In recent years, catalytic converter theft has become a consistent – and frustrating – problem for vehicle owners. If you are worried about this happening to your car or truck, you might want to think about some preventative steps you can take to reduce your chances of becoming a victim. We’ll take a close look in this article at some of the options that you can consider. Read on for your guide to catalytic converter theft prevention.
Of course, one of the best ways to avoid catalytic converter theft issues is to park your vehicle inside behind a locked door. That’s possible by adding a garage from American Carports, Inc. to your property. Check out our Build & Price tool today to see what options we have available. If you have any questions along the way, contact us for assistance.
Why Is This a Problem?
First, let’s quickly discuss why thieves are after catalytic converters in the first place. What they are not doing is stealing this part to resell it for use on another vehicle – the converter is destroyed in the process of crudely removing it. The goal here is to access the precious metals that are used inside a catalytic converter, as those are quite valuable on the scrap market.
While many local government agencies have enacted laws to make it harder for stolen catalytic converters to be sold to scrap metal dealers, the problem persists and likely will for some time. In addition to the value of the metal inside the converter, the other problem here is the speed with which this crime can generally be committed. With a bit of practice and know-how, a thief can complete the job in a matter of moments, reducing their chances of being caught in the act.
Finding a vehicle parked in a relatively dark, somewhat isolated area is all the opportunity that is required to get it done and get away before anyone notices. If your catalytic converter is stolen, the cost of having it replaced is something that is typically covered by insurance. Unfortunately, you might not even hit your deductible when you file that claim, so you may skip it just to avoid having your rates go up in the aftermath. That means it might just be an out-of-pocket expense to have a new one installed.
The Ultimate Solution
Without a doubt, the best solution to this problem is to park your vehicle indoors. If you parked behind a closed garage door, potential thieves won’t even be able to see the vehicle, and they would have to work hard to find a way to get inside the garage. Most likely, they won’t even try, and will just move on to look for easier targets, instead.
Of course, you might not have a suitable garage on your property currently, which is where American Carports, Inc. can come to the rescue. Our affordable metal structures are impressively durable and easy to customize. By building something that will provide you with indoor parking – while also offering many other uses – you can keep your vehicle behind a closed door and make it far less likely that any criminal activity will occur.
Other Ideas
While having indoor parking for your vehicle or vehicles is ideal, we recognize that such a solution isn’t viable for everyone. If you can’t park inside, adding an anti-theft device to the vehicle is another option to consider. Doing some quick searching for devices that fit the make and model of vehicle you drive should reveal a list of options. Some of these devices make it physically difficult for thieves to access the converter by putting a barrier around it. Another option is an alarm that will make noise and hopefully send the criminal running.
It’s also worth thinking about where you leave your vehicle when it is parked. Criminals tend to avoid the light, so parking in an area that is well-lit – and ideally has some people around – could help. You won’t always have much of a choice as to where you park, but picking the brighter and busier spot when possible is a smart move.
American Carports Has You Covered
We hope you enjoyed this guide on catalytic converter theft prevention! While it’s impossible to completely eliminate the risk of theft in your life, there are usually steps you can take to make life harder for criminals and hopefully steer clear of any issues. We hope the ideas in the article above have given you something to think about – and if you decide that a new metal garage on your property is the best solution, turn to American Carports, Inc. to make that happen!
To get started, explore our Build & Price tool to see what options we have available. If you have any questions along the way, contact us for assistance. Thanks for stopping by our blog. We hope to serve you soon!
