The first thing you need to know about stolen catalytic converters is Urb’s Garage is here to help if yours gets taken. We are a full-service auto shop with two locations in Kentucky. We can repair the damage caused to your vehicle’s exhaust system by the theft and replace the stolen converter. Here is what you need to know about catalytic converter theft and your automobile.
Why Do People Steal Catalytic Converters?
People steal catalytic converters because they are made out of precious metals. The three primary metals found in catalytic converters are rhodium, palladium, and platinum. Once melted down, these metals are extracted from the catalytic converter for sale on the black market.
The most common vehicles that suffer from catalytic converter theft are large trucks and the Prius model for Toyota. This does not mean that your catalytic converter will not get stolen. If the thief has an option to steal the converter from a large truck, however he or she most likely will because the converters are larger or the truck will have a dual-converter system.
People remove the catalytic converters by crawling underneath the vehicle and using a metal saw to saw the converter out of the exhaust system. Unfortunately, it does not take a long time to accomplish this task. In addition, the thief is not seen because he or she can scoot completely underneath the vehicle.
What Will Happen to My Car?
If someone takes the catalytic converter from your automobile, a number of things will happen that will make driving the vehicle difficult. One of the first things that is going to happen is the engine noise will be increased exponentially by the stolen catalytic converter. The engine will get even louder when you try to accelerate the vehicle. This roaring or rumbling sound is your first clue there’s a problem.
The check engine light will also illuminate on the dashboard because the exhaust system cannot function normally without the catalytic converter. You won’t be able to get the check engine light to turn off until we install a new catalytic converter into your vehicle’s exhaust system.
Finally, driving your automobile can be difficult because the engine will have a hard time accelerating smoothly and operating at slow speeds smoothly. In addition, the engine’s exhaust can easily enter the passenger cabin because it is released by the exhaust manifold out into the open.
We are here to help, so call Urb’s Garage in Erlanger, KY, or Burlington, KY, today.
