kulotsalot

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I drove my car to and from work and dance class last Monday. It was fine.

I wanted to take my car to work yesterday but when I started it it made this really loud horrible noise (the car alarm for the car parked right beside mine was going berserk coz my car was being so loud). So I thought I shouldn't drive it to work coz it sounded horribly broken.

So I phone BCAA this morning to get it towed to my mechanic to have it looked at. He takes a peek underneath... apparently someone stole my catalytic converter (whatever the heck that is) so that they could sell it for like a hundred bux at a scrap metal yard.

Now I am stuck with a $400 bill for replacing something that didn't have to be replaced in the first place.



Fuggin shitheads. Oh well, at least I didn't have to buy a "new" car!!

SMonty30

:( sorry to hear that... i hope the rest of your day went better :(

Odie

Prolly some canuck methhead.

Sorry for your luck :(

licupssy

Yesterday was a definite bad day! My wife had her first accident while making a left turn at an intersection. Did over two thousand in damage to her bumper, head light assemble and put a dent in the hood.

Probably stole it to put on there own car. Platinum is used in the manufacture of catelytic convertors but I don't think it's in a form that is easily sellable.

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I solemnly swear that I am up to no good! ~~~SWTWC

dodberboy1

I'm no mechanic, but if your catalytic converter is missing, all you have to do to solve the noise problem would be to have someone weld a piece of tailpipe into the place where it used to be, thereby allowing the muffler to do its job....or does the catalytic converter actually make the car run better? anyone out there know if there is any truth to what i've theorized? Remember, as I said at first, I'm no mechanic.

SideshowBob

The catalytic converter (from my limited automobile knowledge) help filter out some of the more noxious fumes in the exhaust. I'm not sure what happens to the more dangerous stuff, but I think the bigger problem is that if someone was stealing the c.c., they had to cut it out, either with a small hacksaw (not likely) or a cutting torch. If they were willing to jack the converter, God only knows what else they f-ed up when they cut it out.

clt_capt

Damn Girl - What kind of neighborhoods do you hang out in?

FYI...
A catalytic converter (colloquially, "cat" or "catcon") is a device used to reduce the toxicity of emissions from an internal combustion engine. First widely introduced on series-production automobiles in the US market for the 1975 model year to comply with tightening EPA regulations on auto exhaust, catalytic converters are still most commonly used in motor vehicle exhaust systems. Catalytic converters are also used on generator sets, forklifts, mining equipment, trucks, buses, trains, and other engine-equipped machines. A catalytic converter provides an environment for a chemical reaction wherein toxic combustion by-products are converted to less-toxic gases.

licupssy

Maybe it was a home brew installation using pipe clamps because if it was a shop or factory installation it would have been welded into the pipe line, most likely. A hacksaw would take too long and I doubt if you have enough room for a pipe cutter.

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I solemnly swear that I am up to no good! ~~~SWTWC

CWB

yeppers ...

a "used" catalytic converter does fetch a good price in the -ahem- "aftermarket" scene . the platimum involved is an extremely thin layer coating on ceramic beads and/or honeycomb . there are metal "reclaimers" that do recycle the platinum ... it takes a medium scale operation to make it profitable .

as for putting in a chunk of pipe to joint the two ends together ... (1) it is illegal to thwart , tamper or bypass any factory installed emmission devices (especially if you are in california !) ... (2) you may have trouble getting the car to run smooth/efficiently without the converter in place ... the onboard comp could "see" the lack of or erronious data (from the sensors used on the converter) an not be able to compensate correctly , it depends on the design of the vehicle exaust/comp system .
some areas/states require your vehicle to pass an emmissions test before it can be legally tagged/driven ... i can juuust see the inspectors face when he looks underneath your car .

oh yeah ... as for cutting the unit out in the first place ... ever hear of a dewalt battery operated reciprocating saw ? a good thief could have it out in 45 seconds and not tear up a bunch of other stuff in the process .

did you check your insurance policy ? it may be covered under theft/vandalism or act of some scuz-bucket horse's arse reprobate twit !

shiiboi

You have to have it replaced-- sux.

As CWB said, it's illegal to tamper with emissions control. In fact, you'll have to replace it with the EXACT model that was installed by the car manufacturer, which, if your car is older will be a used one, possibly jacked from someone else.

Plus, most cars include an emissions sensor in the catalytic converter which sends signals back to the car to make the proper fuel mixture. If you run without the converter, you'll burn way more gasoline than you need.

kulotsalot

Yeah I actually have to pass an emission test each year before I can renew my insurance (and you can't drive if your vehicle is not insured... right??). So the pipe idea probably wouldn't have worked, especially since they walk around your car and look at the underside with a huge mirror before they do they actually emission test.

They sawed it off, I walked underneath my van when the guy at the shop lifted it up on those hydraulic things to show me where it had been taken out of. It was pretty clean cut and the metal thing surrounding what used to be my "catcon" looked like it was untouched, so I'm positive they knew what they were doing and had the tools to do it.

Metal theft is rampant around here nowadays. People stealing copper wires and shit. Grr.

Draggon

You drive a car pre 1992 with a catalitic converter? I didn't know they had them (Shows how little I know).
In Canada you can't drive without insurance, and in BC you have to get it from the government run ICBC (Insurance Corporation of British Columbia).

The copper wire stories are usually funny...So many people getting electrocuted trying to steal it!

Sorry to hear you had to put up with that crap.

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kulotsalot

yeah my car was made in 1991 and it has a converter. Like I know what a converter is. Well... at least now I know where it sits under my car

I have the most basic insurance you can possible get, I don't think I wanna bother looking to see if it covers theft. Probably not. Meh.

Draggon

Is this the same mini-van we packed with so many Americans we couldn't shut the door?
Good times...

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