By Peter Valdes-Dapena | CNN
Johnny Wactor, an actor who formerly starred on “General Hospital,” was caught on Saturday while people were stealing the catalytic converter from his automobile. Tragically, one among the thieves then shot Wactor, in keeping with witnesses and Los Angeles police.
It's rare for somebody to be murdered over a catalytic converter, but thefts of this auto part remain alarmingly common. Last 12 months, thieves stole 27,609 catalytic converters within the U.S., with greater than half of those thefts occurring in California, in keeping with the National Insurance Crime Bureau. That's a big drop from the greater than 64,700 stolen in 2022. But by last 12 months, catalytic converter thefts had risen sharply since 2020, by an element of 4.
It could seem odd that this particular automobile part attracts a lot criminal attention, especially when it has such a harmless purpose. A catalytic converter cleans a automobile's exhaust fumes and makes the air safer for all of us to breathe. On its website, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has designated the catalytic converter as a “one among the best environmental inventions of all time.” But it isn’t the catalyst's function that pulls desperate criminals. It is what’s inside it.
Often these are platinum, which is price greater than $1,000 an oz., palladium, which is price almost as much, and rhodium, which is price almost $5,000 an oz.. They react chemically with exhaust gases, breaking down compounds similar to carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides and small amounts of unburned fuel into less harmful substances.
A catalytic converter is a metal cylinder or flattened oval that is an element of the automobile's exhaust system. It will likely be positioned underneath the automobile and has an exhaust pipe at one end that leads out the opposite. Inside is a honeycomb-like structure coated with metals much more worthwhile than gold.
Easy to steal
These metals and the exposed location of the catalytic converter make it a goal for thieves. Additionally, unlike other automobile parts, catalytic converters will not be normally marked with a vehicle identification number, making it difficult to link a stolen catalytic converter to an actual theft.
Unlike other automobile parts under the hood, locking a automobile won't necessarily deter a catalytic converter thief, as they will crawl under the automobile and saw through the exhaust pipe. The popularity of SUVs which might be higher off the bottom has made things even easier.
However, while these prices sound astonishingly high, they are literally much lower than they’ve been lately. A number of years ago, rhodium was price nearly $30,000 per ounce. This, together with increased law enforcement related to those thefts and better penalties for individuals who steal converters or buy stolen ones, have contributed to the recent decline in thefts, in keeping with the NICB.
As automobile engines change into more efficient and cleaner, catalytic converters have also change into smaller and fabricated from less metal, says Richard Waitas, senior manager at exhaust component maker MagnaFlow. There's simply not as much dirty exhaust to wash up anymore, and that's one reason thieves are targeting older models.
Curb theft
Some newer cars have not less than one catalytic converter — vehicles can have a couple of — near the engine, where it really works more efficiently since it stays hotter, Waitas said. That has also helped prevent some thefts since the catalytic converter is just harder to succeed in near the engine block.
A federal law currently being considered would require catalytic converters to be marked with identification numbers in order that stolen converters will be linked to specific cars and the crime will be more easily prosecuted. The National Automobile Dealers Association is actively pushing for the brand new law, the Preventing Auto Recycling Theft (PART) Act, a spokesperson said.
Used catalytic converters can cost anywhere from $25 to $1,000 depending on the make and model of the vehicle, depending on the metal content, which varies by vehicle make and model, in keeping with Scott Vollero and Christopher Gaines., the co-founder of ScrapCATapp.com, an auction site for used catalytic converters.
“This cat will always contain these metals and all you have to do is go through the process of removing the metals from the substrate and all the contaminants,” he said.
Of course, the value is way higher for the victim, as replacing a catalytic converter can cost greater than $2,000, including parts and labor.
While it could not sound prefer it makes much difference, having a catalytic converter stolen can render a automobile virtually undriveable. If your catalytic converter is stolen, the very first thing you'll probably notice is the noise. When you begin the engine, the automobile shall be very loud because without the exhaust pipe severed, the exhaust gases aren’t any longer being passed through the automobile's muffler, which is the part that reduces or dampens the engine noise.
Then you'll notice the orange “check engine” light and possibly the smell of raw exhaust gases rising up. As you proceed driving, you could also notice erratic acceleration because the engine now not has to push the exhaust gases through the long pipe and catalytic converter and muffler. Since the engine is designed to handle this back pressure, a malfunctioning exhaust system will cause performance problems.
If that happens, don't drive the automobile. Report the theft to the police and your automobile insurance company. Get the catalytic converter replaced. The excellent news is that as of late it's not less than slightly less likely that something like that can occur. And electric vehicles, that are gaining an increasing number of market share, don't have any catalytic converters to steal in any respect.
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