Catalytic converter theft protection

[racecar882]

We had one of the stolen on our 2005 Bounder.  To deter another theft I painted the converters white with high temp paint, etched the VIN number and secured each with two 3/16 inch stainless cables, 7 inch stainless clamps and 3/16 inch wire clamps to the frame.  I used red Loctite on all the fasteners.  Welding would be better.  I hope it doesn't happen again.  It cost over $2400.

[rayin]

With the new requirement placed on salvage yards I suspect CAT thefts will drop dramatically. Now all legal scrap/salvage yards are required to obtain a picture ID of the seller for their permanent records,. Sellers are required to obtain a license from the state to sell a CAT, plus have proof of the vehicle it came from (VIN)' OR be selling the entire vehicle as scrap.

What you did was basically make your own catstrap.net

[FredRThorne]

KatKlamp and sprayed fluorescent orange

[raypesek]

On 12/11/2022 at 8:14 PM, rayin said:

With the new requirement placed on salvage yards I suspect CAT thefts will drop dramatically. Now all legal scrap/salvage yards are required to obtain a picture ID of the seller for their permanent records,. Sellers are required to obtain a license from the state to sell a CAT, plus have proof of the vehicle it came from (VIN)' OR be selling the entire vehicle as scrap.

What you did was basically make your own catstrap.net

Perhaps in your state and that only stops honest scrapyards from accepting stolen goods. In Ohio the law limits sellers to one catalytic converter per scrapyard per day. But the law does not apply to commercial sellers. So one enterprising thief got an LLC through State of Ohio and sold several every day.

[raypesek]

On 1/4/2023 at 5:02 PM, FredRThorne said:

KatKlamp and sprayed fluorescent orange

Let us know how that works out for you. :)

The pics are not of ours.

[rayin]

44 minutes ago, raypesek said:

Perhaps in your state and that only stops honest scrapyards from accepting stolen goods. In Ohio the law limits sellers to one catalytic converter per scrapyard per day. But the law does not apply to commercial sellers. So one enterprising thief got an LLC through State of Ohio and sold several every day.

Indiana is my state. The salvage yard manager with whom I do business said the state police regularly check his records. You are right, nothing will stop a determined thief, as your pictures prove.

[raypesek]

To me the "bottom line" on this subject is that any deterrent you can put in place cost effectively is better than just taking a chance.

- What is my insurance deductible?

- What are the indirect costs of a catalytic converter theft? Anger and a feeling of having been violated, possible canceled trips and loss of deposits along with family disappointment, more anger, time lost trying to find a replacement and someone who can do the work, more anger, etc.

- If I experienced a catalytic converter theft, would I then pay out of pocket for some kind of anti-theft deterrent? For me, probably. The only other alternative is to experience a conttant, nagging worry, suffer a second loss, pay a second deductible, and have all the same problems getting a replacement again.

So I simply decided to cut out all of the emotional and financial impact of an actual loss and install an anti-theft deterrent on my schedule. The total cost (because I did the work myself) was less than the insurance deductible cost of $500 if I suffered a theft.

I hate spending money for things like this but hopefully I've minimized the chance of a future theft.

Then again, maybe I'd get a new motorhome out of a catalytic converter theft, if I could afford a new one with the insurance payout at today's prices. See: https://muskoka411.com/vehicles-flipped-over-catalytic-converters-stolen-in-severn/

Edited January 10, 2023 by raypesek

[laszlokara]

I wonder how many occurrences before the insurance company will drop a client.

When ours was stolen from our driveway, the police officer said neither they nor the court system has time to work on a $3-4,000 theft.

For comparison, at work we had a theft; the local recycler had our tooling and all the information including picture, license plate number and fingerprints of the individual selling the stolen metal to them.  The police investigator told us not to waste our time.  Our replacement cost would have been over $25,000.  Luckily, I was able to buy it all back for $450 from the recycler.

So, I have no clue what pictures, lighting and added protection will do to save the cat, nothing will be done about it. As long as recyclers will continue to pay for stolen items, nothing will change. 

[Outlaw_RVers]

This is always a concern for me with any vehicle. I found this video that tests many of the products out there and all said and done engraving your cat with vin # and welding rebar around it seems to be the best because bolt cutters can’t cut through it, a sawzal and rotary grinder would take a lot more time.  I was gonna go with the cat strap or the cat clamp but now might buy some rebar and have friend weld something up. Click link below
Testing cat clamp vs cat strap

[raypesek]

6 hours ago, Outlaw_RVers said:

This is always a concern for me with any vehicle. I found this video that tests many of the products out there and all said and done engraving your cat with vin # and welding rebar around it seems to be the best because bolt cutters can’t cut through it, a sawzal and rotary grinder would take a lot more time.  I was gonna go with the cat strap or the cat clamp but now might buy some rebar and have friend weld something up. Click link below
Testing cat clamp vs cat strap

Engraving the VIN does absolutely nothing to prevent a theft because the final buyer is taking the guts out and disposing of the case, probably in their own scrapyard. Engraving the VIN can help prove a specific catalytic converter was stolen IF the cops find it before it's gutted out. That's why the cops recommend engraving; it makes their job easier. (Some people proudly posted pics where they engraved their VIN on the heat shield and not on the catalytic converter body itself so don't make that mistake.)

That video actually shows why you don't trust everything on the Internet. While they talked about the CatStrap being bonded to the exhaust, they skipped that step. To speed up their test they slipped the sawzall blade between the CatStrap and the exhaust, cut a thin band, and pulled it off. The CatStrap installation instructions explicitly warn about not having any gaps where a blade could be slipped under the CatStrap. And yes, it really does bond and no, it's not "obviously just duct tape" like they said. Duh.

If your motorhome is in a storage lot where there are a lot of targets your goal really is to make the criminals move on to someone else instead. All of these methods, including rebar cages, are just deterrents. If the criminal has enough time and the proper tool set nothing will stop them. Just over a year ago Forest River had 94 catalytic converters stolen off brand new motorhomes between Christmas and New Years Day. Clearly the criminals knew Forest River had zero security and that gave them all the time they needed. An employee coming into work after the holidays noticed a hole in the fence. See: https://rvbusiness.com/94-catalytic-converters-stolen-from-forest-river-rv-plant/

The attached pics show how I installed a CatStrap on our F53 motorhome. I used their 12' strap and folded it so the CatStrap runs across the top and bottom so there are four places it needs cut, not the usual two. The CatStrap also is looped through a frame opening. On a Class A the criminal can sit underneath and cut top down rather than needing to jack the vehicle up, lie on their back, and cut bottom up, which is why I wanted to protect both the top and bottom.

Unfortunately I cannot attach a PDF here with the step by step directions. If anyone wants a copy it's posted on iRV2 here: https://www.irv2.com/forums/f84/how-i-installed-a-catstrap-on-a-2019-ford-f-53-v10-motorhome-chassis-580567.html I also installed their CatEye motion alarm later.

I also keep a Blink wireless camera underneath when we're parked at home. Perhaps some day I'll have a nice video to share, along with a recording of the criminal's voice cussing me out. So far all the camera has caught are a few cats, rabbits, and squirrels and the motion alarm made one squirrel depart very fast. That video is here and you can hear the CatEye alarm at the end if your sound is on: https://onedrive.live.com/?authkey=!AFw7TS80jxqUx_w&id=D99D84C5967D96B4!234&cid=D99D84C5967D96B4&parId=root&parQt=sharedby&o=OneUp

If this slows a criminal down or makes them just move on to the next one, I'm happy. And if the motion alarm keeps a squirrel from chewing up my wiring, I'll be even happier!

Edited April 12, 2023 by raypesek

[Outlaw_RVers]

Thanks for the info and pictures. I like how you did the cat strap

[hayesfamily]

One of the things I did to our Honda, when they stole our catalytic converter in Connecticut. The new one was outfitted with razor blades that I JB welded to the top of it. Now it doesn’t sound like that would do much, however, when they go to reach their hand up there to pull that rascal down, they’ll think twice about doing it again the next time. And the blood trail alone Might lead us to the crook. 

[raypesek]

1 hour ago, hayesfamily said:

One of the things I did to our Honda, when they stole our catalytic converter in Connecticut. The new one was outfitted with razor blades that I JB welded to the top of it. Now it doesn’t sound like that would do much, however, when they go to reach their hand up there to pull that rascal down, they’ll think twice about doing it again the next time. And the blood trail alone Might lead us to the crook. 

You need to up your game:.

Keep the sound off if any kiddies are nearby.

Ray

 

[hayesfamily]

Jesus.  

[wildebill308]

How is Keon doing?

Bill

[hayesfamily]

On 9/27/2023 at 10:12 PM, wildebill308 said:

How is Keon doing?

Bill

Juist seeing this ... were doing fine. Got a new camping partner sense this post. Actually 2 new camping partners .

[wildebill308]

1 hour ago, hayesfamily said:

Juist seeing this ... were doing fine. Got a new camping partner sense this post. Actually 2 new camping partners .

Looks like you are doing verry well!!

[rayin]

On 9/27/2023 at 7:22 PM, raypesek said:

You need to up your game:.

Keep the sound off if any kiddies are nearby.

Ray

 

I can imagine the result of it coming loose enough to hook onto the driveshaft.