Catalytic Converter Theft Deterrent
Administrator
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 11,315
Likes: 247
From: Tulsa, Oklahoma USA
What about a totally different approach? Like a motion alarm? Maybe even something that can send you a text alert, etc.
There must be alarms these days that work with an app that can start blaring an alarm on your phone even if its in silent mode. If not, there should be.
Something that had a motion detector would alert you even as they are still Jacking it up. Plus the alarm sounding from the car itself might scare them off.
Obviously this works better if you are in earshot of the cars alarm (or close enough to respond to phone alert). Car alarms have been notoriously ineffective deterrents. But perhaps for this sort of crime they might work.
It would be important to limit false alarms. That would mean not setting motion too sensitive. But then if they are careful, perhaps they could jack both ends in concert and prevent tripping motion sensor.
There must be alarms these days that work with an app that can start blaring an alarm on your phone even if its in silent mode. If not, there should be.
Something that had a motion detector would alert you even as they are still Jacking it up. Plus the alarm sounding from the car itself might scare them off.
Obviously this works better if you are in earshot of the cars alarm (or close enough to respond to phone alert). Car alarms have been notoriously ineffective deterrents. But perhaps for this sort of crime they might work.
It would be important to limit false alarms. That would mean not setting motion too sensitive. But then if they are careful, perhaps they could jack both ends in concert and prevent tripping motion sensor.
Thread Starter
Joined: Aug 2012
Posts: 7,905
Likes: 3,436
From: Foothills East of Sacramento
Good suggestions all. A few flies in the ointment however.
60 seconds and it is gone. If an alarm goes off, then what? Your phone goes off, you get off the sofa and look at it. You see it is an alarm so you head out. You notice the van driving away. A local gal thought she saw someone drive up in her driveway. As she peered out the window, she saw the team rip off her CAT. She was on the phone to 911 but the crooks were gone in 60 seconds with her CAT.
A guy might have gone out, maybe with a bat, bare hands, an equalizer or strong language but this gal was in over her head.
The tray idea has been used but it depends on the vehicle. My Jeep, for example (look at the above pics) has the CAT extending down below the frame rails (yes, body on frame - no unibody) so you would have to make some kind of a box to house it at the same time thinking about the hight temps the CAT generates.
I still would like to hear from fellow S2000 owners, especially in the lower 48, who have had a CAT (or you know of an S owner) removed. Is this possibly an S problem or is it restricted to pick ups, Priuses and Accords?
60 seconds and it is gone. If an alarm goes off, then what? Your phone goes off, you get off the sofa and look at it. You see it is an alarm so you head out. You notice the van driving away. A local gal thought she saw someone drive up in her driveway. As she peered out the window, she saw the team rip off her CAT. She was on the phone to 911 but the crooks were gone in 60 seconds with her CAT.
A guy might have gone out, maybe with a bat, bare hands, an equalizer or strong language but this gal was in over her head.
The tray idea has been used but it depends on the vehicle. My Jeep, for example (look at the above pics) has the CAT extending down below the frame rails (yes, body on frame - no unibody) so you would have to make some kind of a box to house it at the same time thinking about the hight temps the CAT generates.
I still would like to hear from fellow S2000 owners, especially in the lower 48, who have had a CAT (or you know of an S owner) removed. Is this possibly an S problem or is it restricted to pick ups, Priuses and Accords?
Registered User
Joined: Jul 2018
Posts: 65
Likes: 20
I highly suspect a CAT theft on an S2000 is a low priority with so many other goodies to pick, like engine, dash, seats, hood, lights, etc. A damn smorgasbord if you think about it. No small wonder they take the whole car, pick the cherries, and leave them on the side of the interstates. I am more worried about my two accords, odyssey, and Pilot. And I am strongly thinking about the stainless steel mesh lath used with stucco and other wall board. The stuff is nasty and sharp, and hard to cut fast with a sawzall. https://www.clarkdietrich.com/produc...mond-mesh-lath
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 4,378
Likes: 444
From: um, a house
I highly suspect a CAT theft on an S2000 is a low priority with so many other goodies to pick, like engine, dash, seats, hood, lights, etc. A damn smorgasbord if you think about it. No small wonder they take the whole car, pick the cherries, and leave them on the side of the interstates. I am more worried about my two accords, odyssey, and Pilot. And I am strongly thinking about the stainless steel mesh lath used with stucco and other wall board. The stuff is nasty and sharp, and hard to cut fast with a sawzall. https://www.clarkdietrich.com/produc...mond-mesh-lath
darcy
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 29,896
Likes: 5,433
From: Ontario Canada
If you watch the video I posted you will see two of the thieves didn't have jacks. Those kinds of perps. search for vehicles that they can easily access, the S2000 is not that easy to get under for them. For the professional "teams" that have more tools and jacks, you won't likely ever beat them, and if you decided to confront them you might be taking your life in your own hands as they could be armed. Do what you can as a reasonable deterrent, then let insurance cover the events committed by any professionals as they are fewer in numbers. The average coyote riding around on his bike or in his truck will be looking for the low hanging fruit first.
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 137
Likes: 16
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 29,896
Likes: 5,433
From: Ontario Canada
Yes that is what I was meaning, many of the thieves don't have jacks so they go for higher vehicles like trucks and suv's, S2000's would be a tight place to work under so they would pass them up in favour of a higher vehicle. The cat on an S2000 is no more valuable than other cars so they just want a cat, any OEM cat will do.
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post