GORST — A steady stream of vehicles with a common ailment have been cycling through the shop at the Kitsap Muffler shop these past few weeks, manager Kim Rumion said.
A quick peek underneath such vehicles reveals a missing catalytic converter — an easy, yet sometimes costly fix. The device reduces a car’s toxic emissions.
“It seems like this last couple weeks, (the thefts have) been getting worse,” Rumion said.
Law enforcement agencies across the country are becoming quite familiar with catalytic rip-offs.
Thieves, beholden to the same supply-and-demand economics as the rest of us, began chopping off cars’ catalytic converters when the price of rare metals started to soar earlier this decade.
A catalytic converter works by using trace amounts of metals like platinum and palladium to perform chemical reactions that lessen the toxicity of exhaust.
Platinum’s price reached a record high per ounce at $2,252 near the beginning of the year, according to kitco.com.
“It’s an easy and quick theft to commit, and the value they can get from recycling the metals is a high reward,” said Bremerton police detective Sgt. Kevin Crane.
Crane estimates a thief using a hand-held saw could spend 15 seconds under a car and come away with the device.
“If most citizens saw somebody crawling under a car, they won’t be surprised,” said Port Orchard police Commander Geoff Marti. “You’re thinking ‘Maybe he’s got car problems.”’
Law enforcement has no way to prove the converters are stolen, unless the car’s owner has written some kind of identification on the device.
“The owners themselves can’t tell their catalytic converter apart from another,” Crane said.
A newer car missing a catalytic converter may not run without it. Older models will, but motorists will notice if it’s gone.
“It gets really, really loud,” Kitsap Muffler manager Rumion said. “You’re running without an exhaust.”
The cost to replace one runs from $200 to $500, but can be more —- in the thousands — if thieves damage other parts of the car while stealing a converter, Rumion said.
Once stolen, the converter is likely headed for a scrap yard of some kind. The valuable metals inside are melted away at a refinery.
Reputable businesses are careful to spot thieves looking to turn quick cash for the converters. Tina London, owner of Navy City Metals in Bremerton, said the business reports suspicious activity and keeps copies of driver’s licenses from people who sell them scrap metals.
They can only send someone home with $30 cash. They write a check for any amount exceeding that following a 10-day period, she said.
There is good news, she said. The rare metals inside a converter — along with most every other traded commodity these days — are plummeting in price.
She said a converter could have brought up to $100 earlier in the year. But that price has now dropped to around $10 to $15, she said.
For now, however, Kitsap Muffler in Gorst remains busy. And, as Sue Shultz, a Bainbridge Island police lieutenant, points out: “This is just another opportunity theft.”
Why steal a catalytic converter
Thefts of catalytic converters, a device that helps reduce the toxicity of an automobile’s emissions, have surged in the past year across the country, according to law enforcement. The reason is that the device uses trace amounts of valuable metals such as platinum and palladium, which help filter harmful gases, that thieves can cash in a scrap yards for quick cash.
How does a catalytic converter work?
A catalytic converter sits just before the muffler on most cars and trucks. The car’s exhaust is filtered through the converter, and when the exhaust hits those precious metals, a chemical reaction occurs
that generally eliminates three harmful compounds:
Nitrogen oxides, a potential air pollutant, are separated to become nitrogen and oxygen;
Carbon monoxide, a potentially deadly gas, is oxidized to become carbon dioxide;
Some hydrocarbons are oxidized to become carbon dioxide and water.
What can auto owners do?
Police recommend writing an “identifier,” such as a driver’s license number, on the catalytic converter so police will know who to call if the part is stolen.
Otherwise, the best protection is to park in well-lit areas or in secured locations like garages, so thieves can’t get to them.
What to do if a converter is stolen?
Without a converter, exhaust will flow out of the car unmuffled. The car will become significantly louder when running. Some newer vehicles with new technologies won’t even allow a car to start without a converter.
Police recommend reporting the theft. A muffler shop can replace converters; the cost varies depending on how badly the thief damaged the car while taking the device.
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