cat theft protection for 1st gen Tacomas?

I hear ya. And everyone's situation is different. For me the expense and hassle of fabricating something to block access to the cat just doesnt make sense.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2MMRUyXzv9c&ab_channel=DoorbellNews-RingVideoDoorbellCameraVideos

 

I wish that were the case out here. I had to replace both cats on my 04 about 6 years ago (not stolen, just went bad) and that was before the crazy price hike on them. Needed 50 state legal ones and didn't want to buy OEM for $3k, so I went with Magnaflows. Cost about $600 installed out the door in 2016. These days they probably cost double that.

The 48 or 49 state legal ones are way cheaper though indeed.

 

Yeah, a friend with a Prius had his taken too (apparently the Prius has two cats?). I didn't worry about it initially because it was only happening in the "bad" parts of town, but increasingly it's everywhere in this region. I guess we'll find out how much of a gambler I really am! ha

 

I don't worry about the cats being stolen on my '96 or '18. In the slight chance that it happens, I will just have them replace and report to insurance.
Life's too short to worry about everything.

 

My neighbor with a 20 year old Acura had theirs stolen last week so it looks like they don't really give a crap how old the vehicle is.

 

Says the guy with two trucks and a sports car...

 

They don't get memos. Seriously though if I were real worried (and it is bad out there I know) I'd beat them to the punch and keep it in the closet except when needed to pass smog.

I'd rather bolt it in and out every year than relace it.

 

So you have $0 insurance deductible? My neighbor with a Honda Element had to wait 40 days for a cat to come in stock, insurance covered it but he was still out $400 deductible. He wasn't able to use his car during that time. My 2006 Accord cat was stolen a few months later and I had to wait months for a regular priced one ($550) to come in stock.

 

Cat theft falls under comprehensive which typically and in my case carries -0- deductible. I owned/operated a chain of auto parts stores for 16 years so it would take me about a day (if that) to get a new Cat.
It's silly to have a $400 deductible for comprehensive for what little you would save in premiums.
You know exhaust companies like Walker and AP exhaust make universal Cats for most all cars/trucks for around $150. I had to replace the Cat on my '96 a few years ago at about 350,000 miles and it was like $120 (Walker). I would never buy an OEM cat.

 

My cat was from Walker, it was the cheapest one available at $550. In Cali, we have a roster of catalytic converters we can buy just like gunz. During the bi-annual smog test, they also do a visual inspection to see if the model number cross checks with the list.

This is the list you can buy from:
https://ssl.arb.ca.gov/AftermarketParts/catalysts

We can't even get a non compliant one shipped to us in Cali.

 

^ Just one of many reasons not to live a CA.

 

I removed my cat years ago, so I'm not to worried about someone stealing it.

 

Does removing the Cat affect engine reliability? Asking because I thought that the fuel system needed information from the O2 sensors to "work properly"

 

Mine has ran fine for several years now, both with the S/C and now without it.

 

The more I look into it, I may take the chance and not put anything on it. It's old enough to be grandfathered out of emissions testing, so I guess replacing it would be straight-forward enough. The worry is it's my daily driver, so I'd be stuck without it (and car rental prices these days are insane).

I hear ya on the worry about someone stealing it. I have a manual though, so figure the young crowd out hijacking trucks in the middle of the night have no idea what to do with that third pedal haha

 

That's my thought - just like door locks: they won't stop the seriously committed, but most of the time they just move on to an easier target.

As an aside: I was looking at the CatClamp universal standard, but wasn't 100% sure it'd work on my 95.5. I'll reach out to them!

 

All you have is the CEL on right?

 

Once in awhile it comes on, I just clear it.

 

Do you really think a cat thief is going to risk the extra time/attention that a sawzall or angle grinder will bring?

Sure, its only going to add some time for a determine theif, but most cat thieves are going to move on to easier, less risky locations (IMO).


I added an aluminum plate to my Prius after the cat was stolen. Neighbors Ring camera caught the act (but resolution not good enough to ID)... My plate uses two different sizes of button-head allen screws, as well as several pop-rivets.

Sure, with the proper tools its only an extra 7 - 10 minutes, but how many cat thieves are going to be carrying allen wrenches and take the time to find the right size, and then bust out the drill (loud) to drill the rivets?