catalytic converter theft
Undercar precious-metal heist
Catalytic converter theft is the crime of stealing catalytic converters from vehicles, typically by sawing them from the undercarriage.
The converters contain precious metals—platinum, palladium, and rhodium—worth hundreds of dollars to scrap dealers.
The crime surged in the 2020s as metal prices rose: Catalytic converter theft has gotten so bad that people are etching VINs into their converters.
- exhaustUse up entirely
- platinumDense precious silvery metal
- palladiumElement forty-six, catalytic metal
- rhodiumPlatinum group element
- precious metalsRare, valuable metallic elements
angle grinder · undercarriage · muffler · tailpipe · precious · metals · chop · shop · scrap · yard · hybrid · jacking · sliding · quick cash · chop shop · scrap yard · grinding · spark
- theftstealing, larceny, steal, burglary, robbery
- auto crimescar theft, auto theft, carjacking, grand theft auto, stolen car
catalytic converter theftcarjacking
Violent vehicle theft
armed robbery · home invasion · violent crime · mugging · kidnapping
catalytic converter theftproper disposal
Appropriate way to discard
catalytic, catalyst, catalysis, catalyze, catalyzed, catalyzing, convert, converter, converters