing cat clamps on converter to at least slow thieves down. Some independent dealers offering free metal engraving and painting of converter to deter theft. It is rampant here in AZ.
The mid 2000’s and up Hondas have easy access to the main convertor. Especially CR-V’s. It is under the middle of the car and easily removed with a metal saw. Newer cars have the convertor right up against the cylinder head or exhaust manifold and are hard to access. They stole one off my neighbors 2005 Accord last month. Between 5-6am!
Body shops may buy them. Hondas are popular and collision shops see a lot of them. Shady operators buy stolen parts.
My wife works once in a while at a hospital. They had a van roam around the parking lot… when they found a car the wanted they would pull up to it. The van had a hole in the floor. They just went down the hole under the car cut it out and away they go….. you never saw a sole
The scrap yards around here have stopped buying them unless they came with the vehicle. They were only steeling from commercial vehicles but the scrap yards shut that down quick. Now if they steal them they have to ship them somewhere to cash then in & that creates to many traces back to them.
Years ago At my old shop we lost a few right out of our parking lot. A place a few buildings down was buying them up by the thousands. They eventually got busted.
They heard here on the forum that running a honda on a swim platform is deadly , thats why they choose the honda
I went to drop my daughter's car off the night before the maintenance appointment. The guy at the counter suggested that I dont leave it over night bc there was a lot of CCs being stolen from the cars on their lot. I went somewhere else but I told him before I left that it sounded like an inside job to me.
If I parked outside, this would be on the vehicle. https://www.napaonline.com/accessories/catclamp-catalytic-converter-lock
A friend of ours drives a BIG Chebby 4x4 dually. They went to Costco this week and parked it out at the far end of the lot because it's easier to find a place to park. Well guess what happened while they were shopping!
