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Catalytic converter theft

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Comments

  • Addickted
    Addickted Posts: 19,456
    Why not go down and see?
  • Wilma
    Wilma Posts: 1,618
    Marked how ?
    Probably Smartwater

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SmartWater
  • This video shows it can be gone in 60 seconds.  

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qybMIkySaXk
  • seth plum
    seth plum Posts: 53,448
    How are you supposed to know if your car has a catalytic converter or not?
  • Addickted
    Addickted Posts: 19,456
    All petrol cars in the UK from 1992 onwards have had to have a catalytic converter fitted as standard in order to comply with emissions regulations 
  • seth plum
    seth plum Posts: 53,448
    Even my 2016 Ford Fiesta?
    wow
    gonna have to bring the converter indoors of a night.
  • cafcfan
    cafcfan Posts: 11,198
    Addickted said:
    All petrol cars in the UK from 1992 onwards have had to have a catalytic converter fitted as standard in order to comply with emissions regulations 
    Quite a few TVR owners have two exhaust systems. One for 364 days of the year and the other for MOT day.  There's nothing much that sounds as good as a de-catted TVR.
  • IdleHans
    IdleHans Posts: 10,971
    seth plum said:
    Even my 2016 Ford Fiesta?
    wow
    gonna have to bring the converter indoors of a night.
    get yourself a cat flap
  • DaveMehmet
    DaveMehmet Posts: 21,601
    cafcfan said:
    Addickted said:
    All petrol cars in the UK from 1992 onwards have had to have a catalytic converter fitted as standard in order to comply with emissions regulations 
    Quite a few TVR owners have two exhaust systems. One for 364 days of the year and the other for MOT day.  There's nothing much that sounds as good as a de-catted TVR.
    I had a drive of my mate's 4.6 Chimaera a few years ago, a beast of a car. As you say, fantastic noise.
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  • bobmunro
    bobmunro Posts: 20,848
    seth plum said:
    Even my 2016 Ford Fiesta?
    wow
    gonna have to bring the converter indoors of a night.
    That reminds me of when I used to bring the rotor arm in overnight from my Anglia 105E!
  • bobmunro
    bobmunro Posts: 20,848
    cafcfan said:
    Addickted said:
    All petrol cars in the UK from 1992 onwards have had to have a catalytic converter fitted as standard in order to comply with emissions regulations 
    Quite a few TVR owners have two exhaust systems. One for 364 days of the year and the other for MOT day.  There's nothing much that sounds as good as a de-catted TVR.
    I had a drive of my mate's 4.6 Chimaera a few years ago, a beast of a car. As you say, fantastic noise.
    When they're working they are awesome cars. Not very forgiving though!
  • Addickted
    Addickted Posts: 19,456
    bobmunro said:
    cafcfan said:
    Addickted said:
    All petrol cars in the UK from 1992 onwards have had to have a catalytic converter fitted as standard in order to comply with emissions regulations 
    Quite a few TVR owners have two exhaust systems. One for 364 days of the year and the other for MOT day.  There's nothing much that sounds as good as a de-catted TVR.
    I had a drive of my mate's 4.6 Chimaera a few years ago, a beast of a car. As you say, fantastic noise.
    When they're working they are awesome cars. Not very forgiving though!
    They stink of glue.
  • cafcfan
    cafcfan Posts: 11,198
    bobmunro said:
    cafcfan said:
    Addickted said:
    All petrol cars in the UK from 1992 onwards have had to have a catalytic converter fitted as standard in order to comply with emissions regulations 
    Quite a few TVR owners have two exhaust systems. One for 364 days of the year and the other for MOT day.  There's nothing much that sounds as good as a de-catted TVR.
    I had a drive of my mate's 4.6 Chimaera a few years ago, a beast of a car. As you say, fantastic noise.
    When they're working they are awesome cars. Not very forgiving though!
    I've had three. Drove them to all sorts of places including Southern Spain, Italy, Isle of Man and The Valley.  Only really had any trouble with the last one which needed an engine rebuild. But it wasn't very expensive really.  So much fun. Sure they could easily kill you but not really too much trouble as long as your foot was very gentle on the throttle when it was wet.
  • cafcfan
    cafcfan Posts: 11,198
    Addickted said:
    bobmunro said:
    cafcfan said:
    Addickted said:
    All petrol cars in the UK from 1992 onwards have had to have a catalytic converter fitted as standard in order to comply with emissions regulations 
    Quite a few TVR owners have two exhaust systems. One for 364 days of the year and the other for MOT day.  There's nothing much that sounds as good as a de-catted TVR.
    I had a drive of my mate's 4.6 Chimaera a few years ago, a beast of a car. As you say, fantastic noise.
    When they're working they are awesome cars. Not very forgiving though!
    They stink of glue.
    Yes, it's the fibreglass resin.  It kind of wears off after a while. Either that or you got used to it. So much fun.  Anyway I have hijacked the thread, sorry.
  • Arsenetatters
    Arsenetatters Posts: 5,976
    Addickted said:
    All petrol cars in the UK from 1992 onwards have had to have a catalytic converter fitted as standard in order to comply with emissions regulations 
    Sorry to appear dim but does that mean my diesel van doesnt have one?
  • cafcfan
    cafcfan Posts: 11,198
    Addickted said:
    All petrol cars in the UK from 1992 onwards have had to have a catalytic converter fitted as standard in order to comply with emissions regulations 
    Sorry to appear dim but does that mean my diesel van doesnt have one?
    It will have one.  I think they were fitted to diesels post 2001 or thereabouts.  It will probably also have something called a diesel particulate filter. These trap the soot particles and do fill up. They have the ability to "run hot" for a period of time to burn off the soot. (A bit like a self-cleaning oven.) But you have to do a long run at motorway speeds for it to work. You can kind of hear that the vehicle is running differently when it is in operation. More info here https://www.rac.co.uk/drive/advice/emissions/diesel-particulate-filters/

  • I had a Vauxhall Combo van at work that had DPF light on the dash. 

    I was told to not switch the engine off under any circumstances if it came on.  It did it just once, when I was driving to a meeting, and I knew the best thing to do was keep driving - preferably at speed - very difficult to do when stuck in the middle of Bishopsgate.  Anyway I drove round the best I could and it did eventually extinguish after about half an hour.

    I made my apologies for being late to the meeting, citing the DPF light on my dash was to blame.  No one believed me of course, but I may have scored some brownie points for an original excuse.


  • Arsenetatters
    Arsenetatters Posts: 5,976
    cafcfan said:
    Addickted said:
    All petrol cars in the UK from 1992 onwards have had to have a catalytic converter fitted as standard in order to comply with emissions regulations 
    Sorry to appear dim but does that mean my diesel van doesnt have one?
    It will have one.  I think they were fitted to diesels post 2001 or thereabouts.  It will probably also have something called a diesel particulate filter. These trap the soot particles and do fill up. They have the ability to "run hot" for a period of time to burn off the soot. (A bit like a self-cleaning oven.) But you have to do a long run at motorway speeds for it to work. You can kind of hear that the vehicle is running differently when it is in operation. More info here https://www.rac.co.uk/drive/advice/emissions/diesel-particulate-filters/

    I'm guessing the garage check on this when i take it in for an annual service. Reading the article it sounds like i should be ok for a bit as most of my journeys are by motorway. Thanks for the info : )
  • cafcfan
    cafcfan Posts: 11,198
    cafcfan said:
    Addickted said:
    All petrol cars in the UK from 1992 onwards have had to have a catalytic converter fitted as standard in order to comply with emissions regulations 
    Sorry to appear dim but does that mean my diesel van doesnt have one?
    It will have one.  I think they were fitted to diesels post 2001 or thereabouts.  It will probably also have something called a diesel particulate filter. These trap the soot particles and do fill up. They have the ability to "run hot" for a period of time to burn off the soot. (A bit like a self-cleaning oven.) But you have to do a long run at motorway speeds for it to work. You can kind of hear that the vehicle is running differently when it is in operation. More info here https://www.rac.co.uk/drive/advice/emissions/diesel-particulate-filters/

    I'm guessing the garage check on this when i take it in for an annual service. Reading the article it sounds like i should be ok for a bit as most of my journeys are by motorway. Thanks for the info : )
    You'd know if the DPF was clogged up. You'd get a warning light on the dashboard. Something like one of these:
    Diesel Particulate Filter DPF Warning Light - Inspection  Repair in  Hamilton  Grimmer Motors

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  • clive
    clive Posts: 19,470

    Catalytic converter thefts have surged in lockdown amid a spike in the value of precious metals, research shows.

    The RAC and insurer Ageas found the crime now accounts for three-in-10 thefts from private vehicles in the UK, up from two-in-10 before the pandemic.

    Catalytic converters contain metals such as platinum and rhodium which fetch high prices on the black market.

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-56882495

  • RaplhMilne
    RaplhMilne Posts: 4,603
    Apparently, the Catalytic Converters on Hybrid cars are most commonly stolen, as the precious metal in them is less corroded, and therefore worth more.  
  • cafctom
    cafctom Posts: 11,372
    Received a message on my local neighbourhood group for West Thamesmead that this happened to someone in the area over the weekend 
  • O-Randy-Hunt
    O-Randy-Hunt Posts: 10,663
    cafcfan said:
    cafcfan said:
    Addickted said:
    All petrol cars in the UK from 1992 onwards have had to have a catalytic converter fitted as standard in order to comply with emissions regulations 
    Sorry to appear dim but does that mean my diesel van doesnt have one?
    It will have one.  I think they were fitted to diesels post 2001 or thereabouts.  It will probably also have something called a diesel particulate filter. These trap the soot particles and do fill up. They have the ability to "run hot" for a period of time to burn off the soot. (A bit like a self-cleaning oven.) But you have to do a long run at motorway speeds for it to work. You can kind of hear that the vehicle is running differently when it is in operation. More info here https://www.rac.co.uk/drive/advice/emissions/diesel-particulate-filters/

    I'm guessing the garage check on this when i take it in for an annual service. Reading the article it sounds like i should be ok for a bit as most of my journeys are by motorway. Thanks for the info : )
    You'd know if the DPF was clogged up. You'd get a warning light on the dashboard. Something like one of these:
    Diesel Particulate Filter DPF Warning Light - Inspection  Repair in  Hamilton  Grimmer Motors

    Your vehicle will possibly eventually go into limp mode aswell.

    Nightmare when it happens. As mentioned, giving the vehicle a good rev may sort the situation. Motorway the best option otherwise a garage will hook it up to a machine to sort it out.
  • Huskaris
    Huskaris Posts: 9,852
    Recently happened to a mate of mine.

    His car has been in the garage for a month because they have been struggling to source the part for it. Maybe there's a surge in demand for replacements as more are being nicked!

    Scoundrels
  • Crusty54
    Crusty54 Posts: 3,232
    Apparently, the Catalytic Converters on Hybrid cars are most commonly stolen, as the precious metal in them is less corroded, and therefore worth more.  
    Just had my Toyota Yaris hybrid checked by the Police in the car park at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital.

    Toyota have taken action to prevent theft. The cat is now behind the engine and on top of the manifold. This makes it virtually impossible to steal.
  • clive
    clive Posts: 19,470
    May be a Twitter screenshot of text that says Belvedere Police MPSBelvedere A reminder we will be offering free Catalytic Convertor marking at Asda car park in Belvedere from 10am on Friday 28th May 2021 925 27 May 21 Twitter Web App
  • JaShea99
    JaShea99 Posts: 5,459
    Still no elaboration or explanation of the marking!
  • clive
    clive Posts: 19,470
    JaShea99 said:
    Still no elaboration or explanation of the marking!

    Security marking

    Marking your catalytic converter can help protect it from the risk of theft.  It also makes it possible to track it and easier to convict offenders.

    You can buy security marking kits from Retainagroup

    (01233) 333000
    www.retainagroup.com
    Email: register@retainagroup.com

    The kits contain a coded sticker that you put on your catalytic converter and coat it with a permanent fluid to mark it.

    You then register your code on the International Security Register (ISR) database, run by Retainagroup.

    A marked catalytic converter makes it more difficult for a thief to sell it on and may deter them from attempting to steal it.  Displaying a sticker in your window to state that it is marked might also put off a thief.

    https://www.lincs.police.uk/reporting-advice/driving-roads-and-vehicles/catalytic-converter-theft/