apologies if this is old news - spotted the information today. Does the BR think it's worthwhile, or is it another way to make money from motorists' paranoia?
(btw I have no connection with the supplier, never even heard of them before now)
'Retainagroup, the car security marking and registration systems specialist, is working with Ford to provide a simple yet effective method of permanently marking catalytic converters to give them a unique identity.
Criminal gangs across the UK are stealing catalytic converters from vehicles at an increasing rate. The precious metal content (usually platinum) fetches around £100 for just a few minutes' work. Previously there was no way of identifying one converter from another, so thieves ran a low risk of being charged, even if caught.
Each mark, applied to the casing of the catalytic converter, comprises a logo (the manufacturer's or Retainagroup's International Security Register), a unique seven-digit code and a 24-hour telephone number. Once the mark has been applied, the unique code is recorded with vehicle and owner details on the register and can be verified immediately at any time, day or night, 365 days per year. The service is free except for the cost of the call and means that thieves stealing a marked and registered converter will put themselves at risk of being apprehended and charged.
Marking and registration packs will be available from Ford dealerships either as individual customer kits priced at £11.87 inc VAT, or 'fleet packs' containing marking material for 30 vehicles, priced at £136.85 inc VAT.
Paul Lambotte, Head of Unit for the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) Vehicle Crime Intelligence Service (AVCIS) said: "The theft of catalytic converters has become an increasing problem for vehicle owners. This crime disables the vehicle and has an environmental impact. AVCIS welcomes initiatives, such as catalytic converter marking, that enable the identification of stolen goods that are found in criminals' possession."
DC Ian Elliott of the Metropolitan Police Stolen Vehicle Unit added: "Such a proactive approach by Ford and Retainagroup to something that is heading towards epidemic levels in the UK ought not to go unrecognised. It is public spirited initiatives like this, working in partnership with local crime reduction officers, which enable acquisitive crimes such as catalytic converter theft to be significantly reduced. Due to the items being traceable, they are less attractive to thieves because the perpetrators stand a significant risk of being caught and charged.'
|
Most scrap dealers will accept anything without question,so why would marking the cat make the slightest difference. And the marking or etching could be ground out or ablitorated in seconds.It would only work if the scum stealing them were caught with one in his / her possesion prior to the marking being oblitorated.My daughters boyfriend had his stolen ,so as further protection wrapped the replacement in barbed wire.And before you say it went through the mot like it.
|
Can you not 'tack' a weld on the nuts & bolts to stop them being undone?
Then just grind the weld down or cut through the bolt at a later date if required?
Cat conv' versus the price of a handful of nuts & bolts - I know my preference on cost here!
|
Tron
They're far too lazy to bother undoing rusted fasteners; they just cut the pipes with a pipe-cutter.
The victim then needs the front and middle sections replacing too.
|
I've only know it to happen to 4x4smostly as there's no need to jack the vehicle up to gain access.
|
Not only 4x4 but vans and light trucks are a target
|
they also like bt vans, also they have started to cut the pipes from the diesel tanks to nick the derv and make a nice mess in the depots whilst doing it.
|
|
|
|
The precious metal content (usually platinum) fetches around £100
Interesting. I should be extremely surprised if an actual scrap catalytic converter was worth "around £100".
Marking and registration packs will be available
However, this is quite a good idea, if at first sight fairly easy to circumvent.
|
|
Why not just chassis number??
|
As already stated, a lot of yards I'm aware of accept scrap without question. This won't make the slightest difference. Quite a few of our local main dealers have had them nicked off the used cars on the forecourt.
One guy was sat in his 4x4 on an industrial estate the other night. Thieves didn't notice he was in there and promptly slid under his car and began to cut his exhaust in half. They had a bit of a shock when he turned the engine on.
|
|
|
|
Interesting. I should be extremely surprised if an actual scrap catalytic converter was worth "around £100".
Just what I was thinking, I paid £85 + fitting last year, although I notice some cats from the same supplier are nearing £500, is there more platinum in newer catalytic converters than in ones for 10 year old cars?
|
A scrappie will give you five times more for a genuine cat than for a pattern one - draw your own conclusions.....
|
A scrappie will give you five times more for a genuine cat than for a pattern one - draw your own conclusions.....
Hmm, could this be why my car always struggles to get through the emmissions part of the MOT despite the engine being in good condition, new plugs, lambda, cat etc?
If the pattern cat is less efficient that could be it i suppose?
|
Most pattern cats are a joke; almost one-shot use - fit it, MOT test it, sell the car. P0420 - "catalyst efficiency below threshold." is back within a week.
You get some now that are no more than a 3" cube in a pipe; can't see those going for much at a scrappie.
|
|
so the next mot should be done and the cat sent back to Quickly fit
|
|
|
Most pattern cats are a joke
The best thing to do with catalytic converters would be to make them optional. Engine development and economy could then get back on the right track - to say nothing of emissions on the most common length journeys.
Yeah, and I re-open this to add that we would not be dusting our roads and cities with finely divided platinum, storing up Goodness -knows-what for the future.
Edited by Webmaster on 18/08/2008 at 00:59
|
Engine development and economy could then get back on the right track - to say nothing of emissions on the most common length journeys.
Spot on. We can no longer afford the stupidity of compulsory cats with oil at $100+
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The government should be trying to improve the moral standards of the population in general and then all crimes would fall, and your cat would be safe and wouldn't need marking. If only we could return to the first half of the last century in that respect.
|
The ingenuity and front of these individuals truly awes me, just imagine how successful they could become if they put as much effort into honest work.
Don't think any of the constant deterioration will halt until we have a government prepared to make a jail term hard labour, cos the biggest fear of most of these scrotes is hard work,
it won't be the current bunch or the next lot, but it may come in the future when the majority of us have had enough.
Its getting ridiculous, i've got a motorcycle chain and mighty padlock round the spare on the pick up, do we now do the same with the cat, would a steel plate bolted under the cat stop the likelihood of theft.
If this carries on our motor will tare off at 3 tons at this rate, half a ton of protective measures.
Is it only a urban area problem or has this spread to rural areas too?
|
"If only we could return to the first half of the last century in that respect."
It could be argued that the effect of the war was to instill a temporary sense of responsibility into the population taht wasn't present before or after. Victorian London was a pretty dangerous place. All this harking back to the good old days is rose tinted specs in my opinion.
|
"If only we could return to the first half of the last century in that respect."
Don't forget there was much less stuff worth stealing then and mobility for the average scrote was poor. I don't think the population is any more thieving now than it was at any time in the past, with the possible exception of stealing to pay for drug addiction. The media have a lot to answer for.
|
|
Saw a report recently saying 80-85% of all theft/mugging etc. is related to drug addiction.
|
|
|
|
