341–350 of 487 posts
If your converter is stolen, and a police report is filed, that vehicle is now emissions exempt for the rest of its life and can just have a straight pipe installed.
Now there’s a MASSIVE incentive on behalf of the state to solve the converter theft problem.
I may be misreading this but the margins look insane. DG Auto paid like 38 million USD for stolen converters, performed a simple extraction process, then sold the precious metals for 550 million USD. Wow.
Wow. I googled DG Auto, and they even have an app for thieves to check prices. https://dgauto.app/ Really wish the cops would download a list of who installed this app and find their location data on top of a map of reported thefts...
In my country scrapped vehicles are issued a certificate that you can use to reclaim taxes. Maybe manufacturers should start adding unique codes to all parts so you can be sure it comes from a legitimate source.
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I thought the main selling point was scrapping the catalytic converter for the platinum and palladium inside. In that model a ID system for the catalytic converter itself isn't going to put to much friction on illicit activity.
It’s not like you can just crack it open and the expensive metal falls out though. It’s an industrial process.
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In case anyone thinks this is cost prohibitive or the tooling is rare, a $100 battery powered grinder you can buy from Home Depot will do this in five seconds. If you have a little less money and a little more time, a $5 flat file will do the same thing in a few minutes.
Yeah: No one thinks it's mechanically difficult to remove identifiers. The point is to make such altered parts illegal to buy. Similar to VIN restrictions or handgun signifiers in many states.
They captured 22 individuals in the stings across the US. Probably only a few thousands more to go.
Some of them are in their 20s. I can't imagine myself being part of a nationwide theft ring in my 20s. What a wild life.
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> They should also consider targeting and auditing shops that buy used car parts. Making it extremely difficult to fence these things will be practical and useful because they aren't sold and reused as is California just passed a law to this end, which is pretty straightforward and effectively turns the grey market into a black market. A black market will still exist, but it will be a lot harder for legitimate junkya…
They could always implement a 3 day waiting period and require background checks. That's worked so well in other markets /s
This is happening more and more frequently in my locale. Several of my friends and many of my neighbors have had their catalytic converters stolen. It's good to see something is done. Let's hope this steamrolls into a nationwide manhunt for these criminals. They should also consider targeting and auditing shops that buy used car parts. Making it extremely difficult to fence these things will be practical and useful b…
They should also consider targeting and auditing shops that buy used car parts In this case they took out the palladium and sold it to a refinery. Also, VINed parts, like airbags, have been found being shipped to countries that don't care about or can't enforce the sale of them. So, it'd eat into some of the criminal's profits, but probably not enough to significantly reduce theft. So efforts are likely better spent…
This is happening more and more frequently in my locale. Several of my friends and many of my neighbors have had their catalytic converters stolen. It's good to see something is done. Let's hope this steamrolls into a nationwide manhunt for these criminals. They should also consider targeting and auditing shops that buy used car parts. Making it extremely difficult to fence these things will be practical and useful b…
install a cat shield aka a plate that covers your cat. Mine got stolen, a shield was $350, they totaled the car for over $3500 by taking the cat if I would have fixed it due to fucking up the exhaust pipes and o2 sensor.
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I don't think serial numbers would help in this case, as the converters are stolen, precious metals extracted, and then those metals are sold. The bit that would likely be stamped with a serial number is likely discarded.
Yeah: Literally make it illegal for shops to possess the platinum or palladium without documentation of provenance. Unless you're cool with the thefts that are going on, or think any government regulation is "overstepping."
Strawmanning anyone who disagrees with you makes your position look worse.