Catalytic crime wave

Our 2005 Toyota Prius is in the shop in an attempt by my wife to deter my attempt at disposing of it. Actually, we would get rid of it either way, but she wants to get in running so it can be sold. Our difference in opinion stems from her not being stranded numerous times by that car over the past few years. Most recently, we’ve replaced the battery (regular, not hybrid) twice, and I haven’t bothered to do it a third time while I was working from home. Well, I’m back to the office this week, which means… nothing directly related this story because we’re carpooling. Anyway, enough back story, let’s get to the crime.

We had the Prius towed to the shop for a full diagnostic. They let us know early on, yeah, it’s the battery. They will order a new one and replace it. No surprise there. The surprise came after they raised it and found the catalytic converter was cut out like a kidney from a guy who wakes up in a bathtub of ice. At some point while our car was sitting in our courtyard parking lot, someone slid under our car and cut out the catalytic converter. The reason we know that’s what happened is because today, the same day we learned this, our neighbor learned this happened to their Prius.

My wife came home after work, saw our neighbors buzzing around their Prius, and asked what happened. They said it sounds like the muffler got disconnected. She relayed what happened to our car, and now we all realize our neighborhood, which has like 6 Priuses, two of which are ours, has been targeted by catalytic converter thieves.

Are they targeting Priuses specifically? Very likely. Hybrids need catalytic converters with a higher precious metal concentration because they run cool. Their theft is a serious problem in California, where the Toyota Prius is heavily targeted. Apparently we are suffering the same kind of crime wave in our neighborhood.

Going forward, we’re selling the 2005 Prius, so that’s not going to remain a problem for us. Our other Prius remains vulnerable, so we’re going to equip it with a catalytic converter shield. Tamper-proof screws, stainless steel. Won’t make it theft-proof, but it should be enough of a deterrent if the thief isn’t ready for it.