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Fri Jun 20, 2025 5:55 am

a touch over $2k in parts to make this one whole again, one owner syncro westy spends 99% of it's life locked in a garage, thankfully insured by haggerty, who are covering the cost of the replacement parts, with luck they'll cover my time to put it back together.

parts from gowesty are already on their way.

Fri Jun 20, 2025 6:04 am

Amateurs.
Lucky they just took the cat and not the whole van.

Fri Jun 20, 2025 6:08 am

huh. wonder what the street price for a Vanagon cat is?

Fri Jun 20, 2025 6:23 am

DanHoug wrote: huh. wonder what the street price for a Vanagon cat is?
They're not stealing a Vanagon cat, they just want the contents.

Don't take it personally ;)

Fri Jun 20, 2025 7:17 am

Glad to hear Hagerty is covering it.

Interesting deterrent: CatStrap

Fri Jun 20, 2025 9:32 am

That strap appears resistant to cutting but if it's installed with steel zip ties and muffler clamps it would appear to be easy to remove.

Mark's example notwithstanding, isn't the cordless angle grinder the tool of choice for cat-nappers? That would make short work of the hardware that attaches the CatStrap.

Sort of like relying on 'The Club'. It's indestructible but the steering wheel is easily cut.

Fri Jun 20, 2025 9:39 am

Ahwahnee wrote: That strap appears resistant to cutting but if it's installed with steel zip ties and muffler clamps it would appear to be easy to remove.

Mark's example notwithstanding, isn't the cordless angle grinder the tool of choice for cat-nappers? That would make short work of the hardware that attaches the CatStrap.

Sort of like relying on 'The Club'. It's indestructible but the steering wheel is easily cut.

like every bike lock ever.. with enough time and tools, you can defeat anything. The goal is to make it much more of a PITA so they move on the car sitting next to yours that isn't so much of a PITA. Even making this thought process happen with would-be cat-nappers can be a win. Hence "deterrent"

Fri Jun 20, 2025 9:47 am

markswagen wrote:
parts from gowesty are already on their way.

Just be glad parts are available! When the cat was stolen from my 2012 Prius a couple of years back, they were totally unavailable and I was without the car for months.

Fri Jun 20, 2025 9:54 am

I have an old bad cat and after calling around to recyclers they won't even buy them any more. I don't know what their value is to the meth heads

Fri Jun 20, 2025 10:03 am

We have shut down a lot of cat thefts by making the people responsible for the recycling of the metal liable for their sources. Guys showing up with 100 pounds of cat innards need traceable documents as to where the stuff came from.

Fri Jun 20, 2025 10:07 am

syncrodoka wrote: I don't know what their value is to the meth heads

They contain platinum group metals that can be sold as raw materials (after they're removed from the part) to metal recycling places.

Fri Jun 20, 2025 10:22 am

That might be a claim for a stolen cat, but the exhaust pipe leading to where the cat should be, looks like it rotted out, not sawzalled. And, the valence right at the input side of the cat, is all sooty, like it was leaking.
Hard to see, but the pipe at the muffler doesn't look sawzalled, but more like it a typical rotting out of the pipe.

I don't know, but I kinda think somebody' up to something.....

Fri Jun 20, 2025 10:27 am

Crooked Designer wrote: syncrodoka wrote: I don't know what their value is to the meth heads

They contain platinum group metals that can be sold as raw materials (after they're removed from the part) to metal recycling places.
They have platinum, palladium and rhodium in them but I couldn't find a recycler willing to buy one so the value is nil to me.

Fri Jun 20, 2025 10:36 am

do.dah wrote: That might be a claim for a stolen cat, but the exhaust pipe leading to where the cat should be, looks like it rotted out, not sawzalled. And, the valence right at the input side of the cat, is all sooty, like it was leaking.
Hard to see, but the pipe at the muffler doesn't look sawzalled, but more like it a typical rotting out of the pipe.

I don't know, but I kinda think somebody' up to something.....

Fri Jun 20, 2025 10:56 am

Now that you mention it, I don't see where those photos show any clear exidence that the cat was removed by cutting at either end.

Also, what was the coat hanger used for? Was the cat already broken free at one end and then the coat hanger was used to try to keep it from falling off?

Mark

do.dah wrote: That might be a claim for a stolen cat, but the exhaust pipe leading to where the cat should be, looks like it rotted out, not sawzalled. And, the valence right at the input side of the cat, is all sooty, like it was leaking.
Hard to see, but the pipe at the muffler doesn't look sawzalled, but more like it a typical rotting out of the pipe.

I don't know, but I kinda think somebody' up to something.....

Fri Jun 20, 2025 11:13 am

After several failed attempts for thieves to steal the Cat out of one of our Nieces car, an older Honda CRV, she had to replace the cat and new pipe going back to the Muffler when they finally succeeded in stealing it.
With all the new parts installed, I made a hardened steel cage from Tool Steel I bought from Mc-Master Carr. It easily stopped Sawzall regular blades, but as noted, would not have stopped an abrasive blade on a grinder. I used Flat bars welded. then bolted it to the body.
BUT, those make way more noise than a Sawzall, so not the weapon of choice apparently. Once installed, no one ever messed with her replaced Cat. Just looking at the mess under the vehicle was enough for them to look for an easier target.... :lol: :lol: :lol:
Shops and dealers that she went to for Service took note of the DIY Cage that I'd made. I got props from all those guys for taking care of Family. Which was cool... 8) 8)

Fri Jun 20, 2025 11:31 am

38 million :shock:

Fri Jun 20, 2025 11:56 am

it was cut at one end, and snapped l think at the other, the white wire is one of the two white wires for the O2 sensor, at least that's where it went up to, when l traced it.
l don't know if her premiums will go up next year.
FWIW the van passed smog may 23rd, l'd hope they looked at it then.

crazyvwvanman wrote:

Also, what was the coat hanger used for? Was the cat already broken free at one end and then the coat hanger was used to try to keep it from falling off?

Mark

she used to have a prius, and the cat was stolen off of that also, on her driveway, the syncro was inside, and her tesla was where the prius was, when it had it's cat removed, interestingly she bought a cage protection thing for the replacement cat, she had hoped the insurance would cover that, but they didn't, they said they'd happily cover the cost of another cat if it were stolen, but not cover the cost of it's protection.

Fri Jun 20, 2025 12:17 pm

Crooked Designer wrote: like every bike lock ever.. with enough time and tools, you can defeat anything. The goal is to make it much more of a PITA so they move on the car sitting next to yours that isn't so much of a PITA. Even making this thought process happen with would-be cat-nappers can be a win. Hence "deterrent"

Have you seen the OnGuard bike lock? https://youtu.be/bO4h385PPUY?si=mgnmfReYDDKOV7e_&t=69

Looks like picking is the only route to go. I'd like to see the Lockpicking Lawyer defeat it in 8 seconds.

Fri Jun 20, 2025 12:44 pm

Thieves suck. :evil:

Cat converter theft ring caught in AZ in 2022: https://apnews.com/article/politics-arizona-phoenix-theft-eac0922b2874c956720a1523f5f035d8

markswagen wrote: they said they'd happily cover the cost of another cat if it were stolen, but not cover the cost of it's protection.

My dad recently bought circulatory/nerve therapy treatment devices. Insurance flat-out told him: "Nope, not covering them. However, if your issue gets to the point of requiring surgery, such as amputation, we'll gladly cover it." They'll pay for the so-called cure, but not preventative measures. Insurance is such a racket.

4Gears4Tires wrote: Looks like picking is the only route to go. I'd like to see the Lockpicking Lawyer defeat it in 8 seconds.

Given LPL's talent, I wouldn't be surprised if he could. :lol: