Thefts of catalytic converts are on the rise. Here’s why.
After a month-long investigation into a rash of catalytic converter thefts, Sonoma County Sheriff’s Deputies arrested two men with a trunk full of the car part, a darling of the black market because of its precious-metal value. The two, working as a team, were booked on charges of grand theft and possession of burglary tools.
It’s a good bust, but the incidence of converter theft, rampant across the county, is unlikely to slow down. Why? It pays. Two of the three rare earth metals used in catalytic converters are worth more per ounce than gold.
When selling to metal scrappers, cash payouts can range from $50 to a few hundred bucks, according to Car and Driver.
The coveted metals are Palladium and Rhodium, both near all-time highs (that bar was set 10 years ago). Still, the actual job of rolling under a car to quickly cut out the converter, is worth it to an increasing number of thieves. Because while it’s illegal for you to swap a used converter straight out of another identical car, buy one from a junkyard, or fit a converter meant for a different car model, scrapping them for metal is apparently the no-questions-asked easy part.
If you need one legit, figure somewhere between $500 (refurbished, for an old car) and $1,000 (new, factory). And that’s before the installation labor. Beyond a locked garage, this kind of theft is essentially impossible to prevent. There’s no (yet?) locking mechanism or guard for the converter. It’s painfully easy to cut, and remove.
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Hi they stole from my Prius the 12/19/20 I pay 💰 $3200 to fixed