My precious catalytic converter. Several Hauts-de-France gendarmeries have called for vigilance after noting a significant increase in theft of catalysts from private vehicles.
In the gendarmerie sectors of Annœulin and Hallennes-lez-Haubourdin, south-west of Lille, individuals have decided to wildly recycle catalytic converters without asking the opinion of the owners of the vehicles. The technique is simple, fast and safe, except for the environment and the ears.
Grandpa’s Twingo turns into a Harley-Davidson
Indeed, the thieves slip under the vehicle, cut the pipe on either side of the catalyst with an electric saw and leave you with a free exhaust. The operation takes little more than a few minutes. For the victim, in terms of noise, grandpa’s Twingo turns into a Harley-Davidson. And in terms of cost, you’re good to change the whole line because it’s been illegal since 1993 to drive without a catalyst.
The gendarmes do not discover this practice since the theft of catalysts has existed for many years. On the other hand, it tends to develop, in particular due to the increase in the prices of certain resources such as platinum, palladium and rhodium. To guard against thieves, the military give some advice: park against a wall or near other low vehicles, weld a metal mesh around the catalytic converter, install a belt of Kevlar and steel wires…