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Catalytic Converter Theft

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Re: Catalytic Converter Theft

#111

Post by _huayra_ »

f38zf5vdt wrote: post #85
_huayra_ wrote: post #52

It's things like this that make it such a shock to go to an extremely safe country / area. All the little scripts one has to keep track of to be "safe and secure" in the US (e.g. instinctively locking your doors all the way to learning that you can't park in SF to take your girlfriend to lunch on your way to drop her off at the airport because a big suitcase is a target for these rampant smash-and-grabs; unfortunatel…

I garner a _lot_ of downvotes every time I mention that the US in many locales shares more in common with a third world country than a first world country. So many people seem addicted to the notion of US cultural superiority because their jobs pay the most. Go on YouTube or Google street view and see for yourself. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1MveHv1lTVBzdM5VYZkcBQ/vid... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=opo3OuU…

Yeah the "highest salaries = best country!" trend is strong on HN, but high salaries can't really buy you the things you get basically for free in a different country due to culture / government differences. Turns out you can buy a lot of infrastructure and social welfare programs with all the tax revenue not spent on $100 rolls of toilet paper and bombs for secret wars halfway around the world cuz "freedumb!".

Even when people point out how those "other countries" may tax you like crazy (which is only half true), the amount of time wealth you get back is significant, e.g. grade-school kids commonly commute to and from school by public transit where I live now (although sometimes with a chaperone if they're too young) and women go running at night in the relatively unlit park near my house, which I never saw where I lived in the US (even in relatively safe burbs). You also don't really have to own a gigantic money-sucking vehicle that you have to worry about insuring, parking, damaging, etc, in most European cities either.

Re: Catalytic Converter Theft

#112

Post by beerandt »

emodendroket wrote: post #110
beerandt wrote: post #92

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is the thinking that got us: 1) the mess that is DRM, whether for software or media, and 2) to the point of 10-step windows activation (including phone calls and having to reinstall because one version only takes retail keys and another only takes oem keys and another only uses network auth), and 3) video games that try and re-authenticate between every frame of play And tons of other "fixes" that just punish us…

How often does your average person sell scrap parts? I don't think the situations are analogous.

The gross sum of time spent tracing the origins of scrap will be greater than money lost due to theft.

The answer is mitigated risk via insurance and prevention, not a preemptive policing of all privately owned items of value.

Re: Catalytic Converter Theft

#113

Post by throwaway0a5e »

emodendroket wrote: post #110
beerandt wrote: post #92

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is the thinking that got us: 1) the mess that is DRM, whether for software or media, and 2) to the point of 10-step windows activation (including phone calls and having to reinstall because one version only takes retail keys and another only takes oem keys and another only uses network auth), and 3) video games that try and re-authenticate between every frame of play And tons of other "fixes" that just punish us…

How often does your average person sell scrap parts? I don't think the situations are analogous.

The people that do it as a hobby/side gig probably go through 2-25 cars/yr with the people on the higher end doing more scrapping and less individual part selling.

Re: Catalytic Converter Theft

#114

Post by dctoedt »

bluedino wrote: post #4

The local metal scrapyards are far too lenient. They don’t bat an eye at someone bringing in stolen air conditioning condensers (they can even be brand new) You should have to have the tittle for the car to bring a converter in, since it’s a federal offense to remove them.

There used to be a local scrap metal yard in Houston that advertised on TV: "We pay in two-dollar bills!" (Translation: We pay cash, which means you can't be traced.) I haven't seen that ad lately, thought.

Re: Catalytic Converter Theft

#115

Post by reducesuffering »

l320093jj wrote: post #94
blinkingled wrote: post #10

Easy to install shields like this one from catshield https://catshield.com/ can be a somewhat effective deterrent given the thieves have to be able to remove it quickly without making noise. Also hybrids are more targeted for cat theft because they have more of the metals than normal cars to compensate for frequent engine stops and starts from cold.

Our catalytic converter was stolen a few months ago. It was strange because we were parked in front of a government building -- library and courthouse -- and were only inside for about 15 minutes, in the afternoon. Came outside and the car sounded like the muffler was missing, or like I was driving an old tank. Our new car came with installation of a catshield. When talking to various autobody places, they were skept…

The thiefs like to be in and out very quickly for obvious reasons. Without the shield it's a couple minutes. If they jack it up and there's a shield, that's going to take 15 minutes, they'll likely just abandon it as the risk/reward isn't there.

Re: Catalytic Converter Theft

#116

Post by zrobotics »

kube-system wrote: post #20
bluedino wrote: post #4

The local metal scrapyards are far too lenient. They don’t bat an eye at someone bringing in stolen air conditioning condensers (they can even be brand new) You should have to have the tittle for the car to bring a converter in, since it’s a federal offense to remove them.

Then how would we expect a legitimate mechanic to replace one?

I used to work at an exhaust shop. We sold catalytic converters to a scrap yard (we also had a separate dumpster for scrap metal that they picked up weekly as well). We needed to show receipts for purchased cats that matched what we scrapped, so if we scrapped 50 we needed to show we had sold at least 50. Although the main reason for that was environmental, it was to prevent shops from removing converters and straight piping the vehicle. However, it also did help to prevent theft, although I don't know if the yard checked thoroughly for non-commercial customers.

Re: Catalytic Converter Theft

#117

Post by jnsaff2 »

vilhelm_s wrote: post #98
_huayra_ wrote: post #58

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Ah I should be more specific: urban areas in those countries. The level of petty crime in any major city in the US is far higher than any city in those countries I mentioned. In non-urban areas in the US things are better for sure, but you still have to deal with other things like having complete asshole neighbors that you really can't do anything about because small quality of life crimes like partying every night w…

I really doubt that. If we focus in particular on bike theft (one of the examples above), some webpage says that Norway had 60k bike thefts in 2004, 20k of which was reported to the police[1]. This is out of a population of 4.5 million. Some other page says that in New York City, there are 75k bikes stolen per year with 15k reported to the police[2]. This is out of a population of 8.4 million. So all of Norway (rural…

Now to make things interesting, want to adjust this for per capita bike ownership or usage? Otherwise this is could just be picking places favorable to the point you want to make?

Re: Catalytic Converter Theft

#118

Post by iammisc »

throwaway0a5e wrote: post #53
_huayra_ wrote: post #52

It's things like this that make it such a shock to go to an extremely safe country / area. All the little scripts one has to keep track of to be "safe and secure" in the US (e.g. instinctively locking your doors all the way to learning that you can't park in SF to take your girlfriend to lunch on your way to drop her off at the airport because a big suitcase is a target for these rampant smash-and-grabs; unfortunatel…

Petty theft patterns in states that have passed ballot measures or counties that have taken executive actions reducing the penalties on petty theft to the point where the ROI is positive even if you get regularly caught should not be taken as indicative of the entire country. I live in a city that most of HN would turn up their nose at. It's nothing like what people from the west coast describe as the status quo ther…

Yeah my parents moved from LA in california to rural Washington. People told them a kinds of things including that they wouldn't feel welcome .. we are brown skinned and they immigrated here. This area is deep red

The city they moved to is hours from am airport. Smack dab nowhere.

They didn't find it dangerous at all. To the contrary people there were extremely welcoming ... Very neighborly. They could leave their door unlocked and not be bothered.

The occasional (and I mean occasional) theft was big news and the guy was caught

Far cry from getting our house vandalized with gang graffiti

Re: Catalytic Converter Theft

#119

Post by iammisc »

icedistilled wrote: post #78
_huayra_ wrote: post #52

It's things like this that make it such a shock to go to an extremely safe country / area. All the little scripts one has to keep track of to be "safe and secure" in the US (e.g. instinctively locking your doors all the way to learning that you can't park in SF to take your girlfriend to lunch on your way to drop her off at the airport because a big suitcase is a target for these rampant smash-and-grabs; unfortunatel…

Certain suburbs like Irvine CA are for safety but not for diversity and culture of a city. Choose one.

Irvine is more diverse than the majority of the USA... What are you talking about?

Re: Catalytic Converter Theft

#120

Post by systemvoltage »

throwaway0a5e wrote: post #53
_huayra_ wrote: post #52

It's things like this that make it such a shock to go to an extremely safe country / area. All the little scripts one has to keep track of to be "safe and secure" in the US (e.g. instinctively locking your doors all the way to learning that you can't park in SF to take your girlfriend to lunch on your way to drop her off at the airport because a big suitcase is a target for these rampant smash-and-grabs; unfortunatel…

Petty theft patterns in states that have passed ballot measures or counties that have taken executive actions reducing the penalties on petty theft to the point where the ROI is positive even if you get regularly caught should not be taken as indicative of the entire country. I live in a city that most of HN would turn up their nose at. It's nothing like what people from the west coast describe as the status quo ther…

Having lived in several west coast cities, is largely a west coast phenomenon and policies enacted by these local governments. SF, Portland, LA, Seattle, etc. all have roots in common thread of policies (reducing or eliminating penalties for crime, dysfunctional governments, housing crisis, reduction in police funding, etc).

> In 2017 Portland ranked third. Now it has dropped to 66th out of 80: https://www.economist.com/united-states/2021/06/12/portland-...

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