We have seen an increase in thefts of catalytic converters.
The rise in the value of precious metals used in the converters has spurred the increase in thefts. This is a property crime that can be pulled off in in about a minute and it can mean a quick $300 to $500 for a thief.
Your vehicle is more at risk for this type of theft if it sits higher off the ground, like a truck or SUV, so they don’t have to jack the vehicle up to access it. Or if you have a hybrid vehicle that has 2 catalytic converters.
It can cost you thousands of dollars to replace your converter. But if you have Comprehensive Coverage on your Auto Insurance, this would be a covered claim which would be subject to your deductible.
As always, I’m a big fan of doing what we can to prevent potential claims on your insurance. Insurance is there to help you in these situations, but having a claim is never convenient or fun. So here’s some recommendations.
Park in a well-lit area.
Park in your garage if possible.
You can mark your catalytic converter with bright color heat resistant paint and/or have your VIN etched in it. If a potential thief sees that you’ve taken the time to mark your converter, they may be less likely to steal it.
If you are taking your car in for service, you should ask if they have any catalytic converter theft prevention methods that they recommend.
If you do a quick YouTube search on how to prevent catalytic converter theft, you’ll see there’s several options. I went down that YouTube rabbit hole researching for this video.
You can purchase a catalytic converter alarm, that’s easy to install yourself that you can purchase from Amazon or another online retailer.
You can have a steel rod welded to your converter making it more difficult to cut through.
You can purchase an aftermarket steel shield that would enclose your converter making it more difficult to remove hopefully deterring any theft.
I’m taking our van in for an oil change next week and I’m going to ask my shop if they have any prevention methods that they recommend.
