CAT thefts in your area?

I'm in the same area and haven't heard of many CAT thefts, but there has been a rising number of drive by thefts. One person is driving, one or two get out and try doors for any unlocked vehicle in the driveway and take whatever is inside. They are not smash and grabs, it seems only unlocked vehicles, but they are getting plenty of shit so they keep doing it. They are even known to flip the finger to the the ring cameras because everyone is wearing masks, so they haven't been caught, even though they are on camera doing it.

 

https://www.tundras.com/threads/val...-and-ordering-post.84911/page-48#post-2322168

 

A few months ago, I got all 4 cats stolen at 3 am from my apartment parking lot in the smallish town of Waxahachie, TX, about 30 miles south of Dallas. They also cut the O2 sensor wiring on each side but luckily didn't cut any brake or fuel lines as far as I can tell.

When I called to make the report, the local Waxahachie Police Department told me it's happening all over, mostly Tundras and Priuses. It only takes them less than a minute to cut them off using a battery-operated, handheld sawzall. Police claim they can get several hundred dollars per cat. I have no idea who's buying these, though. While calling local shops to get replacements, one shop said he's never seen it as bad in his 30 years of doing business. He sees mostly Tundras, but a few Jeeps and F150s and F250s.

My insurance will only pay for aftermarket in accordance with the fine print in my agreement. Even so, I've been more than willing to pay the difference for the coveted and extremely rare OEM replacements. Unfortunately, as I found out, there are no OEM replacements available - they've been on backorder for months because of all the thefts, including many thefts at dealer lots. You can still get the two downstream O2 sensors (one on each side), and aftermarket cats are plentiful. But aftermarket cats may still throw the check engine light, as mine appears to be doing.

Before this happened, I never gave it much thought thinking I was relatively safe living in a smallish town away from the big city. I now have front and rear 1/4" thick aluminum Valhalla Shield skid plates.

 

Yeah, our apartment complex cameras record the same thing at least once or twice a month. As fas as I know, they never get caught.

 

Valhalla Shield

 

I hate thieves with a passion. I’ve always prided myself on working hard for what I got. And if I don’t have it, and want it, work harder. If you still can’t have it, it wasn’t meant to be. Keep your dirty paws off my shit.

 

Assholes tried for mine last night (Phoenix, AZ). Cut one end of one, must have gotten scared off.

Is there a thread of first-gen specific cat armor? I can't seem to find one. I know there are a few options - very few - for first gens, but it would be nice to have a central thread to find them...

Maybe I could start it if there isn't one?

First Gen skid plates

POD6 = $350 for bare metal, covers transmission and catalytic converters

NOT first gen skid plates

Valhalla

 

I’ll get a picture of how they locked up/guarded my cat on the Sequoia tomorrow. It’s kind of crazy looking but I think I would walk away instead of trying to cut it out. I laughed when I saw it

 

You have to watch YouTube, those guys only takes a min to cut it out… from checking it out to drive off..

 

Hmmm, I wonder if those POD6 plates would fit a 1st Gen Sequoia?
I sent them an inquiry, I'll let ya'll know what they say.

 

Rural life here, but the cat thieves still strike, heck the dealer I use had all of the tundras they had at time get the cats stolen from them.

 

Well, I was wrong about the fuel lines not being cut. My scanner kept showing two codes, one fuel line related and another EVAP purge related. The shop confirmed the fuel line suffered some cuts near where they cut it in the upstream section by the exhaust manifolds. Luckily, they weren't deep enough punctures to have caused an external fuel leak, but the cuts definitely damaged the line's integrity. So they'll have to be replaced along with whatever they did to the EVAP purge valve.

 

That sucks to do north of $10k worth of damage to a vehicle for a quick couple hundred bucks.
Glad I got my Valhalla's Shields installed when I did.

 

Yeah it does suck, but if we start cutting off arms.....think of how many people would have prosthetic hands

 

Well, it works in Saudi Arabia. May sound barbaric at first, but they don't have a theft problem at all, and no overcrowded prisons full of petty criminals. You see someone get their hand chopped off it makes you think twice about swiping something that doesn't belong to you.

 

If only we could take a page from the Japanese and their actual respect for another persons property as well as personal space. Petty crime isn't even a thing there, it was great being able to walk a dark alleyway in Tokyo in the middle of the night and feel completely safe.

 

Yeah, but at the end of the day, it is still a business. we as a country incarcerate more people than anyone else.

 

Yeah didn't feel quite safe in Frankfort, when around a corner is some dude with a fucking syringe stuck in his neck, and blood everywhere!

 

Good show, they are making a prequel!!! Hope it is good as GOT

 

In order to do that though, one must have respect, seriously lacking in this country of ours.

 

The respect, yes, but not the penal system. One of my daughter's online friends was recently arrested and jailed. She was innocent, and the police quickly realized she wasn't the person they were looking for. Once arrested, all of her rights were gone. No phone call, no way to notify loved ones, just a cell and a wait. She was kept incarcerated until the police arrested the right person. She was lucky, a friend saw her as the police arrested her and took care of her pets. Others in the jail lamented that their pets would starve, or probably already had starved. She's back in the USA now under treatment for the stress and PTSD. Her marriage probably won't survive, he's Japanese and may not be able to join her. She may not be mentally able to go back. Our penal system may not be perfect, but we still have rights. I won't trade my rights for a little security.

 

I said just a page, not the whole book. My statement is based on their culture beyond that of the penal system.

 

https://youtu.be/ONVoAC7VTm0
kiss your rights good bye

 

Had my cats stolen about a month ago. I live in San Antonio, TX. They did it at the parking garage of my work in the middle of the day. I'm still waiting to get my truck back from the auto shop.

 

Sorry to hear that. Are you waiting on OEM cats?

Also, have the shop carefully check all the lines near where they cut the upstream section by the exhaust manifold. My shop had to use smoke to find leaks in the EVAP Purge line, and they also found cuts along the fuel line.

 

Didn't go with oem cats because wait is long. I'm going to make sure there is no check engine light on. Shop hasn't mentioned any problems with the lines but I'll ask them if they checked.

The delay is due to them having issues getting a windshield. While taking my cats they decided they wanted my radar detector, so they busted the passenger window to get it. When yanking off the detector they managed to take a chunk of the windshield with it. Ugh.

 

Thieving bastards. Amazing how much more damage they can do on top of just cutting the cats and O2 wires.

 

Cause they are not a mechanic, they only worry about their booty.