Rx400H Catalytic Converter Theft

[Andre2000]

18 minutes ago, Herbie said:

Not really practical and certainly not a problem of Toy/Lex making.

All petrol cars have cats, no matter who manufactures them, be that Toy/Lex, Vauxhall, Ford, Kia, Audi etc., etc., most of which are accessible from under the car. The only reason the RXs are being targeted more is because the higher ground clearance of an SUV allows better access for the n'er-do-wells.

I think there is a reason other than the higher ground clearance the RX is being targeted,  The Prius previously suffered heavily form this practice from what I understand, If the issue was on very recent RX models it would present more of an issue for Lexus, having said that on reflection maybe I was a little harsh on Lexus. It’s fair enough for them to charge for the parts/labour as any other manufacturers would. I’m not sure even if people know what is going on what they could really do to mitigate other than Larger Shandy’s last post..

 

 

 

 

[Herbie]

28 minutes ago, Andre2000 said:

I think there is a reason other than the higher ground clearance the RX is being targeted,  The Prius previously suffered heavily form this practice from what I understand

Actually there is, but it's not really valid.

The thieves seem to think that because a hybrid's engine doesn't run all the time, the precious metals will be less worn or less corroded than those in a cat on a standard car.

I'm no chemist, but I remember from chemistry lessons at school more than 45 years ago that a catalyst speeds up a chemical reaction but is not itself changed in any way by that reaction, ergo, hybrid or not, brand new or 20 years old, the precious metals shouldn't be any different.

[RobinGBrown]

Well here's another theft, my RX400's cat was stolen in Croydon this Wednesday from the office car park no less!

I am wondering wether it's worth informing the insurers at all? £800 excess and I can get a universal cat from Mr Exhaust in Reigate for £400 fitted - who apparently has had four other Lexus' call today with the same problem.

and thanks to police cuts from the tories there's no one to stop this crimewave!

 

 

I thin k the only real solution would be to have a panel(s) covering the entire underside of the car

[Andre2000]

29 minutes ago, RobinGBrown said:

Well here's another theft, my RX400's cat was stolen in Croydon this Wednesday from the office car park no less!

I am wondering wether it's worth informing the insurers at all? £800 excess and I can get a universal cat from Mr Exhaust in Reigate for £400 fitted - who apparently has had four other Lexus' call today with the same problem.

and thanks to police cuts from the tories there's no one to stop this crimewave!

 

 

I thin k the only real solution would be to have a panel(s) covering the entire underside of the car

Never a good Idea to bring politics into a car forum especially since Boris is on a recruitment drive with 20k officers to save us all from the traitors/ criminals and will not surrender to the Europeans/Germans/ French, after all we are at war 😶 😂What a superhero. He needs to be promoted to Captain America.

On another note it seems the the Catalytic Converter under the drivers seat does only 15/20% of the work,  going the Lexus route could take months and could be stolen within a few minutes again.  Your suggestion of covering the entire panels would work but cost/ drilling into car. Not sure about that.

[Barry14UK]

Lucky mine was not stolen but might have been as I was in Croydon last Wednesday.  I agree that a purpose made panel (plus a separate alarm which would activate if the protecting panel or section of exhaust system was removed), might be a deterrent.  A friend of mine - now retired - used to fit security alarms and I will see if he thinks something could be done with what I have in mind.    

[RobinGBrown]

Insurance question for the crowd mind/any experts out there:

If I don't claim on the insurance as the excess is really high and get the exhaust pipe fixed with a 'universal' replacement are there any downsides?

i.e. would I have to count the vehicle as 'modified' for any future insurance?

Any other drawbacks?

 

p.s. I've started nicknaming Boris 'Fluffer' as all he does is get a few members excited but then fails to follow through

[Herbie]

Surely it can't be classed as a modification?

A part is missing so you're replacing it, not modding it. Say a replacement exhaust was only available from Lexus at £1500 but you could have a custom stainless system made for £400, you'd do that wouldn't you, I know I certainly would, but I don't consider it to be a mod. Every bend, length and radius etc., is copied so I'm replacing like-for-like, just in a more durable material.

However, we all know that insurance companies are the Spawn of Satan and will do anything to get out of paying a claim, so for the sake of a phone call it may be worth informing them.

[Andre2000]

27 minutes ago, RobinGBrown said:

Insurance question for the crowd mind/any experts out there:

If I don't claim on the insurance as the excess is really high and get the exhaust pipe fixed with a 'universal' replacement are there any downsides?

i.e. would I have to count the vehicle as 'modified' for any future insurance?

Any other drawbacks?

I think undoubtably the quality of after market universal Catalytic Converters will not be on par with Lexus OEM parts. I think I am correct in saying the original CAT should last the life time of the RX400h. The universal part is unknown cheaper part, be it from a non Toyota known manufacturer.

Two things to note:

Even if you had to replace the universal part in the future, It would mitigate paying between 1.5k and 2.5k then having it stolen again. The garage where mine was fitted had three RX400s in that morning. He also mentioned that a Prius owner had his CAT stolen 3 times. 

The original CAT I believe only does 15/20% of the work. My preferred option initially was to go through the Insurance I would have paid £300 excess which is not bad compared to many however the time wait was very long ( 2 months).

Due to the above I doubt that the non OEM part would constitute as modified.

If my car was still under a Lexus warranty. I believe I would have waited the 2 months to be fixed through Lexus as I was offered a hire car by my Insurance.

 

[Romasato]

 

Quote

i.e. would I have to count the vehicle as 'modified' for any future insurance?

Wondering the same. Event if I had many parts modded (but they are not affecting performance or safety of the car) and eventually got into an accident where they got damaged. Shouldn't insurance company just replace them with the original Lexus parts without questions asked?

[phb10186]

Any deviation from original spec is a modification. Your insurance policy small print will give the details.

The implications are also covered in thay small print, and vary between policies.

I wouldn't worry about a replacement cat, as long as you can show an email that demonstrates equivalence (I.e. lexus couldn't even supply a replacement part, here is an invoice for a replacement bought as equivalent in good faith)... that should be ok as far as I am aware, but who knows.

[phb10186]

On 9/27/2019 at 3:59 PM, RobinGBrown said:

and thanks to police cuts from the tories there's no one to stop this crimewave!

I don't think that makes any real difference, there was vehicle crime in the past (under all successive governments), there is vehicle crime now, and there will be in the future. Criminals set trends, and the police and government have to play catch-up. The sheer number of cats stolen indicate this is a large number of crime operations, perhaps more police resources could help, but very difficult to stop a determined thief taking something that is so easily cut out of the car.

At least fitting a universal aftermarket is a legal option, unlike some other countries where you cannot legally deviate from OEM parts

Toyota/ Lexus can't do anything either, yes they get business from the theft, but it's not good business - it's a pain for all involved, and it puts a black mark against a future potential Lexus purchase to their customers, and they have already reduced replacements by 40-50%, so to be fair on them, they have acted in some good faith.

If you parked a few RXs in a street as a sting operation and just waited, you could easily catch these gangs - i'd say it would take about a day of police resources... wonder if they are doing that yet?

[luckylemon]

Hi, can anybody suggest garage in North London to do welding and fitting of the can to RX400h? Thank you

[Maxz]

If you believe just the window stickers and marking the cat serve as a sufficient enough deterrent, a Catloc refit kit is a cheap option, even cheaper resold on eBay for £10 or less. Use the stickers and marking kit, ignore/discard the refit bolts...

 

[Sawfoot1]

Had the Cat stolen from my Rx400h also this week from SW6. 37 on back order at Lexus and 4 week wait. Anyone worked out best way to bridge the gap yet?

[phb10186]

Yeah, all detailed in this post, for your convenience.

[Bl1ng]

These Cat thieves look like they mean business. I doubt a Cat Lock is going to stop these guys:

 

 

[Keeling54]

Spoke with the Catman over the weekend, in addition to supplying a replacement ceremic catalyst, he can also supply a straight through pipe ready made up with the Lexus flange, approx 700mm long so can be cut down and fitted with a 2" coupler to replace the Cat. Might be a short term solution for some on here until Lexus stock cats appear. 

It's the route I'm taking. 

[Barry14UK]

Fitting a suitable alarm would be challenging because of the effects of heat and spray but perhaps not insurmountable - will further investigate.  Meanwhile, it has been suggested to me that having a stainless steel bar welded along each side of the exhaust pipe where is could be cut, terminating in a cage round the cat bolted to the underside of the car would discourage thieves due to the additional time they would have to spend and be at risk of discovery.

Unfortunately, this crime not only costs a lot in money and inconvenience but because a number of those affected will claim on their insurance companies, will result in increased premiums for everybody. 

[rich1068]

Clearly we need to resurrect this little gadget.

 

[Andy B]

It seems to me that the vast majority, if not all, of the forum members posting about their Cats being stolen are RX (hybrid) owners. Just wondered why that might be when you consider the number of other Lexus hybrid models (NX; CT; etc.) that could be potential targets also.

Could it be the larger ground clearance that makes access to the underside of the RX easier (although that doesn't seem to stop the Toyota Prius being a prime target). The NX also has a relatively large clearance but I haven't read about thefts from that model (on this forum at least).

As an owner of a NX300h I won't deny having a vested interest in posing the above question 😉

 

[Ben S]

Had my cat stolen from a RX400h in Streatham this week. Waiting for a quote on a replacement but am worried reading this there is nothing practical I cna do to stop it happening again. I only have on street parking where I live so they now know exactly where to come to when the car comes back form the garage. Am I actually going to have to sell this car? because some toerag wants £40 worth of scrap?  

[Keeling54]

On 10/15/2019 at 11:45 AM, Ben S said:

Had my cat stolen from a RX400h in Streatham this week. Waiting for a quote on a replacement but am worried reading this there is nothing practical I cna do to stop it happening again. I only have on street parking where I live so they now know exactly where to come to when the car comes back form the garage. Am I actually going to have to sell this car? because some toerag wants £40 worth of scrap?  

They are high in precious metals, worth around £500 in scrap value. The only way to stop it is fit a straight through pipe. The Catman does them for around £130, I have one on order. 

[Steve Oliver]

On 10/15/2019 at 11:05 AM, Andy B said:

It seems to me that the vast majority, if not all, of the forum members posting about their Cats being stolen are RX (hybrid) owners. Just wondered why that might be when you consider the number of other Lexus hybrid models (NX; CT; etc.) that could be potential targets also.

Could it be the larger ground clearance that makes access to the underside of the RX easier (although that doesn't seem to stop the Toyota Prius being a prime target). The NX also has a relatively large clearance but I haven't read about thefts from that model (on this forum at least).

As an owner of a NX300h I won't deny having a vested interest in posing the above question 😉

 

Same. Following!

[Barry14UK]

One way of helping people who have had their cats stolen might be a short term dispensation for a straight through pipe to be permitted to be fitted for a specific time so that this would enable the car to be driven legally until a replacement cat could be fitted.  However, it's unlikely that with so much pressure on reducing emissions this would be officially condoned.  With the increasing number of cats being stolen it's going to be a wait even to get a suitable aftermarket cat yet alone a genuine one , at least until an increase in the number of cats available can catch up with demand.

So what can be done to discourage this crime which I note has also become a big problem in the USA?  There are a number of devices on the market designed to make it more difficult and add to the time it takes to removing cats, Catlock, Catsafeand Catsecure amoung them.  Perhaps their respective ability to protect could be assessed by a UK testing authority. It's interesting that one device includes stainless rods encapsulated in Kevlar and also incorporates an alarm connected to a high decibel sounder if the strap is cut as in https://www.catstrap.net/  These are some of several possibilities.

In the long term I feel a better way of protection has to be provided by manufacturers.  Perhaps this could be by what is essentially a box section  with ends partly cut away to allow sufficient movement of the exhaust.  This could be made as part of the floor pan. The box would be completed from underneath by a lid with short ends recessed to allow sufficient movement of the exhaust system The two parts of the box could be bolted together from inside the car,  Done as a retro operation this would require internal trim /fitments to be removed in order to bolt through from within the car onto  threaded sleeves welded within the upside down lid closing off the box.  The box would have holes as water drains and for venting heat.  I might take the Lexus out of use and rely on my BMW for a time to check how feasible this is but I have too much else to do before pursuing this for quite some time.and it would be a major project for me. This would make it much more difficult to steal but would need more stripping out if the exhaust had to be replaced at any time.

[Barbara]

dear friends,

had my catalytic convertor stolen from my Lexus last week.

Just called the garage... won't have my car back for Christmas !!!!

I'm looking on internet to buy and have a company place a proper cat lock , protection,

whatever is available to not have it stolen again !

Any advice anyone ?

thanks 

Barbara