Thieves typically sell the stolen part to recyclers or on the black market for resale and get about $100 to $120 on a good catalytic converter. A quick Google search is all it takes to find similar stories across the United States. “We’ve also seen this increase at a time we’ve seen a lot of job loss in the U.S.,” he added. Reached by phone, an exasperated Mr. Nguyen asked a reporter optimistically, “Are you going to try to solve it?” He sounded disappointed when the reporter said that only a news article would ensue. (Stealing the converters can be treacherous for the thieves, too. Michael Kevane, an economics professor in San Jose, Calif., didn’t give a second thought to parking his 2005 Prius in his driveway one rainy evening last month. “This is why you’ve seen this very dramatic rise” in demand and prices, she said. It was the second catalytic converter theft that day Mr. Nguyen had gotten a call about — a first in his 25 years in business. The cars catalytic converter thieves target the most include: The Toyota Prius. It is hoped the measures will make vehicles less likely to be targeted by thieves. Waterloo Regional Police reported 131 catalytic converter thefts in the first two months of 2021. When you subscribe we will use the information you provide to send you these newsletters. Meanwhile, in Europe, one vehicle that’s particularly enticing to thieves is the Honda Jazz. In December alone, 2,347 catalytic converters were stolen. "Like so much of car crime, the crooks that do it have refined their technique to such an extent that they can remove the units in seconds.". Admiral said there had been a 44% increase in claims for catalytic converters in 2020 compared with 2019, despite a … The Automobile Association, (AA), says the crooks can remove the units in seconds. And that is just one region, in one province, over one short period. Etching a vehicle identification number or license plate ID on the converter could also help track it down if it does get stolen. Something went wrong, please try again later. Replacing a stolen catalytic converter can cost more than £1,000, with the AA reporting that claims can reach as much as £3,000 depending on the damage caused when the part was removed. The spot where Mr. Kevane’s converter was cut out from under his car. At the same time, the effects of the pandemic on mining in South Africa, a major producer of rhodium, has kept supply limited. Stricter car emissions rules around the world — particularly in China, which has scrambled in recent years to get its dire air pollution problem under control — have sent demand for the precious metals in catalytic converters surging. They will fit a catalytic converter marking kit, warning stickers and anti-theft screws to your number plates. One site advertised payouts of up to $500 for certain foreign models. The Kevanes are still dealing with the aftermath. Two days later, Mr. Kevane’s sister, Jean, who lives in Los Angeles, had the catalytic converter stolen from her 2003 Honda Accord LX. He urged owners to “follow the basics to protect their vehicles,” including parking in well-lit areas. Toyota Prius converters also fetch a higher price because their gasoline engines aren’t in as much use, and so it can take longer for the car to burn out the precious metals. Online, ads abound of scrapyards willing to pay quick cash for catalytic converters. Many thieves get away with the crime in broad daylight because they simply pop the hood of a vehicle and by hooking their car up with jumper cables, they pretend that they are doing a repair. But a global trend toward stricter tailpipe emissions rules, as well as more rigorous enforcement after the Volkswagen emissions scandal, in which the automaker illicitly modified its vehicles’ pollution controls to seem cleaner than they really were, has led to a surge in demand for higher-performance catalytic converters and the valuable metals that make them work. But criminals go after the converters on some vehicles more than others. The bottom line: “We have a finite number of detectives, and it appears right now we have an infinite number of cases,” Sergeant McDonald said. In Lexington, S.C., sheriffs deputies responded to 144 catalytic converter thefts between July and December, nearly triple the number of cases over the year-earlier period. An AA spokesperson told LeicestershireLive: "This is a fairly specialist type of crime in that you have to know how to go about it and where to offload the stolen converters. “It’s unbelievable,” Mr. Turriff said. Some Toyota owners, in fact, are demanding that the automaker add anti-theft protections like metal shields to converters to make stealing them more difficult. Then last month, he went to drive it to a friend’s, and “it sounds like NASCAR,” he said. The RAC and Ageas, one of the UK's biggest car insurers, say that from January to March this year, 29.7 per cent of thefts from private vehicles were catalytic converter thefts. At current prices, he said, the industry as a whole was set to spend more than $40 billion this year just on metals for catalytic converters. A used car lot across the street had eight converters stolen last week, he said. But the next morning, when his son Elliot went to start up the car, “it sounded like a jackhammer,” Mr. Kevane said. The stolen equipment isn't resold, but instead sold for scraps. Stealing the part isn't hard. Leicestershire Police has issued a warning to owners about the types of cars which are being targeted and offered advice on steps people can take to reduce the risk of being targeted. The converters can be worth anything between £50 and £70 when sold as scrap but it can cost vehicle owners hundreds of pounds to replace them, the AA said. "Titanium, platinum, copper are some of the things that go into them," said Poutous. “My car and at least four others had the catalytic converters stolen at Temple Green park and ride, Leeds. Pc Chris Brown said: "Catalytic converter thieves are currently active around the county. "Vehicles predominantly being targeted by thieves are Honda Jazz, Honda Accord, Toyota Prius and Toyota Auris.". And YouTube tutorials are available for would-be sellers. Mr. Turriff replaced the stolen part, but the owner had the part stolen again several weeks later, he said. This help police identify a unit if it is recovered from a scrap yard or from suspected thieves, Keep vehicles in a garage whenever possible or parked in well-lit places, Park in other areas that make it difficult for would-be thieves to access the underside of the vehicle, Brookside Garage, 1 Cannock Street, Leicester on 0116 2460666, Euro Tyres, 68 Barkby Road, Leicester on 0116 2765135. Police have provided the latest advice on how to prevent being targeted. But different rules between states makes tracking and enforcement almost impossible, law enforcement officials say. He brought the car to Tony Nguyen at Bayshore Automotive. Two days later, Mr. Kevane’s sister, Jean, who lives in Los Angeles, had the catalytic converter stolen from her 2003 Honda Accord LX. The highest number of cases were in London, which saw 14,684 incidents of catalytic converter thefts, while the West Midlands saw 1,623 cases. J. C. Fontanive, a sculptor in Brooklyn, bought a used 2008 Prius in the summer, spurred by concerns over taking public transportation during the pandemic. Cars that have had their converter stolen cannot be legally driven. Honda Jazz. The theft of catalytic converters continues to … Ed Hellwig, a spokesman for Toyota, called catalytic converter theft “an industry-wide challenge” and said the Prius was no more at risk than any other vehicle. The metals prices, in turn, are fueling a black market in stolen catalytic converters, which can be sawed off from the belly of a car in minutes, and fetch several hundred dollars at a scrapyard, which then sells it to recyclers who extract the metals. These global trends in emissions regulations, metals markets and larceny appear to have converged that rainy night in Mr. Kevane’s driveway. The AA said it was called to just 57 breakdowns caused by catalytic converters being stolen in 2017,though that figure rose to 3,910 instances … Admiral’s analysis of its own claims data found there was a 44 percent increase in claims for catalytic converter thefts in 2020 compared with 2019, despite a dip - despite a dip during the first coronavirus lockdown last spring. Installed in almost all gasoline cars and trucks sold in the United States since 1975, the converters have a honeycomb-like interior — coated with precious metals like palladium, rhodium and platinum — that scrubs the worst toxic pollutants from the car’s exhaust. After being hit with three converter thefts in quick succession last year, Jerry Turriff, proprietor of Jerry’s Certified Service and Towing in Milwaukee, has resorted to deflating the tires of some of his customers’ most at-risk vehicles to deter thieves from crawling underneath. Latest figures suggest that up to 1,000 catalytic converters are chopped from cars and vans by thieves each month in London. Then, all of a sudden, they have a thousand-dollar repair bill they didn’t expect,” said Sgt. Determined to deter future thieves, Mr. Fontanive, who often uses metal in his artworks, drew on his metalworking skills. The Lexus RX hybrid SUV (right) is another model that's often preyed on by thieves of catalytic converters Admiral's warning comes after an investigation by BBC Radio 5 … Typically, catalytic converters are stolen from cars and trucks in driveways, strip malls or in parking garages. The escalating costs, Mr. Layton said, were “putting pressure on automakers to shift to battery electric vehicles as quickly as possible.”. Friday, 16th April 2021, 9:44 am. About 80 percent of demand for palladium and rhodium now comes from the automotive sector. 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