When buying a car, you may worry about thieves stealing precious metal parts. The catalyst from a stolen car can complicate your life. Can you imagine the stress you could endure if the catalytic converter is stolen?
So which cars are least likely to have their catalytic converters stolen? Find out why thieves steal catalytic converters and cars with the least stolen catalytic converters.
Catalytic converter theft is a real problem. Chances are you or someone you know has had a catalytic converter stolen at some point.
Did you know that there are some vehicles where the catalytic converter is less likely to be stolen?
What is a Catalyst?
Catalytic converters or “cats” are part of the exhaust system. As the exhaust gases pass through the catalytic converter, harmful emissions are broken down into less toxic compounds.
Why do people steal catalytic converters?
Catalysts contain rare and expensive materials such as platinum, palladium and rhodium, making them very expensive. In many cases, a thief just needs a hacksaw to cut through the tailpipe.
Do all cars have a catalytic converter?
Virtually all internal combustion engine cars manufactured after 1975 have at least one catalyst. Some vehicles have multiple catalytic converters. Some catalytic converters are located in each cylinder bank and others are located in the center pipe after the exhaust manifold.
While you won’t find a catalytic converter in an electric car, you will still find them in hybrids. Hybrid vehicles also have the most valuable catalytic converters. This is because a catalytic converter is used less frequently than a pure internal combustion engine, as the vehicle spends part of its time running on electricity alone.
In which cars is the catalytic converter stolen the least?
If you live in a rough area and want to choose a car that is less likely to fall victim to catalytic converter theft, here is a list to get you started.
1) Mini Cooper
Minis are small cars with clever packaging under the hood. The catalytic converter of the third generation Mini is connected to the exhaust pipe right next to the turbocharger.
This position makes it completely impossible to get under the car. A thief would have to somehow open the hood and remove various parts to remove the catalytic converter, a process that is neither quick nor subtle.
2) Mazda RX-7 or RX-8
You’re lucky if you can find an RX-7 or RX-8 that still has the original catalytic converter, but not stolen. Rotary engines are notorious for burning catalytic converters.
The rotary engines rev high and spew unburnt fuel from the exhaust. Also, rotary fuel is often premixed with oil to lubricate the nozzle seals. Both features will burn through the catalytic converter pretty quickly, leaving little to nothing for the thief to save.
3) Check
Most luxury vehicles are equipped with undercarriage and damping to prevent direct access to the catalyst. Many of these vehicles, especially Audis, require special tools to remove these panels, such as Torx bits.
Assuming a thief could access these tools, it would still take a long time to remove these panels to gain access to the catalytic converters. Thieves are more likely to pick an easy target, like a truck, SUV or crossover.
4) BMW E46 3 Series
Some BMW models, such as the E46 323i, 325i, 328i and 330i, have a catalytic converter integrated into the exhaust manifold. This configuration is completely immune to the hacksaw.
A thief would have to remove the exhaust manifold from the cylinder head, a process you can’t do without getting under the hood.
5) Exotic sports cars
Exotic sports cars like Lamborghini, Ferrari and McLaren are rare. Their rarity makes tracking stolen parts much easier, potentially deterring theft.
They also tend to sit so low to the ground that a standard crane cannot be reached underneath.
How to prevent catalytic converter theft
Don’t worry if you don’t have a vehicle on this list. Theft of the catalytic converter can be prevented in other ways.
Install the catalyst block
There are several products on the market that prevent theft of the catalyst. Many of these products, such as the Cat Clamp and custom cages, mount above the catalytic converter.
Catalyst blocks make it much more difficult or impossible to cut through the shield.
