rlex Posted February 26, 2021 Posted February 26, 2021 While car thefts declined slightly in 2020, one part in particular is increasingly gaining the attention of thieves: the catalytic converter. A few days ago, we unveiled the ranking of the most stolen cars in France, dominated by the DS 7 Crossbackand other Renault Mégane RS. But if this practice fell very slightly in 2020, due to the health crisis then complicating the work of thieves, they seem to have found another activity, much more profitable and above all less risky. No, they did not decide to find a decent job overnight, as they continue to attack cars, but this time in a whole different way. Because if stealing an entire vehicle has many advantages, allowing it to be resold elsewhere or to recover all the parts, some thugs have decided to go and use cars directly, stealing them. Because there is one part in particular that catches their attention, namely the catalytic converter, while the New York Times warns motorists about an increasingly widespread practice. Because rather than stealing the whole car, the thieves simply have to go underneath, in order to cut and recover the famous part, with a simple blow of the disc cutter. Suffice to say that the risks are relatively minimal, but the operation can nevertheless pay off big. Indeed, the catalysts can contain several grams of precious metals such as rhodium and palladium, the quantity of which varies depending on the model, as well as the value. And precisely, this has literally soared in recent years, the price of palladium having multiplied by five, while that of rhodium having climbed by € 3,000, i.e. a price per gram of respectively 70 and 300. €. A godsend for thieves, who only have to use and then resell their loot to specialized companies, who do not care about the origin of the parts they buy. It is indeed possible to earn more than a hundred euros per catalytic converter , depending on the make and model, not all of them using the same amount of precious metals. How to avoid catalyst theft? If you don't want to have a nasty surprise when you take your car in the morning, there are a few solutions to deter thieves and avoid having to buy a new catalytic converter. First of all, know that thugs particularly appreciate hybrid models, and in particular the Toyota Prius, for their low emissions thus preserving the quality of the catalyst. You will therefore have to be particularly vigilant if you own this type of car. While it is not possible to permanently prevent theft, there are nevertheless a few tips that will help you reduce the risk. First of all, try to park your vehicle in a closed garage if possible, if not, avoid parking it in a dark and uncrowded place as much as possible. You can also place it close to a wall, in order to make access to the catalyst more difficult, while the most effective method is to install an anti-theft device. Finally, it is also possible to have the registration number engraved or standard of your vehicle on the part in question, in order to make resale more difficult. Either way, it is important to make sure that your insurance covers the theft of the catalytic converter, in order to hope that you can be compensated in the event of theft.
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