Catalytic converters: New target for thieves

NotInventedHere

I attended a community policing forum recently chaired by the local Superintendent. Whilst most crimes were down, It was noted that there was a noticeable increase in the theft of catalytic converters from high value cars. The guards were saying that it can be removed in seconds using a special tool. So if you notice somebody acting suspiciously around cars or underneath in car parks call the guards.

dougie-lampkin

The joke's on them if they manage to remove mine (it's sitting around an inch and a half off the ground, right in the middle of the car). It's hollow :pac:

I'd imagine this is mainly carried out by the same demographic that have been found to be raiding unfinished housing estates and building sites for copper pipes and immersion tanks.

bobbuk

was chatting to guy who nearly had his taken, rattled the guys mid job. there was 9 or 10 taken in the same car park just before hand...
ashbourne hotel carpark

TestTransmission

dougie-lampkin wrote: »

The joke's on them if they manage to remove mine (it's sitting around an inch and a half off the ground, right in the middle of the car). It's hollow :pac:

I'd imagine this is mainly carried out by the same demographic that have been found to be raiding unfinished housing estates and building sites for copper pipes and immersion tanks.

They usually target 4X4's ,easier to get at.I remember Fifth Gear did a part about it

johnos1984

This has been happening for a while now.

Not making any links but I know travellers will give you €50 for an old catalytic converter if you have one going spare........

exador

There is a lot of money to be made selling them for scrap aside from selling them to refit. You will get anything from 35 euro to 150 euro depending on the actual size of the CAT.

Delancey

I read on another thread here that BMW one's are particularly valuable.

exador

http://cars.donedeal.co.uk/wanted/cars/1123240

-Chris-

exador wrote: »

http://cars.donedeal.co.uk/wanted/cars/1123240

There doesn't seem to be anything unreasonable in that ad. All it does is show there's value to the materials in old cats.

exador

-Chris- wrote: »

There doesn't seem to be anything unreasonable in that ad. All it does is show there's value to the materials in old cats.

Correct....

MetzgerMeister

exador wrote: »

http://cars.donedeal.co.uk/wanted/cars/1123240

The mobile number given in that is 089

jsd1004

einheisserschre wrote: »

The mobile number given in that is 089

Tesco mobile?

Tabnabs

exador wrote: »

There is a lot of money to be made selling them for scrap aside from selling them to refit. You will get anything from 35 euro to 150 euro depending on the actual size of the CAT.

Isn't scrap currently around €200 per ton? That would take quite a few of them to give a good price.

101sean

That's just for ferrous metals, non ferrous and rare metals (like in cats) are much higher. There's been lots of Freelander ones stolen in the UK over that last few years.
Poor owners day starts off something like this "Hello, is that the AA? I went to start my Freelander this morning and it's very noisy?"

Non ferrous metal theft is becoming a major problem everywhere, not helped by unscrupulous scrap dealers.

kildare.17hmr

nothing new about sterling cats, its been happening for yrs! The inside of them is worth alot of money

Lu Tze

The price of platinum has been going up the last 2 years (nearly doubled)



That would be your main reason if more CATs are being stolen than a few years ago

Solnskaya

Tabnabs wrote: »

Isn't scrap currently around €200 per ton? That would take quite a few of them to give a good price.

yes, scrap steel is making around 200, but cats are making a hell of a lot more. I know one guy from the north who visits a lot of smaller mechanics shops, buying up every cat he can get his hands on because the price given for them is waay higher in the North. A lot of lads who bring scrap cars in to get them bought over the wieghbridge are missing a few tricks- they get the going rate for light sheet, ie €140-€165 per ton, but the yard gets the cat, the cylinder head, the battery, the waste oil and fuel all for this flat price. If you take a very low average of €70 for the cat, €5 for the battery, aluminium at €0000's per ton, just below going rate for the fuel and a bit for the waste oil, not to mention the copper from the loom, which all adds up if you are processing 100's of cars a week, the scrappie is basically getting the scrap car body for feck all. He is compacting it and getting nearer to €300 for the steel, so, at the mo, scrappies are doing well. Bright bunnies might realise that you could buy every scrap car going before it hits the breakers yard, and still turn a pretty penny. If you removed all the valuables before sending it to be crushed, you still get the same €150-€170 the others are getting over the weighbridge.(and if you ventured north with the alu, cats and batteries, you would be making a verry tidy profit.) Not that I'd know, or ever have done this:)

Gary ITR

Good luck stealing mine, it's in my shed

exador

Solnskaya wrote: »

yes, scrap steel is making around 200, but cats are making a hell of a lot more. I know one guy from the north who visits a lot of smaller mechanics shops, buying up every cat he can get his hands on because the price given for them is waay higher in the North. A lot of lads who bring scrap cars in to get them bought over the wieghbridge are missing a few tricks- they get the going rate for light sheet, ie €140-€165 per ton, but the yard gets the cat, the cylinder head, the battery, the waste oil and fuel all for this flat price. If you take a very low average of €70 for the cat, €5 for the battery, aluminium at €0000's per ton, just below going rate for the fuel and a bit for the waste oil, not to mention the copper from the loom, which all adds up if you are processing 100's of cars a week, the scrappie is basically getting the scrap car body for feck all. He is compacting it and getting nearer to €300 for the steel, so, at the mo, scrappies are doing well. Bright bunnies might realise that you could buy every scrap car going before it hits the breakers yard, and still turn a pretty penny. If you removed all the valuables before sending it to be crushed, you still get the same €150-€170 the others are getting over the weighbridge.(and if you ventured north with the alu, cats and batteries, you would be making a verry tidy profit.) Not that I'd know, or ever have done this:)

Could you PM me his number ?

Santa might be coming yet !

JJJJNR

http://cat-lock.com/

Solnskaya

LIGHTNING wrote: »

Shed thefts are up 122%

You'd be amazed! Entire steel sheds, and we're talking multi-ton rsjs here, not garden sheds, walking away by themselves in the night. I'd say 122% is a low estimate:D If feckin sculptures from the side of the road are getting con-sawed, sheds are easy pickings for our scrap-snagging brethren.

Solnskaya

exador wrote: »

Could you PM me his number ?

Santa might be coming yet !

feck his number, just ring a few northern scrap merchants yourself and cut out the middle-man. Santa will come all the harder, err, if you see what I mean.:D

exador

Solnskaya wrote: »

feck his number, just ring a few northern scrap merchants yourself and cut out the middle-man. Santa will come all the harder, err, if you see what I mean.:D

Cheers ! CATS are the new viagra for Santa !