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One week ago the catalytic converters were stolen from my D2, which was parked on the street. Theytook the right upstream O2 sensor and ripped the plastic electrical connector off the harness. You wouldn't believe the noise it makes with no exhaust system connected.
Geico is covering the replacement of the entire Y-pipe w/catconverters with a non OEM direct fit assembly (it was not easy to find a CA CARB compliant replacement) and new upstream O2 sensors.
We are experiencing a wave of cat converter and battery thefts here. I am wondering if anyone has any suggestions about securing the new cat converters so they can't be stolen as well. Can a few steel bars be welded to the undercarriage that would block the removal of the cats? I understand thieves can saw through an exhaust pipe in 60 seconds but some kind of obstacle might make them pass me by.
Sucks! worst part is the damage to the harness. Some of those connectors are hard to get to. Nice to see that Geico came through for you! I'm guessing that this ring is hitting all the D2s they can find because of ease of access and the older cats may pay more.....
I bet the skid plate would do the trick. No thief is going to spend time unbolting it and then cutting through your exhaust when they can hit the next suv up the block. It sucks it happened to you though, glad the lizard is actually making it right rather than just totalling your disco
*Without sending anyone to examine the vehicle* Geico inititially planned to total the truck claiming its value was lower than the cost of the cats. I sent them current 4-sale ads from CL Hemmings and eBay; copies of receipts for repairs; sources for much cheaper parts than they found; and photos showing the condition of the vehicle. Based on that, they revalued the vehicle much higher and didn't total it.
The RockWare transmission/catconv plate for the D2 is $340. It is bolted on aluminum. It doesn't look like it would be hard to cut through. With no police presence and no pedestrians on the streets the thieves are not in a rush. Shiny new cats might make them risk another minute to remove the shield. The CatClamp lock cage looks easy to cut through, too.
The new and very hard to find CARB compliant pipe/converter assembly cost $1500 on sale. It arrives in 2 days. Due to the high number of thefts everywhere, inventories are very low.
Where can I get the plastic electrical connector for the O2 sensor harness? See photo.
i think that braided wire would be a bitch to cut through with bolt cutters and if the thieves attempted to use a sawzall or similar, i would think the looseness of the braided wire would make that pretty difficult to cut, as well.
Can you do both? Granted, I could see somebody just cutting above and below the wire "cage" and taking it too, but the more obstacles you put into the path of a thief, the more likely they are to move on and find a more easy target
Long time listener, first time caller...Merry Christmas & happy holidays to all! I live in SF (more petty crime than I'd care for) & just had my catalytic converter stolen - same situation, hacked the pipe, Geico covered in full (without inspection/police report, which was kind of them), but only have street parking as an option - so before I pick it up from my mechanic (tomorrow or Monday) - trying to figure out a long term security solution. I do some offroading, so perhaps the skid plate is the way to go?
Really appreciate any timely help/guidance here! (and thank you in advance!!!)
Catalytic Converter Security?
