Pima County is not immune to the wave of catalytic converter thefts reported across the nation, an official said.
One victim, Neal Bonser, was feeling the effects of the crime Saturday, as he was still waiting for his vehicle to be fixed after the device was stolen from his vehicle two weeks ago.
The vehicle fell victim to the theft while parked at the Rillito River Park Disc Golf Course near West Ruthrauff Road and North La Cholla Boulevard.
“You’re almost immediately out of sight of the parking lot when you play there, and it was sort of an unusually not crowded day there, so there weren’t many other cars around,” Bonser said.
Following a round at the course, Bonser returned to his hybrid Lexus SUV, which when operational produces little engine noise, he said.
“I started it up to get ready to go. It sounded like a Camaro with a muffler missing. First, I thought, whose car is that? I didn’t realize it was mine. Horribly loud engine noise, but it still managed to run,” Bonser said.
While not knowing how far he might get with the car problems, Bonser managed to get to a Toyota dealership to diagnose the problem and fix it.
“As soon as the guy at the Toyota place heard it, he pretty much knew. He looked underneath and said somebody just sawed your catalytic converter right out from under your car,” Bonser said. “I’d never heard of this kind of crime, and now I’m hearing all about it, and it’s apparently getting more and more common.”
Insurance covered the repairs after Bonser paid a deductible.
Pima County Sheriff’s Detective Robert Fiore calls the thefts an “everywhere kind of issue” not limited to just one section of the county.
“This is basically a nationwide trend. We were looking at our numbers, we’ve had a lot of them. We’ve seen an increase since beginning of the year and definitely see that this is an issue,” Fiore said.
It usually costs around $1,000 or more to repair the emission-control device, Fiore said.
Fiore highlighted that some of thefts were done on lifted vehicles such as trucks allowing for easy access underneath them as well as Priuses, although there was no known reason for targeting those vehicles.
The thefts can be done in 15 minutes or less using a readily available power tool.
“There are rare elements inside the catalytic converters, platinum for sure, and the price is pretty high right now. So that’s why you see the increase,” Fiore said. “They are selling them right now for about $150 as the going price for a used, cut out catalytic converter.”
Allstate insurance said the metals in catalytic converter, such as platinum, palladium or rhodium, are valuable to metal recyclers. According to edmunds.com, recyclers then “extract the metal and resell it for as much as $6,000 an ounce, as in the case of rhodium.” Late model Toyotas and Nissans are typically targeted in the thefts, as are lifted trucks and SUVs, according to edmunds.com.
The websites said there are theft deterrents, including welding the bolts that attach the catalytic converter to the exhaust, etching your vehicle’s VIN on it and the availability of after-market anti-theft devices that can protect the device from being stolen.
Fiore did confirm their efforts have led to arrests, but a specific number was not provided.
“I would recommend for any of our citizens, if they have trucks that are a little bit lifted to definitely keep an eye on them, for people to work as a community to keep an eye out for their neighbor’s vehicles when they’re coming and going,” Fiore said. “Let us know if someone’s underneath the vehicle that’s not supposed to be there. That’s definitely concerning for us.”
Bonser said he won’t be taking the vehicle to the course anymore, instead using an older vehicle lower to the ground. But the theft won’t really change the efforts he has made to protect his vehicles.
“I’ll definitely be a little bit more aware of it, but I don’t tend to park places that I think are at risk other than that one place,” he said.
Down the Road
Downtown Links update
The intersection of North Stone and East Toole avenues will close Monday, May 3, at 6 a.m. for storm drain installation. The work will likely conclude by the end of July.
Pedestrians and bicyclists will have access to the Stone Avenue underpass on at least one side. Bicyclists must walk their bike through the area.
Motorists, bicyclists and pedestrians should anticipate intermittent lane restrictions throughout the limits of the project in addition to the scheduled intersection work.
I-10, Houghton interchange work
A traffic switch is coming to the northside of the Interstate 10-South Houghton Road interchange overnight Monday.
The work will involve intermittent delays and ramp closures while crews shift the ramp configuration farther north of the interchange between 9 p.m. and 5 a.m. Tuesday.
The entrance ramp to I-10 westbound will be shifted to a temporary location north of the existing on-ramp.
Because of the temporary configuration, motorists exiting westbound I-10 will be required to turn north onto Houghton Road. No left turns will be allowed.
Motorists trying to reach southbound Houghton should exit at Rita Road and re-enter I-10 eastbound to access Houghton. The left-turn restriction is expected to be in place several months, until the new bridge and new ramp connections are in place.
