[robgt]

I bought my E about 1 1/2 years ago when there was a rash of stolen catalytic converters happening due to the price of the precious metals inside. So to be safe I had mine tap welded on the ends of the threads for $10 bucks "just in case". Not sure how much the E's cat & O2 sensor costs to replace, but I really don't want to find out first hand. The mechanic doing the spot weld said that the Toyota's cat & O2 cost about $700 to replace.

 

[goosler]

interesting first post.

 

[07lmnt]

The punks that steal them use a battery powered saw to cut the pipes. Sorry to say but welding is not going to prevent theft. However, this will slow down the tech if it ever needs to be replaced.

 

[Jojo]

I'm lovin the avatar

Best Auto Insurance | Auto Protection Today | FREE Trade-In Quote

 

[Dom.five]

The punks that steal them use a battery powered saw to cut the pipes. Sorry to say but welding is not going to prevent theft. However, this will slow down the tech if it ever needs to be replaced.

That's how they do it in this area. Just cut them off.

Dom

 

[JETsi]

My son has a 01 4Runner and they got his about 6 or 8 months ago.

 

[1fastvx]

Had mine stolen off my E. I couldnt beleive it happened. They cut it off with a battery powered sawzall. Insurance covered the replacement. The total was $2200 parts and labor at the Honda dealer.

John

 

[CivicEM205]

a couple months after i had purchased the Element the dealership I bought it from had this happen to them:

http://www.pottstownmercury.com/articles/2009/07/08/news/srv0000005785324.txt

26 CR-V's/Elements!!

 

[robgt]

Yikes!

Holy Mohly! $2,200 is a lot of lettuce to lose thanks to some jerks!

Yes, I agree that a simple tap weld won't stop anyone who really wants to get the goods. Just trying to slow them down if they slide under there with a set of wrenches. Easier for them to hide wrenches in their pants / jacket than a sawz all.

As for the avatar, no it's not an Element. However, it would be fun to try!

 

[robgt]

Interesting Catalytic Lock

Hey, thanks for the reply with the news posting.

 

[robgt]

Link worked for me today, and also tonight.

Hey, thanks for the reply with the news posting.

Well, the link worked for me earlier today and also just now. I wasn't trying to pitch any products for anyone, sorry if I violated any rules.

 

[Meow]

Stolen Catalytic Converter in Dallas, TX

My wife's 2010 E was parked at her office, just out of view of the Securty Cam. Happened July 2011, Friday afternoon - they used a portable saw and hacked off the converter and messed up the senor etc. Dilemma - muffler shop wanted $325 to repair. Honda Dealer wanted $2000 (out of pocket $500 deductible). Per Honda - if you get an aftermarket converter, it negates your factory emission warranty, the only way to keep it is to replace it with original Honda converter, so for an extra $175 (deductible minus muffler shop quote) - we went through Honda and our insurance. About 2 weeks after our event, the Dallas Morning News ran an article on catalytic converter theft - the E was one of the targets due to height. Another target is the 2000 Toyota 4Runner as it has 2 converters. The thieves salvage the converter to metal yards for $50-100. While it was a hassle and took Honda 3 days to get the parts, I have to admit it was a blast driving the E without a muffler system, especially under bridges!

 

[Mo'03]

They just got mine while it was parked at a park and ride lot in the middle of the day. just sawed it straight off and took one of the 02 sensors…damn. Gonna have to fork up some big bucks now

 

[Mo'03]

update

Heads up for anyone in the Los Angeles area- mine was stolen from the Metro Goldline Heritage Square parking lot in Cypress Park on Friday January 17, 2014 sometime between 9am and 1pm.

 

[redhotdaddy]

stolen in silver lake

yep, mine stolen last night too. Cant seem to find aftermarket options that are California legal. Just learned that my deductible is 1000 and not 500 like i thought. ugh.

 

[Mo'03]

yep, mine stolen last night too. Cant seem to find aftermarket options that are California legal. Just learned that my deductible is 1000 and not 500 like i thought. ugh.

That sucks man, sorry to hear it...it is also illegal for anyone to sell you a used one but some junk yards do it anyways. Either way it is an expensive problem to have

 

[Legioss]

Heads up for anyone in the Los Angeles area- mine was stolen from the Metro Goldline Heritage Square parking lot in Cypress Park on Friday January 17, 2014 sometime between 9am and 1pm.

Thanks for posting the info so the rest of us can watch out. Somebody else mentioned theirs was hacked off in Ontario (Calif.) a few weeks ago too. Lost the thread. Looks like a cat-clamp is starting to look like a better purchase.

I wish the catalytic converters came with a VIN stamp, but that may not do anything anyway. I'll leave that thought to others to figure out.

I have one of those deadly-loud personal alarms (pin-pull type). Maybe I'll do something sneaky so the alarm goes off on anybody that gets to mine before I can afford a cat-clamp.

 

[LoRezSkyline]

No vested interest in this site, just the best deal I found when I was looking around myself - 15% off running now...

http://www.elementownersclub.com/forums/showthread.php?p=1101241&highlight=#post1101241

 

[Legioss]

I called Geico and asked if there was any policy discount for Cat theft prevention and they only offered to add any such device to my policy (raises rate), so that I can get a new one if anything happens to the car or device. Right...

For those that are not aware, auto-insurance often offers to repair cracked windshields for FREE, because it's so much cheaper for them, than you filing a claim to get the entire thing replaced. They also give a discount for anti-theft devices like lojack or alarms.

I was just hoping they would offer something like either one of those for a cat-lock, or cost of muffler shop to weld some protector on.

Oh-well, I at least tried.

 

[bbeckes]

Just had mine stolen last night. Not cool....