Well, I thought it wouldn't happen to me. 2008 Prius. Small-ish city. Parked in our home driveway. Drove it on Sunday, and then I don't think I've driven since then. Got it out this morning to go somewhere and was rudely greeted with the noise of 1000 Priuses.

I hadn't heard of a rash of these sorts of issues locally, but I know nationwide the Gen 2 Prius cat is a hot item right now.

I've got a police report, filed the insurance claim and waiting to hear from the adjustor. I haven't called my shop yet to see how long it will take them to get one of these in for replacement. Any guesses? My money's on 2 months.

There's never a good time for this to happen, but it definitely could have taken place on a worse/less convenient day and I'd be a lot more stressed out (getting ready for a road trip, etc).

Damn. Thieves suck, pure and simple. Best of luck moving forward.

Welcome to the club...

The Toyota dealer quoted me 4 weeks and $2900 to replace my 2007's Cat...

I did not have insurance that covers that.... (it's a 2007... the premiums would have covered the cost of a brand new car by now).

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Paul F.
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A sword never kills anybody; it is a tool in the killer's hand. - Lucius Annaeus Seneca c. 5 BC - 65 AD
----
Good is the enemy of Excellent. Talent is not necessary for Excellence.
Persistence is necessary for Excellence. And Persistence is a Decision.
--

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Eureka, CA

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Paul F.
Welcome to the club...

The Toyota dealer quoted me 4 weeks and $2900 to replace my 2007's Cat...

I did not have insurance that covers that.... (it's a 2007... the premiums would have covered the cost of a brand new car by now).

Yikes, that sucks.

Our insurance rates have been quite reasonable (under $200/year for this year), and I've never had to make a claim. So in this case, it seems worthwhile to call in that benefit of my coverage. We also get some rental coverage, if needed. Though I expect that won't come anywhere close to covering the wait time until we can get it fixed. Time will tell. Once I hear from the adjustor and get the ball rolling, I'll find out what it's going to take to replace. I do see some ~$100 CAT options on ebay (not for use in all states), but I want the car to perform as it originally did, so I'll probably get the OEM/Toyota part.

police dept here keeps sending out messages to beware of thieves. luckily, the car I park on the street has converters up near the engine that are next to impossible to access. the other car in the driveway is a lot easier. (crosses fingers.)

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Hurts like a bastid...

And this is exactly why I'm calling around to find someone to put a cage or something on my Element before I go out to the SF Bay Area for a few months. Don't know where you live but CC theft is pretty rampant on the West Coast.

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If you want to fix our country, work with us in the states. statesproject.org

"Success isn't about how much money you make. It is about the difference you make in people's lives."--Michelle Obama

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graylocks
And this is exactly why I'm calling around to find someone to put a cage or something on my Element before I go out to the SF Bay Area for a few months. Don't know where you live but CC theft is pretty rampant on the West Coast.

east coast/mid Atlantic

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graylocks
And this is exactly why I'm calling around to find someone to put a cage or something on my Element before I go out to the SF Bay Area for a few months. Don't know where you live but CC theft is pretty rampant on the West Coast.

It's so not fair to have to go to these measures to protect the things we've worked so hard to have. It's just maddening.

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vision63

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graylocks
And this is exactly why I'm calling around to find someone to put a cage or something on my Element before I go out to the SF Bay Area for a few months. Don't know where you live but CC theft is pretty rampant on the West Coast.

It's so not fair to have to go to these measures to protect the things we've worked so hard to have. It's just maddening.

When it comes to property crimes here in California, the police and DA's have basically started saying that if no one was hurt in the theft, and it was under several thousand dollars, they'd prefer to not even take a report about it. They'll mail you one if you ask, but, nothing is going to be done about it if you file it.

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Paul F.
-----
A sword never kills anybody; it is a tool in the killer's hand. - Lucius Annaeus Seneca c. 5 BC - 65 AD
----
Good is the enemy of Excellent. Talent is not necessary for Excellence.
Persistence is necessary for Excellence. And Persistence is a Decision.
--

--

--
Eureka, CA

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Paul F.

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vision63

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graylocks
And this is exactly why I'm calling around to find someone to put a cage or something on my Element before I go out to the SF Bay Area for a few months. Don't know where you live but CC theft is pretty rampant on the West Coast.

It's so not fair to have to go to these measures to protect the things we've worked so hard to have. It's just maddening.

When it comes to property crimes here in California, the police and DA's have basically started saying that if no one was hurt in the theft, and it was under several thousand dollars, they'd prefer to not even take a report about it. They'll mail you one if you ask, but, nothing is going to be done about it if you file it.

That's bull. An individual's loss is $2000. But this very specific crime is happening hundreds of times daily across the country. Time to pay attention.

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clay
...2008 Prius...Parked in our home driveway...

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mrbigstuff
...the car I park on the street...the other car in the driveway...

So...uh...out of curiosity - what do you have in your garages?

I keep comprehensive and collision even on beaters. Collision gives me access to insurance-negotiated repairs, or a market cash-out if totaled (not just salvage value). Comprehensive has a low deductible for windshields, deer strikes and theft.

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SDGuy

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clay
...2008 Prius...Parked in our home driveway...

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mrbigstuff
...the car I park on the street...the other car in the driveway...

So...uh...out of curiosity - what do you have in your garages?

What garage?

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Paul F.
-----
A sword never kills anybody; it is a tool in the killer's hand. - Lucius Annaeus Seneca c. 5 BC - 65 AD
----
Good is the enemy of Excellent. Talent is not necessary for Excellence.
Persistence is necessary for Excellence. And Persistence is a Decision.
--

--

--
Eureka, CA

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Paul F.

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SDGuy

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clay
...2008 Prius...Parked in our home driveway...

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mrbigstuff
...the car I park on the street...the other car in the driveway...

So...uh...out of curiosity - what do you have in your garages?

What garage?

ditto

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SDGuy
So...uh...out of curiosity - what do you have in your garages?

Yea, not all of us have garages. Even if we have a driveway, there may not be a garage.

After having 3 cars stolen (Civic stolen 2x) and pretty much every car in the previous 25 years had stereo stolen, I made it an absolute requirement in 2007 that every place I lived from then on had a locked garage.

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In tha 360. MRF User Map

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clay

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Paul F.

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SDGuy

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clay
...2008 Prius...Parked in our home driveway...

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mrbigstuff
...the car I park on the street...the other car in the driveway...

So...uh...out of curiosity - what do you have in your garages?

What garage?

ditto

Double ditto, triply

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Hurts like a bastid...

Just wondering here, but what if it were possible to somehow booby-trap one's catalytic converter so that a thief would be...shall we say...inconvenienced by the attempted theft. Would the owner be protected from prosecution?

That one is settled case law. No, you cannot do that.

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PeterW
That one is settled case law. No, you cannot do that.

You can't do that legally... You can do that... just not legally.
Anything that kills or maims and you'd be in big, BIG, trouble.
Something like a bank dye pack, on the other hand, I've considered.

Also, it's technically no ones fault if the jack "collapses" while they're under there stealing your cat... as long as there are no witnesses.

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Paul F.
-----
A sword never kills anybody; it is a tool in the killer's hand. - Lucius Annaeus Seneca c. 5 BC - 65 AD
----
Good is the enemy of Excellent. Talent is not necessary for Excellence.
Persistence is necessary for Excellence. And Persistence is a Decision.
--

--

--
Eureka, CA

I wonder if my Chevy Volt still has a cat converter. I have not used gas in a long time.

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gadje
I wonder if my Chevy Volt still has a cat converter. I have not used gas in a long time.

And they used to say Prius owners were smug...

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gadje
I wonder if my Chevy Volt still has a cat converter. I have not used gas in a long time.

i believe there is one. inconveniently placed and the Volt is very low to the ground. the thieves have jacks but they don’t want to be hacking around a long time. My Element OTOH is high off the ground with easy access.

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If you want to fix our country, work with us in the states. statesproject.org

"Success isn't about how much money you make. It is about the difference you make in people's lives."--Michelle Obama

Bummer. Good luck.

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Saint Cloud, Minnesota, where the weather is wonderful even when it isn't.

We have zero deductible comprehensive on our Prius and Tahoe, collusion only on the Prius, the Tahoe is 20 years old.

I'd go with aftermarket. Some people sell their own CC on older Prii's and replace it with a cheap aftermarket.

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Grateful11

Trying to set a "bobby trap" is illegal and just plain stupid.

Often, some idiot property defender does their self more harm than good preparing some 'surprise' to dissuade through injury or death, someone from stealing something.

Property crimes take a back seat to investigation and prosecution due to limited resources, and there's no getting around that, practically speaking.

Gov. Newsom recently signed a law requiring recyclers to more thoroughly document the sources of cats to be recycled.

Akin to Apple allowing 'Phones' to locked making re-activation unlikely if not impossible, it's shoveling sand against the tide, but will help somewhat.

But it will take time to have much if any effect.

In the meantime, thefts will continue.

Most victims are fortunate in that they discover the crime hours after it happens.

Yesterday, an Oakland man lost his life for merely yelling at cat thieves from his doorway.

This saddens and angers me, especially considering the low odds his killer will be caught and convicted.

Parking vehicles in garages, where possible, is probably the best one can to.

Bright lights, a motion detector, a well positioned video camera, and a cat cage will help in many instances, though those too are often not an option.

When a theft in progress is detected, the best weapon for almost anybody is the phone.

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I am that Masked Man.

All you can do, is all you can do.

There’s trouble — it's time to play the sound of my people.

Your boos mean nothing to me, I've seen what you cheer for.

Insisting on your rights without acknowledging your responsibilities isn’t freedom, it’s adolescence.

I've been to the edge of the map, and there be monsters.

We are a government of laws, not men.

Everybody counts or nobody counts.

When a good man is hurt,
all who would be called good
must suffer with him.

You and I have memories longer than the road that stretches out ahead.

There is no safety for honest men except
by believing all possible evil of evil men.

We don’t do focus groups. They just ensure that you don’t offend anyone, and produce bland inoffensive products. —Sir Jonathan Ive

An armed society is a polite society.
And hope is a lousy defense.

You make me pull, I'll put you down.

I *love* SIGs. It's Glocks I hate.

"Man, 60, shot dead in Oakland while confronting catalytic-converter thieves" [www.ktvu.com]

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hal
"Man, 60, shot dead in Oakland while confronting catalytic-converter thieves" [www.ktvu.com]

Wow! I used to live in that neighborhood!

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If you want to fix our country, work with us in the states. statesproject.org

"Success isn't about how much money you make. It is about the difference you make in people's lives."--Michelle Obama

Quote
Paul F.
Welcome to the club...

The Toyota dealer quoted me 4 weeks and $2900 to replace my 2007's Cat...

I did not have insurance that covers that.... (it's a 2007... the premiums would have covered the cost of a brand new car by now).

Is comprehensive really that expensive in your area?

I keep comprehensive even on vehicles where I've dropped collision.

Here, for most of my vehicles it's under $5/month for comprehensive coverage with a $100 deductible.

That paid for $3,000 in damage from a deer strike a few years ago.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/06/2022 08:43AM by Bill in NC.

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Bill in NC

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Paul F.
Welcome to the club...

The Toyota dealer quoted me 4 weeks and $2900 to replace my 2007's Cat...

I did not have insurance that covers that.... (it's a 2007... the premiums would have covered the cost of a brand new car by now).

Is comprehensive really that expensive in your area?

I keep comprehensive even on vehicles where I've dropped collision.

Here, for most of my vehicles it's under $5/month for comprehensive coverage with a $100 deductible.

That paid for $3,000 in damage from a deer strike a few years ago.

Similar here in WI. Comp is cheap and I always leave it on when I drop collision. In gerneral if the car is worth less than $3000-$4000 it isn't worth the cost for collision.

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C(-)ris
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Cities suck. I’ve moved to a small farm. I don’t even lock my doors. It’s great.

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All I ever really needed to know, I learned from watching Star Trek.

[www.getcatsecurity.com]