Thieves target catalytic converters

At least three Petaluma residents climbed into their cars earlier this month, started them up and heard a loud, grating noise coming from under the chassis.

“Like a motorcycle engine,” said one resident who asked not to be identified after her 2004 Toyota Sequoia was damaged by thieves earlier this month. “It was really loud and really scary. I knew something was wrong but I didn’t know what it was.”

The noise, accompanied by the smell of exhaust, was caused by a missing catalytic converter. The Sequoia owner is one of several recent victims of a vehicle crime where thieves cut off catalytic converters from underneath cars - ripping them out with simple, often battery-operated tools - so they can strip out the metal components and sell them for cash at scrap yards.

For each catalytic converter they steal, the thieves can net $75 to $250. When they work fast and have the right tools, they can steal several in rapid succession. And they often strike quickly in one neighborhood, as they did on Dec. 2 in the northeast section of the city, when thieves took catalytic converters from three vehicles in one night, including from the Sequoia, police said.

Using a hacksaw type of a tool, thieves slide underneath cars and saw off the catalytic converters, which control vehicle exhaust emissions and are in almost all cars made after 1974. They contain precious metals, notably platinum, palladium, rhodium and gold, which through a chemical reaction help render carbon monoxide and hydrocarbons into less harmful emissions.

They have become increasingly popular targets for thieves because of the rising price of precious metals, primarily rhodium, palladium and platinum.

According to Carol Kaplan of the National Insurance Crime Bureau, which tracks insurance-related crimes and is funded primarily by insurance companies, catalytic converter thefts account for about 3 percent of insurance claims. The great majority of precious metal thefts involve copper.

“It’s a crime of opportunity; they get under your car and out in a minute,” said Petaluma Police Sgt. Paul Gilman. “There’s no season for it. But we do see a lot of the same vehicles targeted.”

Gilman said Toyotas are popular targets, particularly the SUVs which are higher off the ground than other cars, making them easier for thieves to slide under. And there’s more potential for profit for the catalytic converters taken from the trucks because they’re larger and, therefore, contain more metal.

While the thieves make a few hundred dollars, car owners often pay a much steeper price.

“We see quite a few of these,” said Ryan Ladd of Yotaluma, a body shop in Petaluma that specializes in Toyotas. “They cost about $4,000 to replace them and insurance doesn’t always cover that.”

The owner of the Sequoia said her insurance covered some of the cost, but she had to pay $1,000 out of pocket.

Kaplan of the Insurance Crime Bureau said their industry recommends people have their vehicle information number etched into their catalytic converter to make it harder for thieves to sell them off. She also said the auto industry has been supporting countrywide legislation that would require people to present an ID when selling metals to scrap yards and recyclers.

There are specific laws on the books in California that require scrap metal dealers to take photo IDs and some proof of ownership from people selling catalytic converters or parts, and dealers must retain the records of those transactions for at least two years.

To protect vehicles, Gilman said that while there are some products available that are designed to prevent thieves from stealing the converters, the best defense is to be vigilant.

“If you can’t park your car in a garage, try to park it close to your house in well-lit areas,” he said. “And if you see someone in your neighborhood that doesn’t look like they belong, call the police.”

The Sequoia owner has a garage, but she said she had trouble fitting the car inside. Now, she says, she takes the extra time to park it inside every night.

“I squeeze it into my garage now,” she said. “I don’t want to take the chance of it happening again.”

(Contact Elizabeth M. Cosin at elizabeth.cosin@arguscourier.com)