Among all of the things that can be stolen from your car, the last thing you would think of would be a catalytic converter. It is an instrument that is installed in the exhaust manifold of your car. The catalytic converter can be found close to the exhaust pipe. Its job is to convert the harmful gases from your car into harmless ones before releasing them into the atmosphere.
Car thieves commonly target catalytic converters because they can be removed in a matter of minutes. They are sold quickly and they can go for as high as $3,000. This also means that if this is stolen from your car, you will have to pay a lot more money to get a new one. Here is how you can stay ahead of catalytic converter theft and prevent it from happening to you.
Scoping the Neighborhood
The first step is to find out whether any other cars have been targeted near your home or in your neighborhood. This would help you find out if you are actually an easy target or not. Visit an auto parts store near you. You can find out the make and model of cars that customers buy catalytic converters most commonly. This would help you find out which cars are being targeted more than others. The Toyota Prius is the most common target for catalytic converter theft. Also various models of trucks and SUVs are a common target.
Installing an Anti-Theft Device
You can also protect your catalytic converter by installing a cable locking device. You can put on your catalytic converter whenever you park the car. Getting such a device proves to be much cheaper than the catalytic converter. So it is a wise option for people who think they may be prone to catalytic converter theft. You can easily find a cable locking device for the catalytic converter for as low as $250. Moreover, there are also different types of shields used to cover the converter, which include metal covers, cages, steel cables, and much more. You can also find DIY methods to protect your catalytic converter from theft.
Tagging Your Catalytic Converter
If you have been a victim of converter theft once, you have to be more careful the next time. What you can do is to make it more difficult for the thief to move the converter if they steal it again from your car. One way to do this is to paint the converter with a fluorescent paint and adding the vehicle identification number to it, so that it can be traced by police. Moreover, no dealer will ever buy one that has been tagged.
This brings us to the end of our guide on how to protect your catalytic converters from theft. By following the aforementioned steps, you can make it difficult for your converter to be stolen and more so, to be sold further on.
Recent Comments