Combating Catalytic Converter Theft Catalytic converter thefts present a growing problem for dealers and their customers. In 2021, the National Crime Bureau estimated that more than 52,000 catalytic converters were reported as stolen, compared with 1,300 in 2018. That’s 40 times as many converters, and it doesn’t include the number of catalytic converters thefts that went unreported. If the repair cost is the size of someone’s deductible, they may not report the theft to the police or the insurance company since they will have to pay the money either way. Filing a report creates the possibility of increased insurance premiums; not filing maintains the status quo. Thieves value catalytic converters because they contain precious metals such as palladium, platinum and rhodium. The metals’ values have increased exponentially. Worse, catalytic converters are easy to steal and hard to trace. Another problem caused by catalytic converter theft is the damage when thieves cut the converters from the car. They are in a hurry and don’t care about being precise, so they often damage the oxygen sensor and may take other parts of the exhaust system, such as the muffler. That means repairs after the theft will often involve more than just replacing the catalytic converter itself. A stolen catalytic converter is usually worth $500-$600 to the thief, but replacing it costs the owner approximately $3,500. What can dealers and owners do about catalytic converter theft? They can: • Make it harder for thieves to get catalytic converters • Make it easier to trace stolen catalytic converters How do you make it harder to steal a catalytic converter? Vehicles stored outside are more vulnerable than vehicles inside a garage, so dealerships are attractive targets for thieves. One dealer installed a 7,000-volt security system around the dealership. He hasn’t had any problems since then. However, one of his customers had seven trucks. Thieves took all seven converters. It took eight weeks for replacement parts to arrive; thieves took all seven converters again one short month later. Experiences like that have made the second strategy more attractive (making it easier to trace stolen catalytic converters). In January 2022, Indiana Rep. Jim Baird introduced H.R. 6394, the Preventing Auto Recycling Theft (PART) Act, which NADA strongly supports. The bill is intended to increase traceability and enforcement. A day later, Jan. 14, 2022, it was referred to the Subcommittee on Highways and Transit. It still has to pass the House and Senate, so it is a long way from being signed into law by the president. THE GENERATOR 22
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