Catalytic Converter Thefts Hit Crown Heights Again

by CrownHeights.info

In Crown Heights, even if it’s bolted on, they will still steal it.

A car’s Catalytic Converter is worth a lot of money, especially when it’s been cut off from the undercarriage and sold on the black market.

Boruch Zaetz parked his car on Lefferts Ave in Crown Heights Wednesday night and came back Thursday morning to find that he had been the victim of a catalytic converter theft.

“It’s annoying that we used to have to be worried about our children, and now we have to also be worried about pieces of our car going missing,” Boruch told CrownHeights.info.

A catalytic converter is an exhaust emission control device that converts toxic gases and pollutants in the exhaust gas, from an internal combustion engine, into less-toxic pollutants by catalyzing a redox reaction.

The theft of catalytic converters is not a new thing, as the precious metals found inside them fetch hundreds of dollars each. This is especially true of those found in Honda and certain Toyota vehicles.

The three metals used in catalytic converters are rhodium, platinum, and palladium.

The rarest and most valuable of the metals is rhodium, which was valued at around $650 per ounce in 2016 but steadily climbed to around $3,000 per ounce by the end of 2019, according to Moneymetals.com. Over the course of 2020 the value shot up drastically, reaching a high of $29,000 per ounce by April 2021. It has since dropped to about $18,000 an ounce.

By comparison, palladium saw an increase from $500 per ounce in 2016 to just under $3,000 per ounce today. Platinum barely increased, staying around $1,000 per ounce over the last five years.

Presently on the black market, a used catalytic converter can go for over $700, and to replace a stolen one can cost you over $1000.

Catalytic converter thefts were causing significant issues in England and other European cities in recent years, but only in the last year or so did the theft become popular in the United States.

The reason for the surge in theft could likely be attributed to the chip shortage which has caused car dealerships to run out of cars. Without new cars, used vehicles have become the mainstay of transportation, and where people are purchasing used cars, used parts are king.

These thieves are also difficult to catch, as they are able to complete the entire theft in less than a minute.

Without the need to enter the car, the thieves just jack up a car parked in a driveway or even on a street, sliding under with a battery-powered cutting tool. Ten seconds later, they are back out from under the car with the converter in hand. Add a few seconds to jump back in the car, and the entire theft is over.

Protecting against such thefts is also difficult, but parking in a well-lit area, or better yet in a locked garage can afford the best protection.

Should you be a victim of catalytic converter theft, you may not be able to tell by just looking at your car, but you will know as soon as you start the engine. When the catalytic converter has been removed, your vehicle will make a loud roaring sound that will get louder as you push the gas pedal.