More and more people are stealing specific car parts made of precious metals and then selling it for cash.
Thieves are robbing people’s vehicles by detaching the catalytic converters, which are emission-controlling devices, because they usually contain valuable materials like platinum, rhodium, or palladium.
A catalytic converter limits the amount of toxic gasses discharged. The apparatus became required on any vehicle model starting in 1975 in order to comply with Environmental Protection Agency regulations.
Record amounts of catalytic converter thefts have occurred in the last two years respectively, according to statistics the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) published last week. In total, 3,986 were stolen last year, and 4,370 were stolen in 2014.
Once purloined, the part can be sold for anywhere from $20 to $640 depending on the quality. Repairing vehicles with lost converters usually costs between $500 to $2,300, but can exceed that range “since thieves work fast and often damage other areas of the car.”
“We’ve seen them removed by crews in less than a minute, Lieutenant Tim Torsney, of the LAPD’s Devonshire division, told the Los Angeles Times.
Trucks and sport utility vehicles tend to be at a higher risk because they are built with more room underneath the car. This allows criminals to uninstall the catalytic converter without using a jack to lift the vehicle.
California, with 8,072 total thefts, has by far the most incidences of converter thefts, with Texas in second place at 1,705. Almost all the thefts in California involved Priuses (or “Prii”) because of the way the car’s parts are configured, making it easier for would-be thefts.
The statistics also appear to indicate that the thieves are aware of the market value for such precious metals. The U.S. experienced 3,248 catalytic converter thefts in 2008, but in the next year only 1,058 robberies were reported after the prices of the metals substantially dropped.
While California was significantly ahead of other states for such burglaries, Chicago had the most victims of theft out of any city with 980.
The NICB suggests a number of prevention methods in order to deter criminals from damaging the vehicle and stealing valuable car parts, including, parking “close to the entrance of buildings or shopping centers” or applying “additional welding” where the catalytic converter meets the frame.
“However, before making any modifications, please ensure that such modifications will not void your warranty, extended warranty, or aftermarket repair agreement etc.,” the NICB report reads.
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