Yesterday morning, A. and I had a large list of tasks to complete which involved a trip to the groceries, a stop to Petsmart/Banfield Veterinary clinic, a visit to two banks, and a stop at Target. All those things were put on hold shortly after turning the key on my Toyota Tacoma's ignition system. The deafening sound caught me off guard, and I assumed that some part of my exhaust system had probably fallen off on start up. Much to my surprise, a large section of exhaust was gone, and the piece was no where around. The fresh saw marks would prove to be an indication of my auto troubles.
Theft.
Apparently, the precious metals such as platinum, and palladium used in the construction of catalytic converters makes for a nice cash handout for crackheads at the nearest scrapyard/junkyard/metal recycling plant. Proprietors of these kinds of places will pay $100 or more for them. In contrast, the repairs for this easily reach up over the $1,000 range. Thieves/crackheads target vehicles with higher stances. Toyota pickups and SUV's prove to be the most popular victims. Despite paying a deductible, I'm fortunate enough to have auto theft insurance which will cover the damages. It does mean that I'll have to take a bus to school all week.
I wonder why the owners of these places accept catalytic converters when the surge in their theft has made headlines in papers, and has become an obvious problem. I would think that they also would have to face charges of receiving stolen property. I guess as long as they smelt it fast enough, and play dumb when the authorities come and question, there is really not much anyone can do about it. I worry that once I get this fixed, whats to stop it from happening again? I wonder if there is a way they can place a plate over it, and run a bead to cover it. I don't know though.
The night that this happened, police caught four people here in Lakeview doing it. They were most likely the ones who who got mine. There was an article about it yesterday in the Chicago Tribune, but apparently, any stories URL over a day old has to be paid for. *I don't get it either.. you have to pay for old news?*
Theft.
Apparently, the precious metals such as platinum, and palladium used in the construction of catalytic converters makes for a nice cash handout for crackheads at the nearest scrapyard/junkyard/metal recycling plant. Proprietors of these kinds of places will pay $100 or more for them. In contrast, the repairs for this easily reach up over the $1,000 range. Thieves/crackheads target vehicles with higher stances. Toyota pickups and SUV's prove to be the most popular victims. Despite paying a deductible, I'm fortunate enough to have auto theft insurance which will cover the damages. It does mean that I'll have to take a bus to school all week.
I wonder why the owners of these places accept catalytic converters when the surge in their theft has made headlines in papers, and has become an obvious problem. I would think that they also would have to face charges of receiving stolen property. I guess as long as they smelt it fast enough, and play dumb when the authorities come and question, there is really not much anyone can do about it. I worry that once I get this fixed, whats to stop it from happening again? I wonder if there is a way they can place a plate over it, and run a bead to cover it. I don't know though.
The night that this happened, police caught four people here in Lakeview doing it. They were most likely the ones who who got mine. There was an article about it yesterday in the Chicago Tribune, but apparently, any stories URL over a day old has to be paid for. *I don't get it either.. you have to pay for old news?*
I think the thing that amazes me most is that I've never seen or heard about this happening before. When I worked in an auto shop in Cleveland, I never saw anyone come in for catalytic converter theft repairs. Maybe it's just now catching on, who knows, or perhaps they did come in more often than I realized, but I just didn't make the connection.
D.
D.
4 comments:
I worry that once I get this fixed, whats to stop it from happening again? I wonder if there is a way they can place a plate over it, and run a bead to cover it. I don't know though.
The only thing i can think of to stop it would be the CATclamp or to get a shorter vehicle.
Put some electric fencing on it. It will fry them when they try and saw that sob
Have you looked into the CATClamp yet. Just google it. Looks pretty sweet and pretty foolproof. Or at least meth-head proof.
I did finally check out the CATclamp. Now I should check and see if the insurance will cover it as 'preventative measures'. Thanks Ja'kowski
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