Catalytic converter protection?

[sprinter209]

Hey all Sprinter-people: how concerned are you re keeping your catalytic converter intact? I’ve asked Agile Off-Road, M-B dealers & other companies if they have or know of a product that would prevent/slow thieves, but can’t find anything.

We’ve got a 2017 1500 4x4 Sprinter.

Any experience amongst our great group would be very helpful. Thanks in advance!

[simplesez]

I seriously doubt anyone is going to cut the catalytic converter on a 2017 sprinter. It is not easily accessed like those vehicles that are getting theirs stolen. The downstream side maybe they can get to but they are not getting above the cat as it is in the engine bay. A well placed metal shield will stop the access from below if it makes you sleep at night.

My Ecoboost transit has a similar cat location. Not concerned. My land cruiser has two cats that are mid ship and could be cut out in 2 minutes. That truck stays in the garage.

[Offroading_is_Fun]

I think a lot of people are quite worried. Fundamentally no penalty, the person who steals it makes $200/cat and the person who has to pay to replace (in some circumstances) a full exhaust system for a couple $thou. (Parents had their catalytic converter out of their car stolen, it was cheaper to give the car away and take the write-off because a catalytic converter cost more than what the car is worth... Not to mention all of the other body/extra undercarriage damage they did while stealing the cats. They could have at least been professional enough to only steal the cats. Happened at 6PM, as Amazon was making a delivery.).

Bottom line is all the battery powered tools nowadays means they are gone in minutes and any "cage" put around it can simply be cut, too (At least, everything I've seen).

Best option.... Garage, or kept well out of sight. Even in "nice" neighborhoods that historically haven't had any issues with theft.

[kcshoots]

I agree with @simplesez that the Sprinter cats are well protected. But on a more vulnerable vehicle, perhaps a stainless perforated sheet under the cats to make it hard to quickly get to them yet let the heat out. Will cost money, add some weight, take some brackets to support and defect some heat back to the vehicle body and other parts, so have to access if worth the risk of cats being stolen. I'll bet that vehicles with cats stolen is probably a million to one, even thought we hear about the few that it's happened to it seems like a much larger issue that it statistically is.

[SteveTOaks]

There was a segment on MotorWeek recently about stolen converters. One suggestion was to install U-bolts on the exhaust pipes next to the converters to make it hard to get a saw on the pipe. Another suggestion was to park over a mud puddle.

[BrianW]

That sounds kind of silly. They’ll just cut further back behind the u-bolts. And park over a mud puddle? Hmmm, hard hitting journalism there [emoji23]