Car parts stolen (catalytic converter)

Murt10

I was parked in Clonsilla village, the day before yesterday, in the afternoon, from 1.00pm to 2.00pm

When I returned, and got into my car, and started it up, there was a really loud noise coming from the exhaust under the car. I took it to a garage who confirmed that someone had got in under my car and sawed through the exhaust in two places, removing the Cat Converter.

Apparently it has now become a very common occurrence, and can be done in less than a minute. Small amounts of rhodium are in a catalytic converter and is a very rare and valuable metal. Unfortunately a new Cat costs about E800 and they are not available 2nd hand.

Just keep an eye out for your own or your neighbours cars,

beauf

Are there no CCTV cameras there?

dar_cool

That's shocking. I'm sure you could get a 2nd hand part but seen as it was stolen will your insurance cover it ?

knockoutned

I had a quick look to see what value you are talking about and it doesn't seem that much for the effort involved.

Using the information on this site http://www.scrap-catalyst-hub.com/precious-metals/precious-metal-catalytic-converter-1/ and kitco for the price of each precious metal, you're talking about €100.

Surely cutting and selling an intact converter, that sell for more than €800, would be the better business

Plus I'm not sure there is a market in Ireland for such small quantities, but then who am I to argue with someone who goes around cutting converters from parked cars.

Murt10

No CCTV.

I'm told that they are stolen, collected centrally and then shipped out of the country in bulk so that the precious metal can be removed.

Luckily my insurance seems to cover it and it's now become a very common claim.

Dr_Colossus

Have you a Toyota Prius by any chance, seems to be more stories of CAT converters stolen from them than most other makes.
Also where abouts in the village, if outside Spar/Romayos then surely someone must have witnessed something, would any other parked cars have dash cams recording

Murt10

Prius all right.

The man who took my car away and provided my courtesy car said it was the 3rd replacement car for Toyota Priuses in the last 24 hours that he had supplied.

Parked in the car park across the road from Romayos, so no cctv

beauf

Murt10 wrote: »

...
Parked in the car park across the road from Romayos, so no cctv

There's a car a park across the road? I thought that was a private road?

AAD

Murt10 wrote: »

Prius all right.

The man who took my car away and provided my courtesy car said it was the 3rd replacement car for Toyota Priuses in the last 24 hours that he had supplied.

Parked in the car park across the road from Romayos, so no cctv

If you were parked in beside the gatehouse at that time of the day there's usually people in the house and it would be busy enough, I park there to collect my daughter from the hall at half two and there are always people leaving the gatehouse between 2 and 20 past. So are you sure that's where it happened and not just where you noticed it??

Zaph

AAD wrote: »

If you were parked in beside the gatehouse at that time of the day there's usually people in the house and it would be busy enough, I park there to collect my daughter from the hall at half two and there are always people leaving the gatehouse between 2 and 20 past. So are you sure that's where it happened and not just where you noticed it??

I'm not really sure what difference that makes.

FishOnABike

Murt10 wrote: »

I was parked in Clonsilla village, the day before yesterday, in the afternoon, from 1.00pm to 2.00pm

When I returned, and got into my car, and started it up, there was a really loud noise coming from the exhaust under the car. I took it to a garage who confirmed that someone had got in under my car and sawed through the exhaust in two places, removing the Cat Converter.

AAD wrote: »

If you were parked in beside the gatehouse at that time of the day there's usually people in the house and it would be busy enough, I park there to collect my daughter from the hall at half two and there are always people leaving the gatehouse between 2 and 20 past. So are you sure that's where it happened and not just where you noticed it??

Missing a section of an exhaust pipe isn't something you'd overlook. An engine roar like an Antonov AN-12 flying low overhead is hard to miss.

AAD

Fair enough I'm just surprised nobody noticed it happening as it's usually very busy around there from one until half two or so.

Might be worth asking in the gatehouse about it on Monday. I know at least one (maybe two) of the people who are in there are taxi drivers so they might have had a dash cam on when they drove in.

avalidusername

knockoutned wrote: »

I had a quick look to see what value you are talking about and it doesn't seem that much for the effort involved.

Using the information on this site http://www.scrap-catalyst-hub.com/precious-metals/precious-metal-catalytic-converter-1/ and kitco for the price of each precious metal, you're talking about €100.

Surely cutting and selling an intact converter, that sell for more than €800, would be the better business

Plus I'm not sure there is a market in Ireland for such small quantities, but then who am I to argue with someone who goes around cutting converters from parked cars.

Could be selling the intact piece instead of just stripping it for the metals. Had a conversation with an uncle who was a motor insurance assessor (retired now) and he couldn't figure out why they were being robbed if the value was relatively low for the metals inside.

I said Michael, its a small component, you could go into a multi story carpark in town on a weekend night, chop off 15 or 20 of them with a battery angle grinder, and put them in the boot of your hatchback. It's a handy roughly 2 grand for a couple of hours scumbaggery if there's a market for people buying them!

Check in the Host or the Pharmacy if their cameras cover that far over, they're both high risk for robberys so they should have decent cameras. I haven't been down the village since last weekend but from google maps (2017) the pharmacy have 1 camera on the door and one fisheye camera which could catch anything, everything, or nothing depending on its range.

Atlantic Dawn

The amount of work involved for circa €100, pure scum who should have their right legs cut off as punishment, pure utter scrotes. Gasing them would be a waste of gas.

avalidusername

That's the thing though, it's little work involved. Scrawny toerag slides under car, chops it off, slides out, job done.

It's their hands you want cut off, not their legs. Then they'd be on full term disability plus the rest........how much is that gas?

Atlantic Dawn

avalidusername wrote: »

That's the thing though, it's little work involved. Scrawny toerag slides under car, chops it off, slides out, job done.

It's their hands you want cut off, not their legs. Then they'd be on full term disability plus the rest........how much is that gas?

Thing is though you could steal a set of alloys in a little more time and be in to circa a grands worth, these people are just pure crackers.

glomar

15 done in cherrywood in a last month .. one guy i know was hit twice .. insurance are refusing to pay out a 2nd time

avalidusername

glomar wrote: »

15 done in cherrywood in a last month .. one guy i know was hit twice .. insurance are refusing to pay out a 2nd time

Any quotes from insurance company why they won't pay out a 2nd time? If they're going against their own original terms and conditions then feel free to name and shame!

JoyPad

Is there a particular reason why Priuses would be targeted?

beauf

Lots of chat on the web about this. One suggestion was that palladium in these cars has rocketed in price vs platinum which is more common in CATs. Its more expensive than gold?

Don't know if thats true.

https://www.google.com/search?q=palladium+Prive+Rise&rlz=1C1WPZA_enIE720IE720&oq=palladium+Prive+Rise&aqs=chrome..69i57.6799j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

Alun

glomar wrote: »

15 done in cherrywood in a last month .. one guy i know was hit twice .. insurance are refusing to pay out a 2nd time

On what grounds? It's not exactly something an owner can mitigate against is it?

Atlantic Dawn

Atlantic Dawn wrote: »

The amount of work involved for circa €100, pure scum who should have their right legs cut off as punishment, pure utter scrotes. Gasing them would be a waste of gas.

Rolling under a car with a rip saw for 2/3 mins for 100e?
hardly a lot of work for 100e

beauf

I see you can an alarm for the cat now.

Tacitus Kilgore

Be an awful shame to see a jack fail with one of these scrotbags lyin under the car.. so it would..

Eggs For Dinner

glomar wrote: »

15 done in cherrywood in a last month .. one guy i know was hit twice .. insurance are refusing to pay out a 2nd time

Pub talk.

glomar

Alun wrote: »

On what grounds? It's not exactly something an owner can mitigate against is it?

if you google Prius CAT thefts you will see there is a few insurance companies refusing to pay out a 2nd time ... this seem to be a global thin g

glomar

Eggs For Dinner wrote: »

Pub talk.

Not pub talk trust me , you might know better as you were there by the sounds of things ..

Eggs For Dinner

glomar wrote: »

Not pub talk trust me , you might know better as you were there by the sounds of things ..

I know better for other reasons. You've referenced it being a global thing, but I can only comment on Irish Insurance

Truckermal

https://twitter.com/AwesomeAngel40/status/1118461650540146689?s=19

beauf

That's insane.

Lots of security devices for them now.

TheValeyard

At least clear vid of faces and car reg!

enricoh

Truckermal wrote: »

https://twitter.com/AwesomeAngel40/status/1118461650540146689?s=19

Even blocked the street, jesus

elaine carruthers

Hi this happened to me this evening in Blanchardstown Shopping Centre carpark at TGI Fridays. Apparently it is a hot spot for it. I drive a Toyota Vitz and was told by the guards that they are targeting this model. I doubt there is CCTV there but I hope it doesn't happen to anybody else as it is horrible to discover. You know the second you turn your key in the ignition. The noise is so loud. I also noticed black piece on the ground as I reversed my car.

listermint

https://www.instagram....?igshid=kwhg7l5lhag4

Give you an idea of how fast it is.

Still waters

cats off the bigger cars can fetch up to 400 euro depending on who's buying, the reason so many Prius are being hit is because they're simple to take out, they're smaller so not worth as much but you can take them out a lot easier so they're in and gone in less than a few minutes

beauf

I thought it was because Toyotas use a different Medal in the cat that's worth more than otherwise cats.