catalytic converter

[farrukhraaz]

hi guys i just joined the club , please need help cat was stolen last nite Lexus gs450h 2007   they cut from four places can some tell me what part do i need does this car have two cats or just cos i can see underneath four pipes have been cut . can some one send a pic of underneath of gs450 lexus please .

thank you

[royoftherovers]

That`s the first GS i`VE HEARD OF !

[farrukhraaz]

that's correct , i had RX300 cat was stolen cost me 350 pounds one ago sold it couple of months ago bought this gs450 every one said this car is safe but last nite cats stolen . 474 have been quoted to fix it .

[steve2006]

It’s going to be an insurance job for sure, the cats (x2) are part of the exhaust manifolds ( see prices below) plus if they have cut the flanges on the centre exhaust system you will need one of these too, looking at around £4000.00 plus labour!

If you’ve been quoted just £474 they’ll be straight pipes not cats.

[ColinBarber]

Here is a picture:

https://lexus.7zap.com/en/eu/lexus+gs/334510/gws191r-bexqhw/1/1702/174820e/

There are two cats under the vehicle, which I assume are the ones stolen?

 

There are also two on the down section of the exhaust manifolds but they are in the engine bay so I doubt they were able to get those.

https://lexus.7zap.com/en/eu/lexus+gs/334510/gws191r-bexqhw/1/1701/174810d/

[Aussiestayover]

Hello,

 

i too had mine stolen on Sunday at 12:30 a.m. got the five guys on cctv which the police are viewing. 

One stood outside with a baseball bat at the ready.

Jacked up and stolen in less than 90 seconds.

I've just had the cost of repair quoted to me from my local Lexus dealer at around £3,000.

I had my Mazda done last August at a Mazda dealer in their car park.

Lexus did warn me that if the high tension cable is also cut under the car the car will be a write off as Lexus no longer supply that part. Worrying to think Lexus won’t have parts for a 2010 model.

Good luck with your repair.

Now to find some kind of shield to protect mum replacement ...

[Sami Tilander]

Here are couple of pictures underneath of GS450h 2008 (if it helps...):

 

BR.Sami

[johnatg]

It will be the secondary cats which have been stolen, not the primary ones in the exhaust manifolds. Sami's pics show the secondary cats.

It would be perfectly possible to fabricate replacement sections using universal cats for a 'modest' price - so £474 sounds quite reasonable.

A good repair using universal cats would be OK for MoT - they just have to check that the exhaust is intact. Emissions are not tested on hybrids and anyway the secondary cats don't do much - most cars don't have them, after all.

There are cat shields listed on eBay (some including fitting) specifically for GS models.

[steve2006]

Secondary cats, I’ve learnt something new today, I looked at the diagram initially and thought they were silencers 😀

[ColinBarber]

47 minutes ago, steve2006 said:

Secondary cats, I’ve learnt something new today, I looked at the diagram initially and thought they were silencers 😀

It's secondary cats that are stolen on the Prius, CT, RX400h etc. The primary ones are nearly always up in the engine bay that are difficult to steal.

[dutchie01]

Talking about cat theft on a Prius.. This happened last week in a town in the Netherlands. Thief was operating alone jacked the Prius up crawled under the car and started cutting off the cat. Apparently due to the movement the car fell off the jack falling on the thief and killing him. Next morning the owner of the Prius walked to his car and noticed two legs from under his car. He first thought some tramp was sleeping there so kicked his legs only to find out it was a corpse. Anyway, pic is from when the police arrived.

 

 

 

 

 

[Phil xxkr]

58 minutes ago, dutchie01 said:

Talking about cat theft on a Prius.. This happened last week in a town in the Netherlands. Thief was operating alone jacked the Prius up crawled under the car and started cutting off the cat. Apparently due to the movement the car fell off the jack falling on the thief and killing him. Next morning the owner of the Prius walked to his car and noticed two legs from under his car. He first thought some tramp was sleeping there so kicked his legs only to find out it was a corpse. Anyway, pic is from when the police arrived.

 

I count 13 emergency people to cover one simple accident, how many for a murder I wonder? 😅

 

 

 

[dutchie01]

They are just curious you don't see things like this every day!

[farrukhraaz]

hi Fen   

you said GBP3000 that is for original , no way i will get original again so they can steel again naaa.

i am getting the copies firstly they will never steal the copy not worth a penny car will be save anywhere f.

from euro car part GBP210 on trade price . i just do not know they are sending one cat or price include two if two than i will have to order another for 210 again . so lets see they will deliver it tomorrow i update you . 

[JeffL]

Is the non-hybrid GS300 year 2007 petrol potentially affected re CAT thefts?

[GS3UK]

I Remember being quoted around £250 each for "sports Cats" when i had my new stainless steel exhaust fitted about a year ago 

[JeffL]

On 1/16/2022 at 5:35 PM, JeffL said:

Is the non-hybrid GS300 year 2007 petrol potentially affected re CAT thefts?

Bump

[steve2006]

Looking at the parts diagram they are located under the front cabin floor pan, easiest thing to do is take a look underneath the car and look at accessibility. Personally I don’t think any car is safe from these animals. 

[Linas.P]

On 1/11/2022 at 3:57 PM, farrukhraaz said:

hi guys i just joined the club , please need help cat was stolen last nite Lexus gs450h 2007   they cut from four places can some tell me what part do i need does this car have two cats or just cos i can see underneath four pipes have been cut . can some one send a pic of underneath of gs450 lexus please .

thank you

That is very sad hearing, and as well very unusual. V6 cars were unpopular with thief for exactly that reason - most other hybrids have 1 massive single cat, whereas V6 Lexus has 4 separate small cats, two of which are pain to get to even at best of times, so it means 4 times more work for same or less profit.

It seems they may be getting even more desperate than before, if they targeting V6 now... just digesting!  

On 1/16/2022 at 5:35 PM, JeffL said:

Is the non-hybrid GS300 year 2007 petrol potentially affected re CAT thefts?

Based on above ... yes! they were "unpopular", but no isolated from it. As Steve said - it seems that no car is safe now. 

[Aussiestayover]

My insurer agreed the replacement costs this morning (a few pounds under £3,000) which included the heat shield which they cut in a few places.

The shield not only reflects heat downwards from the exhaust system and away from the body but also helps to protect the orange high voltage cable which runs the length of the car to the hybrid batteries. If this cable is damaged by their cutting the car is a write off.

I reached out to part suppliers in Japan who confirmed what my dealer had earlier advised. Shocking given the last of the 3rd generation GS model sold in the U.K. in 2012.

Once my GS is repaired I’ll be trying to get a guard or shield fabricated with existing mounting points and bolts that sheer off once tightened. 
 

The shield has got to be hard to cut through and also allow ventilation when the car is moving or stationary in traffic and not so thick as to hit speed bumps.

I wonder if anyone has tried to use carbon fibre for a shield and how tough it is to cut?

Any advice or suggestions appreciated…

I’ve also added some photos of the thieving £&@@ers workmanship.

[Linas.P]

So they only cut two cats in mid section? The other two are way up inside engine bay. 

As for carbon fibre - it is as easy to cut as plastic as far as abrasive discs are concerned, as well it is not abrasion or heat resistant. Kevlar would be better option for both.

Finally, don't forget you dealing with scum - I have heard of stories of them smashing windows, lights and scratching paint when they discover additional obstructions for their scummy intentions. Not sure what to advise here - in UK we have no rights to protect ourselves properly and police is simply not interested in any car related crime, society seems to look at motorists like criminal themselves. Sad... 

[Aussiestayover]

Yes your right the other two cats are on a 45 degree angle just coming out of the rear of the engine bay fire wall. Hard to access without removing the entire engine. 
 

The two they cut are mid section.

 

 

[Linas.P]

18 minutes ago, Aussiestayover said:

Yes your right the other two cats are on a 45 degree angle just coming out of the rear of the engine bay fire wall. Hard to access without removing the entire engine. 
 

The two they cut are mid section.

Probably late now, but in such case I probably would have gone for generic cats and paid for them myself. Going through insurance will increase your premium for many years to come, so all in all you may be loosing money going this route. 

[Aussiestayover]

Hi, 

 

I agree but wanted to do the job property.

My other car, a Mazda had its cat removed in a Mazda dealers car park and Mazda advised that they don’t supply cats for the model.

There was a chance I would have had to buy a generic one but after reading on various forums I thought the OEM genuine ones better/longer life.

Too many stories online of generic ones failing the next MOT or within two years and then having to go through the cost and time of replace it again.

I might get the badges changed to a GS 300 to see if that makes a difference. The thieves took a good look at the boot lid before jacking the car up..

 

[johnatg]

Generic cats won't cause an MoT failure on hybrid cars because emissions are not tested.