Cat Converter theft

[ColinBarber]

Here's the full release. Don't be surprised if your dealer doesn't know about this yet.

toyota-to-covertly-mark-more-than-100000-catalytic-converters-to-combat-theft.pdf

[Vlady]

20 hours ago, ColinBarber said:

Here's the full release. Don't be surprised if your dealer doesn't know about this yet.

toyota-to-covertly-mark-more-than-100000-catalytic-converters-to-combat-theft.pdf 41.46 kB · 13 downloads

Thanks Colin, I will read that through!

You are right, they almost know nothing about it Colin. The guy heard something about it but he was not sure when it will be available in Scotland. I need to do Hybread Health Check in 2 months, by then he thinks they will have more information about it.

He also said that Edinburgh Lexus compund/garage was targeted i.e new cars had been attacked and catalytic converters stolen, 8 or 9 cars!

 

[thar]

The post about cat theft on the Lexus blog has been updated with more info, so Lexus should be aware of it  https://mag.lexus.co.uk/catalytic-converter-theft/

"What is Lexus doing to stop its cars being targeted?

In May 2021, Lexus (GB) announced that it would be covertly marking more than 100,000 catalytic converters in order to combat theft. By working with police and Smar****er, catalytic converters can be tagged with an invisible yet traceable marking, meaning that a stolen catalytic converter can be traced to a specific crime, helping police in their attempts to fight the organised gangs responsible. It also raises the risk to all those handling the devices along the criminal chain, from theft to eventual disposal and recycling.It is free to get the catalytic converter marked, all customers need to do is call their local Toyota or Lexus retailer to arrange a visit."

🤭

Edited May 16, 2021 by thar
Not a very "Smart" choice of name for the scheme 🤭

[ColinBarber]

Lexus GB are aware (which is just Toyota GB) as they updated the blog and issued the press release. That is different from independent dealers being notified, and them taking notice of any communication. Hopefully within a couple of weeks the word, and equipment, will get to the dealers.

[Phil xxkr]

1 hour ago, thar said:

The post about cat theft on the Lexus blog has been updated with more info, so Lexus should be aware of it  https://mag.lexus.co.uk/catalytic-converter-theft/

"What is Lexus doing to stop its cars being targeted?

In May 2021, Lexus (GB) announced that it would be covertly marking more than 100,000 catalytic converters in order to combat theft. By working with police and Smar****er, catalytic converters can be tagged with an invisible yet traceable marking, meaning that a stolen catalytic converter can be traced to a specific crime, helping police in their attempts to fight the organised gangs responsible. It also raises the risk to all those handling the devices along the criminal chain, from theft to eventual disposal and recycling.It is free to get the catalytic converter marked, all customers need to do is call their local Toyota or Lexus retailer to arrange a visit."

🤭

SMAR****ER is a well established traceable marking method for all sorts of property 

[Phil xxkr]

1 minute ago, Phil xxkr said:

SMAR****ER is a well established traceable marking method for all sorts of property 

How come my post was altered and replaced with asterisks, anyone advise? 

[thar]

2 minutes ago, Phil xxkr said:

How come my post was altered and replaced with asterisks, anyone advise? 

Think about it...🤭

 

[royoftherovers]

9 minutes ago, Phil xxkr said:

How come my post was altered and replaced with asterisks, anyone advise? 

AI intervention Phil.

As T above implies.

[Mincey]

1 hour ago, royoftherovers said:

AI intervention Phil.

As T above implies.

I'm reminded of the sacking of the Scunthorpe Council's IT manager after he implemented a new swear filter on the email system which meant nobody received any emails for days. 

[Phil xxkr]

1 hour ago, royoftherovers said:

AI intervention Phil.

As T above implies.

Still don't understand 🤔 smart h2o has been around years, from Telford as I recall And The Toyota press release mentions it in full 🤭 This sounds like the address of the Mi6 building at Vauxhall being, technically speaking a State Secret which means you are breaking the law to mention it 🤡🤡🤡

[Phil xxkr]

1 minute ago, Phil xxkr said:

Still don't understand 🤔 smart h2o has been around years, from Telford as I recall And The Toyota press release mentions it in full 🤭 This sounds like the address of the Mi6 building at Vauxhall being, technically speaking a State Secret which means you are breaking the law to mention it 🤡🤡🤡

Despite it being in James Bond film I should have added 

[Andy B]

6 minutes ago, Phil xxkr said:

Still don't understand 🤔 smart h2o has been around years, from Telford as I recall And The Toyota press release mentions it in full 🤭 This sounds like the address of the Mi6 building at Vauxhall being, technically speaking a State Secret which means you are breaking the law to mention it 🤡🤡🤡

Phil - think about the 4 letters that have been replaced by asterisks 😉

[Phil xxkr]

1 minute ago, Andy B said:

Phil - think about the 4 letters that have been replaced by asterisks 😉

🦧🤕🤕🤕🤕🤕🤕🤕🤕🤕🤕🤕🤕🤕🤕🤕🤕🤕🎉🎉🎉 Thanks Andy 

[royoftherovers]

14 minutes ago, Phil xxkr said:

Despite it being in James Bond film I should have added 

Every James Bond film Phil ?

[Phil xxkr]

2 minutes ago, royoftherovers said:

Every James Bond film Phil ?

 

2 minutes ago, royoftherovers said:

Every James Bond film Phil ?

Alluded too in the deep buttoned wood panelled office but I think Skyfall actually showed you the new building. 

[RTD]

For information, I recently had a "Catloc" fitted by a Lexus dealer for £250, after being warned about thefts from similar cars locally.

The device is a steel plate that is fixed to the underside of the car, covers the catalytic converter, and prevents direct access to it.

It looks like a decent piece of kit, hasn't caused any noticeable problems so far, but time will tell no doubt!

Hope this helps.

Regards,

Tom. 

[Joeb359]

Hello all, new member here 

i was very close to buying a Toyota Auris last week but luckily i came across the reports of CAT theft and I've decided to stay well away from that make and model since its a known target 

i understand that the CT200 is also a target but perhaps not as much so I'm considering buying one and ensuring that a CATLOCK is fitted by the main dealer before i own one

i was also thinking about rebadging the hybrid and CT200 badge. has anyone done this, would the dealership do this for me?

also @RTD and anyone who has fitted a CATLOCK, 
have u noticed any extra scraping on speed bumps because of the fitting?

thank you for your help
Joe

[rob_clio172]

1 hour ago, Joeb359 said:

Hello all, new member here 

i was very close to buying a Toyota Auris last week but luckily i came across the reports of CAT theft and I've decided to stay well away from that make and model since its a known target 

i understand that the CT200 is also a target but perhaps not as much so I'm considering buying one and ensuring that a CATLOCK is fitted by the main dealer before i own one

i was also thinking about rebadging the hybrid and CT200 badge. has anyone done this, would the dealership do this for me?

also @RTD and anyone who has fitted a CATLOCK, 
have u noticed any extra scraping on speed bumps because of the fitting?

thank you for your help
Joe

Hi Joe, in my opinion I don't think debadging if that's what you meant will change anything as they know what these cars look like and they probably know there is no other option than a hybrid for these cars.

I have fitted a catloc to mine and I've not had any scraping on speed bumps and there is some pretty big 1s round by me.

All I would say is if you do happen to see anyone jacking the car up and trying to get it its probably not even worth trying to stop them. Most of these thieves tend to work in groups and with weapons, 1 guy by me had all his house windows put through for just shouting out of his window when they was taking his neighbours cat off his car!!

[Joeb359]

@rob_clio172

thank you rob, appreciate the feedback and advice 🙂

[RubyP]

Hi all,

interesting this topic, my cat converter just got stolen 2 days after going to a Lexus dealership for Service and MOT. Totally convinced it’s an inside job, my car has been fine and was planning on selling it.. only for this to happen. Quite upsetting. Like the pandemic/lockdown hasn’t been distressing enough

[joelfigueira]

I had a cat loc fitted to mine on Friday at Lexus Teeside at cost of £250 had to register my code on the website and I have two stickers on either side of the drivers and passenger window. I just wanted to make sure I made it as difficult as possible and also protect my car as much as I can. Could be a waste of money only time will tell. 

[Poundy]

46 minutes ago, joelfigueira said:

I had a cat loc fitted to mine on Friday at Lexus Teeside at cost of £250 had to register my code on the website and I have two stickers on either side of the drivers and passenger window. I just wanted to make sure I made it as difficult as possible and also protect my car as much as I can. Could be a waste of money only time will tell. 

I don't think it's money wasted, they like to get them off in under 3 mins.

The Catloc extends the removal time to around 20+ mins with added tools needed. Thieves see the Catloc and move on to the next in line.

Have had mine fitted for a long time now with no attempts made. I have never heard of a car with the Lexus supplied Catloc fitted, having the Cat stolen.

[ColinBarber]

11 hours ago, Poundy said:

The Catloc extends the removal time to around 20+ mins with added tools needed. Thieves see the Catloc and move on to the next in line.

I think that is optimistic. Probably takes an extra 3 mins to get through - but it is extra noise and delay they may not want so will move on.

There was a Which? article very recently - they stated this about Catloc:

Quote

Alternatively, fitting a ‘Catloc’ or similar device (costing around £200) will make removal more difficult. But based on what car manufacturers and victims of theft have told us, these devices are of limited use and are only likely to delay a well-equipped thief by a matter of minutes.

 

I think Toyota/Lexus are now putting more effort into Smart Water kits:

Quote

Toyota and catalytic converter theft

Toyota, which would typically replace around 300 to 400 broken or faulty catalytic converters in the UK each year, was initially overwhelmed by the volume of customers who had been affected. This was compounded by the fact that the targeted models were no longer on sale and spare parts were no longer in production.

With a demand for many thousands of replacement catalytic converters in 2020, Toyota chose to retool and resume production of legacy catalytic converters in both France and Japan – a move estimated to have cost tens of millions of pounds.

Since then, Toyota has invested significantly in Smart Water forensic identification kits, which it is rolling out across its dealer network. It aims to make Toyota and Lexus models ‘untouchable’ by making the catalytic converters of 130,000 vulnerable cars entirely traceable.

Tens of thousands of kits are also being donated to police forces and the AA for use on cars of any make or model deemed at risk.

Toyota said: ‘Catalytic converter theft is a serious problem in the UK and its effect on victims are emotional as well as financial. We continue to do all we can both as a manufacturer and working with police and others to help put an end to this crime.

‘But ultimately as a car company our scope of action is always going to be limited.’

 

[Poundy]

23 hours ago, ColinBarber said:

I think that is optimistic. Probably takes an extra 3 mins to get through - but it is extra noise and delay they may not want so will move on.

There was a Which? article very recently - they stated this about Catloc:

 

I think Toyota/Lexus are now putting more effort into Smart Water kits:

 

Just repeating what the Lexus service Manager said, regarding the time it would take them, up on a ramp with all the workshop tools available. It is difficult to remove the Lexus Catloc as the reciprocating saw will no longer have edge access to the pipe or Catloc plate as it is protected by the heavier chassis metal. Hence making an aperture in the Catloc plate required before the saw can be added. Dunno!

Thieves only come armed with a saw and trolley jack any additional and more complicated removal is not going to happen.

Of course the proof is in the pudding and like stated before I have no knowledge of any Lexus Catloc fitted cars having their cats stolen, certainly not at my dealers, so the fitting seems a good deterrent to me.

Lexus have also upgraded the cats which now have alternative metals added to reduce the cat scrap value, so newer cars are now offering little reward. Perhaps when thieves realise their returns are of lesser value and older cars are harder to find the situation may improve.

[Poundy]

Just worth adding a couple of points, when fitting the catloc the cat is marked and registered to the car so in the event it is stolen and found it can be traced and help in prosecution of the crime.

Also this test info shows that whatever methods used none could gain access in the allotted 5mins test time required by the insurance company.

While it doesn't state how long it may actually take to gain access, 6,10,15 or 20mins it does indicate that it may be a bit of a pig of a job and not worth the effort 😉

Catloc is the only range of catalytic converter theft protection to have been independently attack tested, and accredited to Automotive Gold Insurance standard with Sold Secure.

This required a number of 5 minute attack tests being carried out, using a variety of theft tools and methods. We are proud that we obtained a full pass, with none of the attack tests succeeded in the allotted time frame.

The complete range of Catloc has Automotive Gold standard with the exception of our 1001, 1002 and 1002XL products (these are universal fitments).

Under the designing out crime Police initiative, developed to Police Approved Standards and Police Preferred Specification.

Catloc is the only physical theft prevention product designed to address the theft of a catalytic converter that is recommended by UK Police forces.