Catalytical Converter Theft Prevention

I've been noticing that many people in and around the area where I live in North County San Diego are having recent experience with catalytic converter theft. It's mostly Prius owners but it seems lately that any vehicle left outside and unattended is at risk. The previous owner of my SR5 installed a slight lift kit so it's about 1-2 inches higher, making access underneath that much easier, and I noticed a few months after I bought the truck from him that this truck has 4 cats in plain view that are easily accessible. Also, I have to park my truck outside of my house because we only have 1 spot in the garage that can fit a vehicle this size and my wife's newer Yukon XL gets that spot. So I've been real nervous lately that I'm a target for theft. Has anyone had their catalytical converters stolen on their Tundra and if so, did you add a plate to cover the new ones? I'm thinking about making this purchase a high priority: https://catshield.com/collections/t...ota-tundra4x4-2008-2021-sequoia4x4-cat-shield

The spot where I park my truck is just several steps away from one of our security cameras (guard monitored system) and a motion sensing flood light but there's a decent chance the would be thieves could evade the camera and light because the camera is not pointed directly at the truck and the light may not be triggered. Anyway, wondered if others on here have had their cats stolen.

 

Many have had their cats stolen. It is a pandemic.

I have these.

https://www.tundras.com/threads/valhalla’s-shield-theft-deterrent-skid-plates-info-and-ordering-post.84911/

2013 Sequoia Limited build

 

I had those exact ones installed on my 2021 today.

 

+1 on plates from @Classy63 at Valhalla Shields.

 

It's happening up here in Canada too!

I got talons garage kit that covers the transfer case and secondary cats also acts as a skid plate.

 

That looks exactly like Valhalla.

 

Thanks all for the feedback. I'll look at these and determine what's best for me (i.e. my wallet). I see the Talon's kits but it looks like they use standard hex bolts, same with the Valhalla's, which I would think could be easily removed. Not sure a cat thief would bother to try but the Cat Shield looks like it uses a rivet bolt or maybe a special drill bit tip. Rivets are hard to remove ...good at keeping the thieves out but does that mean I will have the drill out the rivets if I ever want to remove them for any maintenance like an exhaust replacement? If it's a special bit, does that come with the shield (@ The Towse Tundra 2.0, could you chime in?)

 

The cat shield comes with a special tamper resistant screw that can be easily removed with the proper bit. The proper bit comes with all the accessories. Anytime I need to have my transmission checked or an oil change the guys are just gonna use the bit to take it off. They said it would take an extra 15 minutes or so. I think it’s the best bet. If you have a bolt or screw that sticks out you can easily use a saws all and cut the heads of the bolts off and remove the plate. I like the fact that these are recessed and tamper resistant. The plate itself cost $440 and my dealership installed it for $162. in my opinion it was well worth the money. And it’s cheaper than my deductible. Not to mention that it’s aluminum which is more light weight in a steel plate and it dissipates heat a lot better. Steel keeps heat a lot longer and it could damage the transmission long-term.

 

My coworker had both his passenger side cats stolen last week. It was in our employee parking lot in broad daylight. He told me about this yesterday when I saw him at work. I have since ordered my CAT shield and it should be here next week. I have since parked my truck in my garage and will not drive it until I install the shield. Luckily I have my OneWheel Board to ride to work! haha

I ordered the CAT shield from MillerCAT. Cat Shield™ by MillerCAT – MillerCAT Corp They have it in stock!

 

I put the Desert Eagle on mine and I just used standard bolts - it's sandwiched between under the pro skid plate and there's no way in hell they are going to take the time to try to undo that to get the plate off, even if they can cut the rear bolts.

 

Thanks much, Towse Tundra 2.0 ...after I read your response, I placed my order for the Cat Shield and I'm like a kid waiting for Christmas morning to get this thing here and installed. I've been pretty paranoid about wondering when someone will attempt to steal mine. I noticed on the website that it sounds like I might need a special rivet tool, though? It has this on the page: "REQUIRED TOOLS FOR INSTALLATION. Rivet Nut Tool with M6 Mandrel/Head, 1/4" bit driver, 12mm open wrench." Is that the bit they supply? I have the quarter inch driver and open wrenches.

 

Awesome! Hopefully it doesn’t take too long to get it. I’m not sure about the specialty tools needed for the installation. I had my dealership install it and warranty the work. I know some people will disagree with my opinion but I figured that with them doing my oil changes it would be cheaper for me long-term to have them install it. I didn’t want them charging me extra on my oil changes because I installed a plate myself that they had to remove. Does that make sense?

 

Also need to remove them for fluid checks and replacement on transfer case, transmission, and front differential as well as u-joint grease zerks (if you have them)

 

Been looking at Valhalla’s but intrigued by this. Coworker in same garage as me 3 spots down had his brand new tundra cats stolen. He got there early and that’s when the scumbags struck. I’ve since been parking near where people park/walk. Regardless worth the peace of mind to protect em. The poor guy literally flew to Ohio to buy a new 2021 white 1794 drove 15 hours home then the next day gets his cats stolen

 

I would be so pissed. I guess the theft hasn't slowed down at all.

 

He said timing wise at least he still had his Ford F-150 to drive since he didn’t trade it in…. Better than a compact rental car but still

 

Need to move out of Cali!!!! today broad day light and all 4 cats cut off, blade left on ground and PD wont do nothing..... will be installing full skid plate 2013 Rock Warrior..

 

That really sucks, sorry to hear. Hopefully you can get back on the road quickly

 

https://nypost.com/2021/09/27/car-exhaust-drug-craze-alarms-congos-capital/

They aren't just selling them anymore, been hearing about it around my neck of the woods. Scary stuff.

It's going to get worse, get those shields soon.

 

Whats scary is how hard it will be to replace cats as the thefts increase…

 

Looks like only a couple of covers out there, not many options or full details to see how much of the cat gets covered. guess ill be riding StreetGlide for now lol..

 

https://www.tundras.com/posts/2400795/

 

Got the Cat Shield yesterday and it looks nice and beefy but upon reading the install instructions, I realized pretty quickly that I wasn't going to be able to install this myself after all. I have a 4WD model and it states that for the 4WD version, the transmission and transfer case need to be slightly lifted to install the rivet nut on the driver's side. I have no way to do that. Plus I need the rivet nut tool, which I don't have. So, made an appointment for my mechanic to install this tomorrow. But you're right, it does come with 2 special drill bits for the theft-proof screws. Just need to be sure I keep these in the truck so that the plates can be removed in the future for any service.

Oh man, that totally sucks. Sorry to hear that.

Damn, this is an absolute epidemic. I have the same truck as you ...13' Rock Warrior. Sorry to hear this ...best of luck getting those replaced.

There are at least 4 companies that make plates that cover the cats: Miller Cat's Cat Shield; Valhalla Shields; Talon Shields; and, Desert Eagle Offroad. RCI Metal Works also makes some skid-type plates but it doesn't appear they cover the cats. From the plates that are specifically for preventing cat access, they appear to do a good job covering access and to be honest, if a would-be thief sees a plate covering the cat, they won't even bother messing around with it. They'll just move on to the next car. They try to get in and out in seconds so trying to cut around a plate would take too much time.

 

lol FML two week in/out of shop, new cats new muffler new O2, second one ,and now they tell me, my truck may need to go to dealer ship due to the computer learning the new cats???? lol wtf over......

 

I’m sorry man. Hopefully they’ll get you back to normal sooner rather than later…

 

I call B.S. on the computer. Unplug the battery for the night and it will reset itself.

I got so nervous about the theft problem that I got some chicken wire and wrapped it around them. Hopefully it will be enough of a deterrent that they will crawl under someone else's instead.

 

Come on now, you know it ain't just in Cali ..

 

lol almost a month and now dealer said its the wiring harness $6000. lol FML waiting on insurance now ..... my brothernlaw just ordered the CBI full skid plate for his 4Runner due to seeing the BS i'm dealing with. smh $1500.

 

The CBI covers the cats on the 4R's?

 

The CBI 4R looks covered all the way. Catshild covers most of front but leaves rear open but on one side.