People stealing catalytic converters from vehicles have become an increasingly large issue for local police departments, and Dylan Huberman spoke with a local mechanic to learn why and how these parts are being taken.
Catalytic converters can be worth a few hundred dollars each due to the precious metals inside and apparently are pretty easy to steal
“You know, I mean, somebody could roll onto your car and get that in, you might not ever know that John Tennis of John Tennis Towing says only a few minutes are needed to take one.
You know you need a small blade and a hacksaw or a motorized saw, a battery operated saw, and you could slide underneath there and get it, probably within a matter of 5 to 10 minutes at the most.”
Tennis says losing one of these parts can be dangerous as it disrupts the release of exhaust from the engine.
“Yeah, it’s definitely a danger, you know, obviously the exhaust system isn’t complete and that that could pose a problem for the people in the passenger compartment of the car. ”
Nick Storch of Bastion Tire and Auto Centers and State College says foreign cars tend to be more frequently targeted than American vehicles.
“It seems to be more important vehicles. Some domestics, but it seems like the imports have the more valuable ones.”
In addition, a local insurance agent told me that if someone steals your converter, you’ll be liable to pay a premium to replace it, which could be more expensive than the converter
itself.
“Catalytic converters can go from anywhere from 100 to maybe $500 ” Storch says scrappers who purchased these parts.
“I’ve shied away from buying from individuals and geared more towards garages and shops. ”
“They primarily come to us to see if we have any to recycle. And as far as I know, they don’t go to individual people to seek them out.”
Authorities advised parking your car in well-lit areas to lessen the risk of theft
