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Skim
Rants Master
Joined: April 15, 2001
Posts: 17098
Location: GFK 33 Year Vet
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 Posted: Fri Jan 25, 2008 10:01 pm Post subject: Stealing Cats |
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So I heard about this a while back, now I hear Dallas has been gitting hit hard.
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Thieves convert car part into fast cash
Thursday, January 24, 2008
BY JUSTIN CARINCI, Columbian staff writer
Most people don't think much about their cars' catalytic converters until these exhaust-system components are stolen. And in Clark County, as in much of the country, that's happening more often.
Over the past year, 27 catalytic converter thefts were reported in Vancouver and those reports are only a small portion of the overall thefts.
"(The victim) was in the store about 10 minutes," a typical report read. "When he returned, he jumped in his car and it sounded like a race car. It was then he got out of his 1990 Toyota truck and saw that his catalytic converter had been stolen."
The crime is quick and, with replacement costs in the thousands of dollars, painful. With the vehicle's exhaust diverted from the muffler, it's also loud.
And Toyota trucks, with their high road clearance, are a disproportionate target.
While metal thefts have increased in recent years, catalytic converter thefts are of a different order. Instead of turning large amounts of common metals into nickels and dimes, these thieves turn small amounts of rare metals into dollars. Lots of dollars.
There isn't much metal in a catalytic converter. Sold for scrap, one might fetch you $1 at 5 cents per pound.
But the catalyst - the thing that makes a catalytic converter work - can cost thousands of dollars per ounce. It's typically a combination of platinum, rhodium and palladium.
The price of those elements has spiked in the past five years, with platinum nearly tripling and rhodium selling at 18 times its 2003 value at metal retailer Kitco Inc. Palladium is worth about 40 percent more now than it was five years ago.
With only 4 to 6 grams of these precious metals in a catalytic converter, it wouldn't seem worth the effort. And, for years, it wasn't.
But with platinum, the most common catalyst, selling for more than $1,500 per ounce, a few grams will net $200 or $300.
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Guy on the news said it cost him about $3000 to replace at the dealer in his Tundra.
_________________
GFK
Samba since before the towers collapsed. Still here.
1953 Kabriolet
1959 Lowlight Ghia vert
1960 Lt Grey Double Cab SMZ LEGIT
1963 Deluxe Turkis Walk Thru 15 Window OG Paint |
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myzamboni
Samba Member
Joined: October 23, 2002
Posts: 978
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| Posted: Fri Jan 25, 2008 10:10 pm Post subject: Re: Stealing Cats |
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| Skim wrote: |
So I heard about this a while back, now I hear Dallas has been gitting hit hard.
| Quote: |
Thieves convert car part into fast cash
Thursday, January 24, 2008
BY JUSTIN CARINCI, Columbian staff writer
Most people don't think much about their cars' catalytic converters until these exhaust-system components are stolen. And in Clark County, as in much of the country, that's happening more often.
Over the past year, 27 catalytic converter thefts were reported in Vancouver and those reports are only a small portion of the overall thefts.
"(The victim) was in the store about 10 minutes," a typical report read. "When he returned, he jumped in his car and it sounded like a race car. It was then he got out of his 1990 Toyota truck and saw that his catalytic converter had been stolen."
The crime is quick and, with replacement costs in the thousands of dollars, painful. With the vehicle's exhaust diverted from the muffler, it's also loud.
And Toyota trucks, with their high road clearance, are a disproportionate target.
While metal thefts have increased in recent years, catalytic converter thefts are of a different order. Instead of turning large amounts of common metals into nickels and dimes, these thieves turn small amounts of rare metals into dollars. Lots of dollars.
There isn't much metal in a catalytic converter. Sold for scrap, one might fetch you $1 at 5 cents per pound.
But the catalyst - the thing that makes a catalytic converter work - can cost thousands of dollars per ounce. It's typically a combination of platinum, rhodium and palladium.
The price of those elements has spiked in the past five years, with platinum nearly tripling and rhodium selling at 18 times its 2003 value at metal retailer Kitco Inc. Palladium is worth about 40 percent more now than it was five years ago.
With only 4 to 6 grams of these precious metals in a catalytic converter, it wouldn't seem worth the effort. And, for years, it wasn't.
But with platinum, the most common catalyst, selling for more than $1,500 per ounce, a few grams will net $200 or $300.
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Guy on the news said it cost him about $3000 to replace at the dealer in his Tundra. |
How are you going to protect the SuperDuty? You probably don't even have to duck to get at it.
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-Tom-
Check yo'self before you wreck yo'self!
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Skim
Rants Master
Joined: April 15, 2001
Posts: 17098
Location: GFK 33 Year Vet
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| Posted: Fri Jan 25, 2008 10:13 pm Post subject: |
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lol, I changed out the exaust already. No more cat. I think its Toyotas and BMW's that have the most platinum inside them.
gatowned
_________________
GFK
Samba since before the towers collapsed. Still here.
1953 Kabriolet
1959 Lowlight Ghia vert
1960 Lt Grey Double Cab SMZ LEGIT
1963 Deluxe Turkis Walk Thru 15 Window OG Paint |
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notchback
Insensitive Jerk
Joined: December 16, 2003
Posts: 7024
Location: Behind the Zion Curtain
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| Posted: Fri Jan 25, 2008 10:30 pm Post subject: |
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Whew. I thought this was going to be about you going after my cat that looks like the one you had that drowned in the horse trough.
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| zeen wrote: |
| Arguing with johnnypan is like mud-wrestling a pig. After a while you realize he just enjoys playing in the mud, winning the contest is not the point. |
FU#3 |
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Skim
Rants Master
Joined: April 15, 2001
Posts: 17098
Location: GFK 33 Year Vet
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| Posted: Fri Jan 25, 2008 10:37 pm Post subject: |
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shut up fool, that was Zeus and he was a cool cat too  R.I.P Zeus.
_________________
GFK
Samba since before the towers collapsed. Still here.
1953 Kabriolet
1959 Lowlight Ghia vert
1960 Lt Grey Double Cab SMZ LEGIT
1963 Deluxe Turkis Walk Thru 15 Window OG Paint |
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notchback
Insensitive Jerk
Joined: December 16, 2003
Posts: 7024
Location: Behind the Zion Curtain
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| Posted: Fri Jan 25, 2008 10:41 pm Post subject: |
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| Skim wrote: |
| shut up fool, that was Zeus and he was a cool cat too R.I.P Zeus. |
I understand. Spot is a cool cat too, but I'm afraid I'm going to have to have him put to sleep in the next month or so. Old age is a bitch.
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| zeen wrote: |
| Arguing with johnnypan is like mud-wrestling a pig. After a while you realize he just enjoys playing in the mud, winning the contest is not the point. |
FU#3 |
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runslikeapenguin
Samba Member
Joined: August 07, 2005
Posts: 4674
Location: Federal way WA
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| Posted: Fri Jan 25, 2008 10:54 pm Post subject: |
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why is this guy complaining? that would kick ass if i came out of a store and started my car and it sounded like a race car. would suck around smog time though
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never forget 1-31-07 |
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AndrewM
Samba Member
Joined: February 18, 2002
Posts: 496
Location: Charlotte, NC
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| Posted: Sat Jan 26, 2008 5:02 am Post subject: |
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| I worked at a place last year where 3 cats were stolen in one night off of the small size Toyota trucks. |
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1977_L63H_P27
Samba Member
Joined: January 17, 2006
Posts: 2345
Location: Bristol, Tennessee
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| Posted: Sat Jan 26, 2008 5:34 am Post subject: |
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Around here, church vans seem to be a big target for cat theft. I even bought a used mini-van off of a preacher. It was parked on the corner of his church parking lot. When we started it up, boy was he surprised  . Then he told me about his passenger van getting ripped off, but he said he never thought to check the mini. Peace!
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| busdaddy wrote: |
...and try a few chubby ones until you find one you like.
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1977 Westfalia P27 
you can't spell Volkswagen without SWAG
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Mr. Bubblehead
El Chupa Nibre
Joined: October 25, 2002
Posts: 2756
Location: 612 Wharf Avenue
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| Posted: Sat Jan 26, 2008 5:45 am Post subject: |
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The crackheads around here have been doing that for a while. The big thing now is they cut the central air compressor unit off your house at night, I guess for the copper inside it. It's not uncommon to see some homeless-looking dude walking down the street with a cordless sawzall in hand.
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OGST
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pyrOman
Fire Master
Joined: July 21, 2003
Posts: 12569
Location: Over 2002 posts deleted!
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| Posted: Sat Jan 26, 2008 6:08 am Post subject: |
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| Mr. Bubblehead wrote: |
| The crackheads around here have been doing that for a while. The big thing now is they cut the central air compressor unit off your house at night, I guess for the copper inside it. It's not uncommon to see some homeless-looking dude walking down the street with a cordless sawzall in hand. |
YWHS!  Just a couple of days ago our building here in the aircraft parts manufacturing plant lost water pressure. We call the trouble desk and they said they were trying to figure out just what the problem was. Turns out the big ass brass valve that provides the main water to the whole building was stolen!!!
And this has happened before so they had built a cage around it. However, they cut right through the pipe so obviously cuting through the cage must have been a piece of cake!
Junkies will do anything, granted. But just who is buying this stuff that must be obvious to come from questionable sources? 
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Some people are so busy being clever they don't have time enough to be wise. |
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Mr. Bubblehead
El Chupa Nibre
Joined: October 25, 2002
Posts: 2756
Location: 612 Wharf Avenue
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| Posted: Sat Jan 26, 2008 6:26 am Post subject: |
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| pyrOman wrote: |
| And this has happened before so they had built a cage around it. However, they cut right through the pipe so obviously cuting through the cage must have been a piece of cake! |
I thought about building a cage around my a/c unit here at home, but since it would be made of metal they will probably just jack that, too.
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2true
Samba Member
Joined: December 13, 2004
Posts: 1218
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| Posted: Sat Jan 26, 2008 6:52 am Post subject: |
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Oh you are talking about Catalitic converters!
I thought someone stole your cat! |
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Redd73
Samba Member
Joined: March 05, 2007
Posts: 836
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| Posted: Sat Jan 26, 2008 10:52 am Post subject: |
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| pyrOman wrote: |
Junkies will do anything, granted. But just who is buying this stuff that must be obvious to come from questionable sources? |
yep. im less pissed at the junkies and more pissed at the scrap yards. my friends truck was stolen. to make a long story short the cops didnt end up doing shit and his wife started calling scrap yards. coincidentally the guy was AT one of the yards she called trying to sell their truck. basically he didnt get in much trouble even though he was caught and this yard had bought a ton of cars/trucks from him and they didnt get in trouble either.
theres been a rash of meth heads (as this guy was) stealing siding from homes, ac units, cars, mowers, grills, and anything else metal to take down to the scrap yard. the kicker is in the last couple of months ive noticed 4 new billboards advertising a new "cash for your scrap" place. those people are the ones making the REAL money off scrap metal and they are the ones profiting off of the theft of OUR stuff. its bullshit that there isnt more oversight when it comes to scrap yards.
the newest thing as far as this crap goes is that tons of the houses that have been foreclosed on are ending up being stripped because there is no one there to catch the people. in some areas large groups of houses were foreclosed on so the few neighbors who remain are now surrounded by stripped houses.
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Patty B.
Samba Member
Joined: July 14, 2005
Posts: 2181
Location: Brampton, Ontario, Canada
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| Posted: Sat Jan 26, 2008 11:06 am Post subject: |
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| A guy up here was discovered steeling copper from an electric generating station, he was burned to a crisp. |
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torocreek
Samba Member
Joined: June 20, 2007
Posts: 95
Location: Long Beach, Ca.
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| Posted: Sat Jan 26, 2008 11:57 am Post subject: |
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| Thanks for the post. I left my Toyota Landcruiser parked on the street while I was doing some home remodeling. I started it one morning and noticed a definite exhaust leak. I looked under the truck and noticed all of the bolts holding on the cat were gone but the cat was still there and you could spin it around. Thanks to Toyota design the cat doesn't remove easily without tweaking the rest of the exhaust. Must sit in a cradle or something. I put in 4 new bolts but now I think I might throw a weld on them. |
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pyrOman
Fire Master
Joined: July 21, 2003
Posts: 12569
Location: Over 2002 posts deleted!
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| Posted: Sat Jan 26, 2008 12:49 pm Post subject: |
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| Patty B. wrote: |
| A guy up here was discovered steeling copper from an electric generating station, he was burned to a crisp. |
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Some people are so busy being clever they don't have time enough to be wise. |
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_monkey_
Samba Monkey
Joined: April 11, 2005
Posts: 1584
Location: New England
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| Posted: Sat Jan 26, 2008 12:54 pm Post subject: |
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| Damn. Under 10 minutes to jack a cat is an incredible feat. Cordless reciprocating saw and asbestos gloves? |
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keifernet
Samba Search & Rescue
Joined: May 11, 2002
Posts: 19395
Location: Samba Center for Behavioral Science
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| Posted: Sat Jan 26, 2008 1:02 pm Post subject: |
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| 2true wrote: |
Oh you are talking about Catalitic converters!
I thought someone stole your cat! |
Yep... when you have those and a "boom boom" stereo ride to pull up in next to the target vehicle to cover the noise your golden!  |
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Skim
Rants Master
Joined: April 15, 2001
Posts: 17098
Location: GFK 33 Year Vet
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| Posted: Sat Jan 26, 2008 1:50 pm Post subject: |
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| Patty B. wrote: |
| A guy up here was discovered steeling copper from an electric generating station, he was burned to a crisp. |
Crispownedfer Columbus
_________________
GFK
Samba since before the towers collapsed. Still here.
1953 Kabriolet
1959 Lowlight Ghia vert
1960 Lt Grey Double Cab SMZ LEGIT
1963 Deluxe Turkis Walk Thru 15 Window OG Paint |
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