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Lanval
Samba Member
Joined: June 09, 2007
Posts: 905
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Dogpilot
Samba Member
Joined: October 03, 2005
Posts: 4205
Location: Flagstaff, AZ
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 Posted: Fri Aug 08, 2008 1:57 pm Post subject: |
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Man, that sucks, hope they don't steal mine:
_________________
Geology with a Syncro rocks!
86 Syncro Westy AKA "The Bughunter"
98 Disco I
08 Range Rover SC
08 VW Rabbit S
1951 O-1G |
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floggingmolly
Samba Member
Joined: April 06, 2007
Posts: 1106
Location: San Diego, CA
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| Posted: Fri Aug 08, 2008 2:09 pm Post subject: |
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I like yours DP. I heard the very same thing when getting an estimate for the damage to my westy. A Geico rep said that Toyota trucks are notorious for having their cat stolen for the tiny amount of platinum in them. The thieves will just slide underneath and hacksaw the damn thing right out.
And now having read the article, seems like the real deal.
LoJack for the Cat?
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'85 Wolfsburg Weekender |
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bmwmango
Samba Member
Joined: June 10, 2007
Posts: 74
Location: Bayonne NJ
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| Posted: Fri Aug 08, 2008 2:22 pm Post subject: |
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Maybe mounting some rebar around the Cat would encourage would be thieves to move on to easier targets.
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1990 Westy converted to a Syncro Westy
2009 BMW R1200GS
1990 BMW K75
1986 BMW K75 Parts (Deer 1, Beemer 0) |
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GWTWTLW
Samba Member
Joined: April 22, 2008
Posts: 2174
Location: Portland, OR
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| Posted: Fri Aug 08, 2008 2:22 pm Post subject: |
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I say weld rusty razor blades all over. Used to work for car stereos back in the old days...
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89 Syncro Westy - GW 2.5, now with a double knob job
@gwtwtlw |
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carterzest
Samba Member
Joined: January 22, 2008
Posts: 3842
Location: Eagle, ID/Sun Valley, ID
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| Posted: Sat Aug 09, 2008 3:57 am Post subject: |
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| Dogpilot wrote: |
Man, that sucks, hope they don't steal mine:
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Nice one...ROFLMAO! 
They are stealing grave markers and plaques from cemetaries up here in PDX. Lived next to a High School and called the police one night when I spotted some Fiends removing all of the bleacher steps made out of the Aluminum...I was on the phone with 911 and advised the responding officers to hold off for a few minutes. The Fiends got 36 of them and had them all stecked and staged...cops were videotaping the whole thing from across the field....GOT 'EM! It was a classic!
Followed up a day later with the officer who gave me his card and it was a simple book and release. WTF? Has all this aluminum and other metal helped build that sweet "BirdsNest Stadium" in Beijing...me thinks maybe!
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Happiness=Portland, Oregon in the rearview mirror! |
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McVanagon
Samba Member
Joined: February 19, 2007
Posts: 1684
Location: Northern part of the Virginia
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| Posted: Sat Aug 09, 2008 5:43 am Post subject: |
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Just about every time I hear about a stolen cat, I ask, "Was it a Toyota truck?" Four out of five times, they are shocked that I knew what kind of car their friend had. Aside from the ground clearance, I suppose Toyota cats are quite accessible.
Sure, you can either weld all sorts of plates/deterrents/grenades under the car….. or bag it, and drop it in the weeds every time you leave it. No one is stealing wheels, cats, or gas from you this way……. 
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'69 Mike
'85 GL
'87 Wolfsburg Hardtop |
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mightyart
Samba Member
Joined: March 24, 2004
Posts: 6188
Location: Portland, Oregon
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| Posted: Sat Aug 09, 2008 7:09 am Post subject: |
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You really don't have to worry to much about your $99.00 Vanagon Cat. |
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tristessa
Samba Member
Joined: April 07, 2004
Posts: 3992
Location: Portland, OR
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| Posted: Sat Aug 09, 2008 8:39 am Post subject: |
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| mightyart wrote: |
| You really don't have to worry to much about your $99.00 Vanagon Cat. |
The people stealing cats aren't terribly concerned with how much they cost to replace. Considering that some places around PDX are offering up to $150 for used cats, I wouldn't be so sure about not needing to worry .. though $40-50 is more typical.
Even at that, five converters @ $40 each = $200. You can buy a *lot* of tweek for $200 .. and looking at the people busted for that kind of thing on the nightly news, tweek is what they're doing it for... |
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mightyart
Samba Member
Joined: March 24, 2004
Posts: 6188
Location: Portland, Oregon
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| Posted: Sat Aug 09, 2008 9:05 am Post subject: |
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| Quote: |
Converters contain trace amounts of platinum, palladium and rhodium and can be traded in for about $200 a piece, Kerbow said.
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http://www.busdepot.com/details.jsp?partnumber=22916
I'm going to start buying them and selling them for scrap!!
Don't even have to steal them.
Not all Cat's are the same, but not all theives are very smart so you could get yours stolen. |
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Alan Brase
Samba Member
Joined: March 28, 2004
Posts: 4532
Location: Cedar Falls, Iowa
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| Posted: Sat Aug 09, 2008 10:17 pm Post subject: |
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aparently after market ones are not nearly as valuable.
Tweeks, you got that right. We are rapidly becoming "Tweeker Nation"
Bastards got int my 2nd house and took all the copper plumbing out of it.
we figured it out, but the cops do nothing. Prefect job for a vigilante justice.
Al
_________________
Al Brase
Projects: 67 sunroof bug, 67 Porsche 912 Targa, 70 Westy
Dec 1955 Single Cab pickup WANT 15" BUS RIMS dated 8/55, thru 12/55
To New owners: 1969 doublecab, 1971 Dormobile
Vanagons:
80 P27 Westy JUL 1979, 3rd oldest known US
83 1.6TD Vanagon, 87 Wolfie Westy daily driver, swap meet home |
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derekdrew
Samba Member
Joined: October 14, 2007
Posts: 246
Location: Far Northwest CT
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| Posted: Wed Jul 21, 2021 7:24 am Post subject: Re: Keep an eye on your catalytic converter |
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It is getting near time that some vendor should offer a catalytic converter theft shield for Vanagon. I am not sure we have been hit yet so maybe we are not on the approved list of vehicles to target.
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Derek Drew
derekdrew - a t - derekmail - dott - com |
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Glenn 
Mr. 010
Joined: December 25, 2001
Posts: 76897
Location: Sneaking up behind you
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| Posted: Wed Jul 21, 2021 7:28 am Post subject: Re: Keep an eye on your catalytic converter |
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Any lifted vehicle makes it easy to get under and cut it out.
And battery operated Sawzall only need a few minutes... and its gone.
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Glenn
74 Beetle Specs | 74 Beetle Restoration | 2180cc Engine
"You may not get what you pay for, but you always pay for what you get"
Member #1009
#BlueSquare |
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Xevin
Samba Member
Joined: January 08, 2014
Posts: 7623
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| Posted: Wed Jul 21, 2021 7:42 am Post subject: Re: Keep an eye on your catalytic converter |
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| Glenn wrote: |
Any lifted vehicle makes it easy to get under and cut it out.
And battery operated Sawzall only need a few minutes... and its gone. |
My 2002 Acura CL cat was stolen while I was at work last week. Car was parked in front of window of another business next to mine. That car is very low, I assume they used a floor Jack to raise it up. I was impressed by how clean the cuts were. Assholes!
An article in USA Today this morning said Cat theft was 108 stolen per month in 2018 to more then 5000 a month in 2021. F’ing Cat Burglars :fist:
_________________
Keep on Busin'
| 67rustavenger wrote: |
| GFY's Xevin and VW_Jimbo! |
| Clatter wrote: |
| Damn that Xevin... |
| skills@eurocarsplus wrote: |
I respect Xevin and he's a turd  |
| SGKent wrote: |
My God! Xevin and I 100% agree  |
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Crankey
Samba Member
Joined: July 11, 2004
Posts: 2656
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| Posted: Wed Jul 21, 2021 8:56 am Post subject: Re: Keep an eye on your catalytic converter |
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| Yep a gal across the street from he had her Honda element cat stolen. My gti was right out front behind coverage of foliage. |
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4Gears4Tires
Samba Member
Joined: October 08, 2018
Posts: 3018
Location: MD
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| Posted: Wed Jul 21, 2021 9:10 am Post subject: Re: Keep an eye on your catalytic converter |
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Even though a Vanagon cat is so exposed, doubly so for Syncros, I don't really think they'd be a target. Old cats break up or can be in poor condition. Old vehicles have cats replaced with resonators. I just don't think a 30 year old cat is an attractive target. If they're going to do the crime, they want a pay off. Kind of an iffy pay off with an old van.
Is anyone familiar with a Vanagon cat actually being stolen?
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'87 Syncro
Ferric Oxyhydroxide Superleggera Edition |
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skills@eurocarsplus
Samba Peckerhead
Joined: January 01, 2007
Posts: 16859
Location: sticksville, ct.
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| Posted: Wed Jul 21, 2021 9:23 am Post subject: Re: Keep an eye on your catalytic converter |
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| 4Gears4Tires wrote: |
Is anyone familiar with a Vanagon cat actually being stolen? |
not that i have heard but i wouldn't be surprised.
problem is.... some of these cat thefts will literally total a car. it's a pretty well know fact that aftermarket cats will toss a catalyst efficiency in very short order, if not immediately after install.
aftermarket o2 sensors? a gamble at best and some of these are 4-600.00 alone.
i have a customer who does landscaping and he wanted me to make a shield. after much thought and running this past another group we decided a shield, no matter how 'diesel' you can make it can still be cut.
i ended up making one out of cable in a basket weave kind of idea. if you ever tried to saw thru or even grind cable, you know it's miserable and kind of a pain in the ass. it for sure isn't quick either
i'll see if i have a photo, not sure i took one.
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| gprudenciop wrote: |
my reason for switching to subaru is my german car was turning chinese so i said fuck it and went japanese....... |
| Jake Raby wrote: |
| Thanks for the correction. I used to be a nice guy, then I ruined it by exposing myself to the public. |
| Brian wrote: |
| Also the fact that people are agreeing with Skills, it's a turn of events for samba history |
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coqcitywesty
Samba Member
Joined: February 20, 2018
Posts: 401
Location: Coquitlam, BC
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| Posted: Wed Jul 21, 2021 9:28 am Post subject: Re: Keep an eye on your catalytic converter |
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Interesting to read the comments from 2008 regarding Toyotas. I had to 'rescue' my son and his gf this past winter as they had gone up the side of some remote mountain for an overnight winter camp - surprisingly when they returned to their 4Runner the next morning, they discovered the cat missing and that the thief had also somehow managed to nick a transmission line, spilling fluid all over the ground. That the thief was willing to travel to some remote parking lot on a remote mountainside and crawl around in the snow to get at it demonstrates the level of desperation some will go to. Not long after our experience this story became news:
https://www.vancouverisawesome.com/vancouver-news/...by-3527589
Oddly, I felt no remorse for the thief, but what a crappy way to go.
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1991 Westfalia EJ251, 1972 Volvo 1800 ES |
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CanStan
Samba Member
Joined: October 16, 2005
Posts: 1037
Location: Calgary, AB
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| Posted: Wed Jul 21, 2021 9:38 am Post subject: Re: Keep an eye on your catalytic converter |
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| Glenn wrote: |
Any lifted vehicle makes it easy to get under and cut it out.
And battery operated Sawzall only need a few minutes... and its gone. |
Ford F-150's seem to be the big target around here. I saw a security camera video of someone stealing one in about 30 seconds. 2 quick cuts and they were out of there. The greasy metal recyclers are 99% of the problem. If they stopped buying 10 cats a day from the same meth head, the thefts would stop. These guys are probably getting $25 for a part the owner will pay $4000 to replace.
I did have a scrapper tell me the Vanagon cat wasn't worth anything more than regular steel. Maybe because it's old and worn? Or maybe because the same rare elements weren't used in the 80's? I'm not sure. But the average thief doesn't have the brain power to think about that. An easy target is all they need, so although I haven't heard of any Vanagons being hit, I wouldn't be surprised if it happened. |
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jlrftype7
Samba Member
Joined: July 24, 2018
Posts: 3576
Location: Chicago
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| Posted: Wed Jul 21, 2021 10:28 am Post subject: Re: Keep an eye on your catalytic converter |
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| skills@eurocarsplus wrote: |
| 4Gears4Tires wrote: |
Is anyone familiar with a Vanagon cat actually being stolen? |
not that i have heard but i wouldn't be surprised.
problem is.... some of these cat thefts will literally total a car. it's a pretty well know fact that aftermarket cats will toss a catalyst efficiency in very short order, if not immediately after install.
aftermarket o2 sensors? a gamble at best and some of these are 4-600.00 alone.
i have a customer who does landscaping and he wanted me to make a shield. after much thought and running this past another group we decided a shield, no matter how 'diesel' you can make it can still be cut.
i ended up making one out of cable in a basket weave kind of idea. if you ever tried to saw thru or even grind cable, you know it's miserable and kind of a pain in the ass. it for sure isn't quick either
i'll see if i have a photo, not sure i took one. |
I made a shield out of heat treatable steel for one of my Nieces, who used to have a 2002 Honda CRV and battled Attempted, and Successful Cat thefts on it. The mobile thieves were all using cordless sawsalls due to grinders taking too long or making too much noise according to Police.
So, heat treating the cage did the trick, as normal blades just didn't begin to bite into the steel after I either hardened it or applied Case Hardening Powder to the mild steel angle iron that bolted it to the body around the exhaust.
I DO wonder about the Vanagon as the cats are 'right out there' in the open on our Vehicles, you don't even have to struggle sliding underneath like on a SUV or Crossover.
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'68 Westy- my first VW and vehicle/Bus- long gone.- sold it to a traveling Swiss couple....
'67 Type 3 Fastback, my 2nd car- gone
'69 Semi-Auto Stick Shift Beetle-gone
2017 MINI Coopers, our current DDs
‘84 Tin Top - Hilga....Auto |
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