The catalytic converter on your car is part of the exhaust system that assists in the reduction of toxic gases that are produced by engines. Which is all good and well, but catalytic converts are also made with expensive, rare metals such as platinum, which is putting these critical parts at risk.

Getty Stock/Think Stock
Getty Stock/Think Stock
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Thieves have been known to steal catalytic converters from vehicles in a matter of minutes, usually by cutting them out with a saw from the exhaust system and selling them to scrap yards for cash. There are also numerous classified listings on Facebook for catalytic converters as well.

The cost to the victim from these thefts is substantial. The average cost to replace a catalytic converter is anywhere from $500 to $1,500 on cars, while diesel vehicles can run up to $4,000 to replace.

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According to the Denver Channel, 15 catalytic converters were stolen in Denver in 2019. In 2020, 257 catalytic converters were stolen. Now, 2021 is tracking to be a massive year for the theft of catalytic converters too, as Denver has seen a total of 108 thefts in January. That means the increase in the thefts of catalytic converters has jumped to over 1,600 percent.

Last week in Thornton, an Innovage fleet was targeted and a total of fourteen catalytic converters were stolen in approximately an hour. The total damage was over $20,000.

Source: The Denver Channel

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