Solved: Loud Rumbling & Tailpipe Smoke (3rd Gen 2017 Tacoma)

After these converters are stolen , then processed by whom , then the metals that are recovered are sold to whom ?

 

It is still a bolt on. The joints at each end of the midpipe are still there.



If the OP wants to stay stock, I might suggest looking at car-part.com for one of those from a salvage yard.

 

Im curious about this too, where does a thief sell these? Is there that big of a market for used Cats or they get broken down into the precious metals???

 

The whole section including the cat is bolt in. Part no. 17450B is that whole assembly and MSRP is $1028.43 on the Toyota website.

 

Broken down. I saw a vid on YouTube about it. Quite a bit of work for one or two cats, but on an industrial scale, it is worth a bunch of money.

 

its free money to them.. they sell it to scrap yards. Yes they have platnum group metals in them

 

so scrap yards go to local precise metal dealers to sell their goods

 

Wow ,mother fuckers

 

Back when I worked at the junkyard, cats were worth $100-$300 depending on the size of them. I used to pull the cats on all junk cars that I was parting out, then sell them to a scrapper. Usually what I got for the cats would cover the cost of the car.

 

You don't even have to take it to a scrap yard, you can sell that shit online

https://rrcats.com/ship-us-cats/

 

Somebody getting shot that shit happens in my driveway

 

maybe not the best video but gives you some things to think about

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Je33xbrjqGo

 

Considering how quickly you can do it, doubtful

A cheap HF sawzall + a good metal blade will chop a cat in under 15 seconds, and they're gone.

 

No they aren't.

 

they are so quick you wont even know they are gone until its too late. But it mostly happens in parking garages (cars left over night) etc

 

@5nahalf sounds like you may know how this fencing pipeline of converters work .

 

It's also not loud to chop at all. You would think it is, but the newer blade go through pipe like butter w.o all the noise.

 

I know enough to know that most recyclers dont ask questions about where the shopping cart of cats.

 

The last few that have been posted were during a work day. Just crazy.


I could imagine a few scenarios how it could be done with folks not even questioning it.

 

Anyone in the auto industry pretty much knows this. Especially if you have parted out a car.

We have scrap guys that come by weekly for scrap and always begging for any converters we may have replaced and have the old ones.

Prius is a big target here along with Honda element and older crvs.

Seeing this, I'm going to work on a plate to make it too much trouble to steal mine.