Catalytic converter theft

imactj2004

imactj2004

TJ Enthusiast
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Joined
Nov 7, 2020
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318
Location
SF Bay Area
Herein california, we're facing a huge problem with catalytic converter thefts. Mostly hitting honda and toyota but I'm afraid it's only a matter of time before they start hitting jeeps with the high clearance. Any recommended products to help prevent easy access?
 
The best option is to move out of California. Option #2 is this. 😬

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I worried about same thing, problem is bad here in Colorado too. They just passed a law making it harder to sell stolen cats. Luckily they are harder to reach in Jeeps then they are on other vehicles. They usually just hit them with a grinder to chop em out
 
Huge problem here in NY also, except they like going after vans and trucks. Had one sawed off on my E350 van, luckily for some reason the E350 did not require it so a straight pipe was welded in. The 150 and 250 need the cats to be legal.
 
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TheBoogieman said:
A universal cat for my Jeep is $100 if mine gets "almost" stolen. I park my Jeep outside my bedroom window and keep my firearm next to my bed. Losing a cat doesn't compare to losing your life to "try" to steal it. I sleep less than 3 hours a night.
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How do you function on 3 hours of sleep? I need 10
 
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TheBoogieman said:
A universal cat for my Jeep is $100 if mine gets "almost" stolen. I park my Jeep outside my bedroom window and keep my firearm next to my bed. Losing a cat doesn't compare to losing your life to "try" to steal it. I sleep less than 3 hours a night. :sleep::oops:
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Under 6 hours per day, your body will start falling apart.
 
While mine was sitting behind the dealership waiting for the replacement cat to arrive I was hoping one of the local meth heads would steal my cat so I could get insurance to cover it
Too hard to get to the cat with the skid plate in the way
 
Kenneth G Zinis said:
Explosive pack wired to cat, blows 5 min after removal from vehicle
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Unfortunately it is illegal in US.
Different mechanism that does not involve explosives, would be collapsible suspension, that completely collapses when Cats removed. This would require to jack up the Jeep every time exhaust work is done, and it will reduce the population of cat converters thieves drastically.
 
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The 2 nice things about my car are that you'd have to be about 4" thick to slide in there and take the cats. The other nice thing is if they could get in there they'd find out there aren't any cats.

I keep the Jeeps locked up.
 
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Make your catalytic converter standout.

Purchase some high-temperature (1,300 to 2,000 0F), automotive exhaust spray paint in a bright color, and spray a generous amount onto the converter.

By adding bright paint, you can create a visible deterrent to alert thieves to move on.

This paint also signals law enforcement and recyclers to look deeper for serial numbers or identification marks.
 
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cat thieves are running rampant here in east texas. local police say they are coming from the houston area all the way up to east texas. they seem to target any vehicle with good ground clearance. police say they travel in packs of three, driver, lookout and sawzall guy. me thinks the belly pan will deter them for the most part, mossberg should be able to handle the rest. can you say buckshot?
 
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