Cat Conv Thieft... My Turn

[catmandoo62]

have a 3/16 or 1/4 inch plate steel belly pan custom made that bolts on the frame rails.they look under there and say,man its gonna take me 3 hrs to get past the belly pan.they will move on to easier targets.

[creativepart]

Talk about embarrassment! Driving 25 miles in the RV sounding like a pack of high school hot rodders from the 1950s to deliver the RV for repair.

Everywhere I went people starred. Luckily, it's Texas in August and everyone has their windows up and their A/Cs on full blast.

It will be a much quieter trip home tomorrow or Friday when they are done.

I tried to get some "temporary" expandable exhaust pipe to put in place for the drive but guess what? It was sold out at the 3 places I tried to find some. Folks said it was due to the recent CAT thefts.

I'm getting some high temp Orange spray paint and I will spray the CAT when I get it back this weekend. Also, I moved my spot in the storage yard from "in the back" to more upfront and from uncovered to covered. It will cost me another $1200 a year. But maybe it will help.

[7997redtail]

Originally Posted by dkoldman

Can I ask why you chose the Cat Clamp over the Cat Strap?

Did you look at any other options that you thought were decent?

I didnt like the idea of the back side of a cat strap being accessible. I figured a thief could cut one side and maybe muscle the rest off a cat strap. I also liked that the cat clamp was more obvious from any angle.

I did like the alarm though and have made one using an arduino.

I’m pretty sure both work fine. They are both just detergents and offer the hope that the POS will take one look and go for an easier one.

BTW, the piece of mind I have after installing a deterrent is worth every part of the cost.

I did look into creating my own and having a welding shop do something. Problem was that a shops hourly cost gets up to $300 pretty quickly.

[dkoldman]

Originally Posted by 7997redtail

I didnt like the idea of the back side of a cat strap being accessible. I figured a thief could cut one side and maybe muscle the rest off a cat strap. I also liked that the cat clamp was more obvious from any angle.

I did like the alarm though and have made one using an arduino.

I’m pretty sure both work fine. They are both just detergents and offer the hope that the POS will take one look and go for an easier one.

BTW, the piece of mind I have after installing a deterrent is worth every part of the cost.

I did look into creating my own and having a welding shop do something. Problem was that a shops hourly cost gets up to $300 pretty quickly.

Ahhh that makes sense.

I will have to get underneath mine and take a look. It seems kind of long; so I was thinking the thief could just cut above and below where the Cat Clamps ends. You make me think to consider buying both Cat Clamp & Cat Strap, orange paint, and the alarm wired properly as to avoid accidental electrocution for the POS

[armullis59]

Originally Posted by creativepart

I made my monthly trip to my RV in storage today to exercise the generator and move the RV a few feet forward in my space. But when I started up the motor... ROAR!!! Sounds like NASCAR.

The last time I started the motor was exactly one month ago so sometime in July the thieves got to it. Since it's Sunday I'll wait to report it until tomorrow. The storage place has video cams so perhaps we can see something.

I read about this happening to others and always think I'm lucky that my storage place is out in the country, out of sight of the highway and brightly lit and securely fenced.

But none of that matters when a thief wants your stuff.

Did your insurance cover any of this loss?

[creativepart]

Originally Posted by armullis59

Did your insurance cover any of this loss?

Yes, it’s covered under Comprehensive like a broken window or stolen radio. I just have to pay the deductible.

[catmandoo62]

sucks for me.my vectra gt has 2 cats.

[99dart]

I'm sorry you guys have had problems with theft. That sucks! I'm not seeing the benefit of painting a "cat" orange. They operate at such a high temperature that all the paint will be burned off. Taken from the web; "The average light off temperature at which a catalytic converter begins to function ranges from 400 to 600 degrees F. The normal operating temperature can range up to 1,200 to 1,600 degrees F. But as the amount of pollutants in the exhaust go up, so does the converter's operating temperature."

[99dart]

Here's a thought... how about engraving? Amazon has cheap electric engravers for under 20 bucks. Engrave a name and phone number maybe? I know back in the day people would engrave their social security number, NOT a good idea anymore!

[Wayne M]

There are paints that can handle up to 2000˚F.

[armullis59]

I agree! I was just thinking on that today...those Cats get really hot. Painting them will accomplish nothing.

[Wyatt]

Hopefully, I’ve learned a lesson from all of this. For $100.00 I have active “eyes” under there and will get an alert if anyone crawls under our RV…

[creativepart]

$2843.11 later....

A nice quiet ride back home after the Catalytic Converter and NOs sensor was replaced. My insurance comprehensive, Progressive, is paying me $2,593.12 so this cost me $249.99 out of pocket.

I have to say Progressive made this super easy. I filled out a claim on line after I had already made an appointment to get this fixed. The RV was already at the repair shop when the Adjuster called and he went to the shop the next day and approved the whole thing.

So, I found it missing on Sunday, Aug 1st and have it back home on Friday, Aug 6th.

This is perfect timing as I take the RV to a repair shop in San Antonio on Monday to have a few things looked at before leaving on a 2,000 mile 5-week trip in just a under 30-days from now.

So, this is one less thing to worry about.

I plan to spray paint the CAT with bright orange paint and stencil SAPD on to the sides (San Antonio Police Dept). I've found HiTemp 2000 degree orange paint at the auto parts store.

[creativepart]

Originally Posted by Wyatt

Hopefully, I’ve learned a lesson from all of this. For $100.00 I have active “eyes” under there and will get an alert if anyone crawls under our RV…

Wyatt... how are you able to do this? Is the RV at home with power and wifi access???

[dkoldman]

Ok, so I now have $250 to spend in my prevention fund. I will round up to $300. Given what has been learned, what is the best way to spend?

Options thus far...

1. Catstrap + Cateye $259 plus some labor to install (Guess $500 total)
2. Catstrap $129 plus ome labor (Guess $300 total)
3. Catclamp $193 plus some labor (Guess $370 total)
4. High Temp Orange Paint ($TBD and what to buy?)
5. Ring Camera $100 ( is this really the true total cost?)
6. Other idea #1?
7. Other idea #2?

I have Progressive Insurance as well, I wonder if they have some recommendation on what to do, or give any credit for taking proactive measures?

[R2D2]

Sorry to hear this for you. At least they didn't do more damage. That happened to a family member last month and they also cut a few wires. Cost over 4k for a Honda. My brother in law welded in some plate to make it harder if there is a next time.

[Nmdoug]

It’s occurring more than ever. One recommendation is to use a high heat spray paint like a bright orange and spray it on the converter. The odd color makes it harder to sell and may make the thieves look elsewhere.

[Wyatt]

Originally Posted by Nmdoug

It’s occurring more than ever. One recommendation is to use a high heat spray paint like a bright orange and spray it on the converter. The odd color makes it harder to sell and may make the thieves look elsewhere.

Curious. Aren’t these thieves selling the parts to people who KNOW that they have been stolen. Why would they care what color they are? They just cut them up for parts…

[creativepart]

I went to two stores today... sold out of high temp (2000 degree) spray paint. Wanna guess why?

[bigb]

Originally Posted by dkoldman

Ok, so I now have $250 to spend in my prevention fund. I will round up to $300. Given what has been learned, what is the best way to spend?

Options thus far...

1. Catstrap + Cateye $259 plus some labor to install (Guess $500 total)
2. Catstrap $129 plus ome labor (Guess $300 total)
3. Catclamp $193 plus some labor (Guess $370 total)
4. High Temp Orange Paint ($TBD and what to buy?)
5. Ring Camera $100 ( is this really the true total cost?)
6. Other idea #1?
7. Other idea #2?

I have Progressive Insurance as well, I wonder if they have some recommendation on what to do, or give any credit for taking proactive measures?

dkoldman if I recall you store at home right? Why not fence it in?