Wilsher also suggests parking in a high-traffic area, like a busy residential street, or in a secure garage whenever possible. For example, if your converter is closer to the back passenger side wheel, you can park close to a wall or a structure on that side to make it more challenging to access. When you know where your converter is located on the vehicle, you can park strategically to reduce your risk. If you have an older vehicle with a fair amount of clearance from the ground, Wilsher has a few suggestions.Īuto Theft: It’s Not Just Your Car They Want PARK STRATEGICALLY “All the recyclers are counting how many converters are coming in-they’re not actually inspecting each unit,” he says. After that, they’ll dupe scrap metal dealers by selling them the mixture of converters in bulk, along with other vehicle parts, says Wilsher. They’ll register as an auto parts shop and then mix those stolen converters with legally obtained ones. For example, shops that knowingly take in stolen catalytic converters in Edmonton can have their business licences removed.īut thieves are finding new ways to make money with stolen converters. The problem has brought in changes by governments regarding how scrap metal dealers and recyclers can accept catalytic converters. Converters in those newer machines are also more challenging to steal. Newer models are more fuel efficient and less likely to contain these valuable metals. Older vehicles are prime targets as their converters contain valuable metals like platinum and palladium. But, depending on the size and the valuable metals inside each converter, a thief will only get around $200 in return, says Wilsher. With each theft, the victim could pay around $1,800 in parts and labour to get a new converter. 2020 and Oct 2021, compared to 1,697 during the same period the previous year. In Edmonton, police responded to 2,484 of these thefts between Nov. In Calgary, for example, 1,014 incidents were reported in the first eight months of 2021-up from just 300 for the whole year in 2020. Nick Wilsher with the Calgary Police Service’s Crime Prevention Team.Ĭatalytic converter theft is a growing problem across the province. “They target larger vehicles because they have bigger converters, and it takes as little as 30 seconds to remove them,” says Staff Sgt. And now, they’re targeting large vehicles like RVs, motorhomes, older pickup trucks, and late-model vans for their catalytic converter.ĭepending on how your vehicle is parked and its clearance from the ground, thieves have many opportunities to rip that critical component of your exhaust system and then sell it in the underground economy. When thieves see an opportunity, they strike.