5 minute read
FEATURE
THIEVES IN THE NIGHT:
INSIDE THE GREAT CATALYTIC CONVERTER CAPER
In today’s criminal underworld, there is rarely a more valuable item than a stolen catalytic converter.
Whether the result of street thugs looking to make quick dough or a sign of a more organized crime operation created to take advantage of the precious metals (namely rhodium, palladium or platinum) commonly found within these parts, automotive businesses throughout Minnesota are seeing their mornings shattered by catalytic converter thefts occurring at their locations overnight. The thieves creep in, cut the valuable commodity out of one or more cars and sneak away – leaving both the industry and law enforcement unsure of what to do.
“They’re literally being cut out of cars that are sitting in parking lots,” explains Eric Schulz, co-owner of AAA Auto Salvage (Rosemount and East Bethel) and a recent catalytic converter theft victim. “In literally minutes, they can cut that converter out of the car […] If [thieves] can spend a little bit of time in here at night and cut them out, it’s a good payday for [them].”
To make matters worse, genuine solutions to curtail these activities have been elusive. Because catalytic converters are “virtually untraceable,” Schulz says there is no way to adequately trace one back to the source vehicle. With the issue growing by the day, he has made “a significant investment” in cameras and other security measures at his businesses.
“It’s helped for sure, but a lot of times, they’re so fast that it doesn’t take a whole lot of time for them to cut out a few converters and get off the property. By the time we’re able to react in a lot of cases, they’re gone.”
Unfortunately, this disturbing trend is nothing new to AASP-MN members Dan Sjolseth and Tony Hoffman (Superior Service Center; Apple Valley/Superior Collision Center; Eagan). During a review of their overnight security footage late last year, they saw a white Chevrolet truck pull up next to a Honda Odyssey in the lot at their Apple Valley location. Within seconds, the driver of the truck had the Odyssey in the air and began removing the catalytic converter with a Sawzall. A few minutes later, the thief lowered the vehicle back down and hid under his truck for over an hour.
“A neighbor across the street heard the Sawzall going but didn’t know where it was coming from, so he called the police,” Sjolseth explains. “The police pulled into our parking lot and went around the building. They didn’t see anything, so they went over to the dealership next store.”
Once the police vacated the area, the thief reappeared and finished his work.
“It was something you think would only happen in the movies,” Hoffman says. “The thief must have been cool as a cucumber to stay under the truck and not panic and just run.”
Although the shop gave the video footage to local law enforcement, little could be done because there were no license plates on the criminal’s truck.
In addition to seeing a catalytic converter lifted from his own facility, Hoffman has experienced a considerable increase in the number of customers coming to both Superior locations to get a new one installed after being robbed.
“We used to see one of these every couple of months. Now, we’re seeing around five every month.”
Toyota Prius and Mitsubishi Outlander appear to be the most victimized models, with one Outlander owner showing up at Superior to get a new catalytic converter on three separate occasions. Both Superior shops are recommending that customers have them add a CatClamp – a product specifically designed to prevent such a crime – to their vehicles as a preventative measure.
Sadly, it’s not a stretch to suggest that stolen catalytic converters will continue to rise in popularity. After all, the proliferation of counterfeit airbags in and out of this industry (as just one example) proves that there is a market for everything. Not surprisingly, this fact is a source of continued frustration for Sjolseth. “As many thieves as there are out there, there are also too many salvage yards and scrap yards that couldn’t care less where those catalytic converters are coming from. There’s no honor among thieves. If I can sell a failed catalytic converter for scrap to a reputable company for $150, what do you think some less reputable places are giving people who are coming in with catalytic converters that these places know are stolen? They might be paying $50 – knowing full well that it’s hot.”
After experiencing a jump in catalytic converter
replacements during the second half of 2020, Wayne Watson of Auto Works Automotive Service Center (Woodbury) reports that he hasn’t had one come in this year as of mid-February. Despite the good news, he is quick to note that the problem was – and continues to be – particularly bad in downtown Minneapolis.
“People will go down there for work or to stay, and they’ll park in the parking ramps. They’ll bring their cars to us [later] and [say], ‘It sounds like my muffler fell off!’”
In his mind, the allure of fast cash is the main culprit behind the recent catalytic converter robberies – a point driven home when he recently brought some legitimately acquired ones to a recycler.
“I turned eight of them in a couple of weeks ago, and I got like $2,000 for these things. They are paying very good money.”
There are several bills currently filed in Minnesota that aim to address the theft trend. The one that appears to be gaining the most traction, House Bill 330/Senate Bill 206, can be read in full at bit.ly/SF_206.
While a future legislative solution to this dilemma remains to be seen, automotive businesses need to do all they can in the present to protect their consumers’ vehicles as well as their own – and this means keeping their eyes wide open at every turn.
As Watson says, “If Joe Blow off the street goes to these recycling places with 10 catalytic converters and he doesn’t own a shop, you’ve got to know something’s up.”
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