I’m talking about catalytic converter theft again. I mentioned this topic in the December 2020 issue, but I’m discussing it again as it seems to me that the pinching of cats is still rife in the UK.
It’s unstoppable. The Police either can’t find the time to catch these people or they see it as low crime. However, for the people who are affected by a cat theft, it is one major problem.
First, the car will most probably be undriveable, you will have to arrange transportation – or if you contact your insurance company, they will have it taken away and you probably won’t see it again. Older cars are targeted due to the position of the cats under the vehicle and with the low retail value of these older vehicles, they are invariably written-off (insurance companies base repairs on fitting genuine parts only). This means the current owner is now without a vehicle for weeks/months. If you can sort out a removed catalyst yourself, that’s the route to go. It will cost you of course but you’d keep your pride and joy in your possession.
I did watch a Crimewatch type video online recently, where the thieves were caught by a diligent homeowner. Their CCTV had witnessed theft of a cat from a neighbours Lexus parked on the street opposite. A silver Ford Mondeo Mk4 (like our project car) was used to carry the three offenders and cutting equipment. This Mondeo had a distinctive dent in the offside front wing.
The owner of the CCTV decided to do some detective work and found a few days earlier that a black car had parked in the street – a man got out, walked in the road, stopping opposite the Lexus to do up his shoelace. O
