Hide yo catalytic converters!

Some crackhead sawed the catalytic converter right out from underneath my vehicle. Imagine my surprise when I started my car on Thursday morning (parked on 8th Ave b/w 3rd St and 4th St) and it sounded like a dragster. I looked underneath to discover that someone had shimmied under and sawed off my exhaust pipe in 2 places and taken the catalytic converter!

I did a little digging to find that I haven't been the only victim of this crackhead crime...especially my make / model (Toyota 4Runner, which apparently has a converter that can bring a higher price at salvage yard). Seriously, though. WTF?! When all said and done, it cost me about $700 and a day at the mechanic.

Watch out for converter thieves walking around Park Slope in the middle of the night with handsaws and looking to get under your car to steal part of your exhaust system.

Thanks for yet another reason I'm glad I don't own a car.

I doubt it was a crackhead...

It was probably the same crew that stole 4 tires and wheels off an Acura a couple weeks ago on 10th btw 6th and 7th.

Yup - all 4 wheels, in the middle of the night. They left the car on blocks.

I once witness wheel stealing at that time I didn't realize it was wheel stealing. I thought these young fine gentlemen was changing their wheel, next morning show up near my van lol. the car that got their wheel changed happen to have all their wheels stolen. This happen off course like 3am in the morning.

Catalytic converters contain some precious metals and scrap yards pay a premium for them.

Battery powered hand tools make quick work of cutting them off, not so much a crackhead's game as a few guys and a van.

SUV's get hit as it's easy to wriggle underneath.

Ugh, I'm so sorry. This kind of theft was big a few years ago when scrap metal prices were a lot higher.

Just one more reason I'm happy to be car free in NYC.

so i didn't realize i would be corrected for calling the thiefs crackheads. they may not be, but it is a crackhead crime.

kind of disheartening that this happened right out on 8th avenue and 4th street, but i guess i'm not terribly surprised...

hope this doesn't happen to anyone else.

So funny how you wrote "yo" instead of "your" - really amusing how you chose a form of "ebonics" / street slang to imply whatever you intended to imply - brilliant !

Pretty sure it was a reference to the bed intruder song nuyorican70.

oneoneone said:

Catalytic converters contain some precious metals and scrap yards pay a premium for them.

Battery powered hand tools make quick work of cutting them off, not so much a crackhead's game as a few guys and a van.

SUV's get hit as it's easy to wriggle underneath.

yup

recommended tools:

Goggles

Battery operated grinder

However, if you were too broke to have a van and too much of a loser to have friends, you might be able to carry this equipment in a bookbag, and then carry your newly stolen catalytic converter in a Hefty bag.

....times are tough. Gotta cut costs.

you don't do it with friends! come on then you got to cut them a share of the profits. its always better as a 1 man job.

I love that song

AHHHHHH!!!! Mine got stolen early summer,too! They took the whole damn pipe underneath my 4runner, nice clean saw job. $2000 later...

oh oh....in the MIDDLE OF THE DAY!

Converter 'guards' are available:

http://www.cat-lock.com/

During the bad days of the 70s I had my hubcaps stolen on numerous occasions. It seems like history repeats itself every 25 years.