When we parked Cornelia in a “secure” storage facility last spring in Desert Hot Springs, CA, we calculated it would be cheaper than driving her another six thousand miles (round-trip), knowing we wanted to return to the desert southwest for winter ‘21-‘22. Unfortunately, the facility we chose doesn’t guarantee security from catalytic converter theft!
Practiced thieves can roll under an RV, make two saw cuts, and roll back out with a length of pipe that fetches $200-$300 on the black market, due to the trace amounts of platinum, palladium, and rhodium. As of December 18, 2021, platinum is fetching $30.29/gram, palladium is at $58.28/gram, and rhodium is an astonishing $376.16/gram.
Each catalytic converter contains between three-seven grams of these precious metals. Scrap metal processors need specialized machinery to recover these specific metals and police are now warning that unscrupulous buyers may fill a container to send overseas for processing, to evade authorities. A quick Google search confirmed that black market thieves can monitor the best prices that international companies are offering to “recycle the most expensive scrap.” One Turkish company advertises: “Worth of Platinum metal is increasing with time as its (sic) shown on the table. It’s (sic) economic value never decreased as seen in the table last 20 years. So that’s meaning Platinum’s value is getting more important every day.”
Cornelia was built with TWO catalytic converters. We learned that flexible dryer vents do not make good replacements. She now sounds like a very loud diesel truck when driving. We opened all her windows, to avoid carbon monoxide poisoning, and made a run for Yuma, AZ. Professional replacements will take weeks to receive and cost thousands of dollars.
To deter thieves from stealing your vehicle’s catalytic converter, police recommend:
- etch your VIN on to converter
- paint converter a bright color
- install a cage or shield over converter to slow down would-be thieves
- set vehicle alarm to detect minute vibrations
- park in a secure, locked, indoor garage
None of these measures will stop a determined thief, but perhaps stories about the Law of Gravity will begin to circulate among the criminal-minded. In recent months, at least three would-be thieves have been found crushed to death in North Carolina, Georgia, and California, when the carjacks failed while the (unrelated) men were trying to steal catalytic converters.
Where in the world are the Gills? 