When you have to leave your vehicle unattended...

[Ruger]

File this under Words To The Wise:

I have a friend who wanted to spend this past weekend south of Birmingham, AL with some friends, and rather than taking her own car she rented a vehicle for the weekend and left her car at the rental agency. When she returned to pick up her car she found that thieves had gone through the rental agency lot and stolen the catalytic converters from several cars, hers included. There's a little platinum in a catalytic converter - evidently that's the motive. It is going to cost her about $1,000 to replace the cat and repair the exhaust system on her car. The same thing happened to a friend of a friend at a local boat launch.

This might be something to consider when you have to leave your personal vehicle at the airport or elsewhere. Parking lots are not patrolled, and your vehicle is never safer than when it is locked in your garage or at least in your own driveway.

 

[Wilson]

or leave a sign car comes with a trunk monkey

 

[justvettn]

I don't think a trunk monkey could stop a catalytic converter thief?

 

[Humvee21]

Sucks too cause I bet it's easier to take the cats off our trucks since they sit higher than cars so you wouldn't need a jack.

 

[6.2]

Yikes people actually leave their cars at rental agencies? Scary.
Get a damn ride and leave the vehicle at home!

 

[Wilson]

it sucks you have to take you keys out now I remember when you just left them in around this area we need to start castrating the thieves they might think twice well they still have to think hard around hear lol we crazy a guy got drunk thought he was getting in the right locked house dude shot him right threw the door nothing said about it other than the one news flash

 

[6.2]

I sometimes forget to lock my truck, or take out my keys, or close my windows.

No problems! I love where I live.

 

[whisler151]

No cats FTW!

 

[Ruger]

I am persuaded that members of the feline persuasion universally refrain from catylitic larceny. Let there be no further mention of cats, tigers, lions, lynxes, panthers, cougars, or bobcats here.

(Sorry about that. Louis Farrakhan is in town to give a speach, and I've been watching the live feed.)

A friend of mine told me that a fishing buddy of his experienced the same kind of theft. He was out on the lake fishing and somebody cut the catalytic converter off his truck. The police told him that it's common - that the local crackheads steal catalytic converters and air conditioners to support their habits. I have no idea what is involved in rendering a catalytic converter for its platinum, but I am damn sure that few crackheads are capable of mastering the process.