Well, fell victim to the stolen catalytic converters crime wave. 2007 Toyota Tundra with 3" lift (easy access). Was the only truck parked in our facility lot today (holiday). Thought about parking at the back behind our gate, but decided against it. Police report filed, pulling security feeds tomorrow, and filing claim with insurance tomorrow as well.

I know there has been many threads discussing this in the past, especially with Tundras, but what are y'all's recommendations for next steps? Any preferred places in Woodlands/Conroe area to get new cats installed? Go with factory replacements (crazy lead times), or aftermarket replacements? Estimated costs to get them replaced? Recommend driving with no cats till repaired or keeping it parked? And any other words of advice?

I now know what straight headers sound like for exhaust, insanely loud!

Thanks

That sucks

I don't think there are really any downsides to aftermarket cats.

This would help curtail things like cat thefts.

Enjoy your cutout sound. They're an environmental item and not a safety item. They will have minimal effect on performance. You can get into the whole stupid designed exhaust back pressure and valve temp argument but I really doubt that actually matters.

This thing is so loud that if I get over 2k RPMs, then I can't hear my thoughts. I still need to get on the creeper and get underneath and take a closer look to see exactly where they cut, and if they damaged any other components during the process (O2 sensor wires, headers, frame, body, etc.)

Spent most of the night looking at Magnaflow OEM replacement cats, and then figuring out what I will put on behind it, or just keep my existing Flowmaster 50 HD with turn downs. Doesn't look like many other options out there, but I assume a cat is a cat and any competent muffler shop should be able to bend some tubing and throw some universal cats on there.

Any recommendations for a muffler shop around Conroe/Woodlands?

junior200414 said:

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Well, fell victim to the stolen catalytic converters crime wave. 2007 Toyota Tundra with 3" lift (easy access). Was the only truck parked in our facility lot today (holiday). Thought about parking at the back behind our gate, but decided against it. Police report filed, pulling security feeds tomorrow, and filing claim with insurance tomorrow as well.

I know there has been many threads discussing this in the past, especially with Tundras, but what are y'all's recommendations for next steps? Any preferred places in Woodlands/Conroe area to get new cats installed? Go with factory replacements (crazy lead times), or aftermarket replacements? Estimated costs to get them replaced? Recommend driving with no cats till repaired or keeping it parked? And any other words of advice?

I now know what straight headers sound like for exhaust, insanely loud!

Thanks

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Happened to me few weeks back in F'ing Houston. Big soccer tourney and bunch of us from DFW came in.

Starting my Tundra the next AM, like starting a dragster, but with no back pressure, almost no power. They hit half a dozen trucks and a Sequoia. One guy got quoted close to $7K by Firestone. Two of us got "lucky" only had to pay $1,200 for some aftermarket stuff + cost of the tow. Insurance covered, but still.

Apparently it's been all over the news and in Houston, they are hitting everyone: cat lots, parking garages, etc.

Thought about a cat-cage or shielding, but muffler guy said with the aftermarket item, they really won't covet these as they are worth much less? Didn't quite make sense, so might still get?

junior200414 said:

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Any recommendations for a muffler shop around Conroe/Woodlands?

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Your lucky day. I used this guy in Conroe and he was really great. Good people.

It's Muffler Time
12065 FM 3083
Conroe, TX 77301
936-441-0012

DM me if you have any questions

MouthBQ98 said:

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Enjoy your cutout sound. They're an environmental item and not a safety item. They will have minimal effect on performance. You can get into the whole stupid designed exhaust back pressure and valve temp argument but I really doubt that actually matters.

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Not my area of expertise, but my Tundra was as sluggish as a big, fat turtle glugging around town. It was awful. I can't imagine trying to get up to speed on the HWY?

Are Lexus getting hit the same?

Update

Found a shop through word of mouth that has all parts in stock and can repair it today (assuming insurance gets their stuff together fast enough). Submitted claim, towed truck to shop, now just awaiting repair. All in all, not to bad of a process, but still awaiting insurance to move quickly.

The shop is going to put aftermarket cats, and be able to retain all my existing exhaust. Scary thing is how close the fuel lines are to the driver side upper cat. I could see a careless thief cutting these with a hacksaw easily. Luckily mine just had a scratch on them and no major damage. Downstream O2 sensors were obviously gone, but not wire damage. Actually, it's looks like they were unplugged vs ripped off, although they could've been ripped off and the plug just came undone. They estimated the repair to be around $1500. Deductible is only $500, so insurance will pick up the difference.

My 2013 Tundra had the cats stolen over Labor Day weekend. Decided to go with OEM since the truck was essentially an extra vehicle and didn't care too much about lead-time. Plus, I was going through insurance and the deductible was $500 regardless of the total. I had it repaired at Fred Haas in Spring. Total repair bill was around $6k and it took about 6 weeks. The thiefs damaged sensors and some other components when they took the cats so the repair was on the high side.

After the repair, I bought a skid plate from a guy in Katy that fabricates them. It installed pretty easily with help from another person and covers up the cats really well.

BlueSmoke said:

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junior200414 said:

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Well, fell victim to the stolen catalytic converters crime wave. 2007 Toyota Tundra with 3" lift (easy access). Was the only truck parked in our facility lot today (holiday). Thought about parking at the back behind our gate, but decided against it. Police report filed, pulling security feeds tomorrow, and filing claim with insurance tomorrow as well.

I know there has been many threads discussing this in the past, especially with Tundras, but what are y'all's recommendations for next steps? Any preferred places in Woodlands/Conroe area to get new cats installed? Go with factory replacements (crazy lead times), or aftermarket replacements? Estimated costs to get them replaced? Recommend driving with no cats till repaired or keeping it parked? And any other words of advice?

I now know what straight headers sound like for exhaust, insanely loud!

Thanks

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Happened to me few weeks back in F'ing Houston. Big soccer tourney and bunch of us from DFW came in.

Starting my Tundra the next AM, like starting a dragster, but with no back pressure, almost no power. They hit half a dozen trucks and a Sequoia. One guy got quoted close to $7K by Firestone. Two of us got "lucky" only had to pay $1,200 for some aftermarket stuff + cost of the tow. Insurance covered, but still.

Apparently it's been all over the news and in Houston, they are hitting everyone: cat lots, parking garages, etc.

Thought about a cat-cage or shielding, but muffler guy said with the aftermarket item, they really won't covet these as they are worth much less? Didn't quite make sense, so might still get?

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The Cowboys sticker gave you away.

TexAg2001 said:

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My 2013 Tundra had the cats stolen over Labor Day weekend. Decided to go with OEM since the truck was essentially an extra vehicle and didn't care too much about lead-time. Plus, I was going through insurance and the deductible was $500 regardless of the total. I had it repaired at Fred Haas in Spring. Total repair bill was around $6k and it took about 6 weeks. The thiefs damaged sensors and some other components when they took the cats so the repair was on the high side.

After the repair, I bought a skid plate from a guy in Katy that fabricates them. It installed pretty easily with help from another person and covers up the cats really well.

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name of fabricator plz?

https://www.katymagazineonline.com/post/catalytic-converters-stolen-from-katy-isd-parking-lots

Find a cover made of Proteus.

JSKolache said:

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TexAg2001 said:

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My 2013 Tundra had the cats stolen over Labor Day weekend. Decided to go with OEM since the truck was essentially an extra vehicle and didn't care too much about lead-time. Plus, I was going through insurance and the deductible was $500 regardless of the total. I had it repaired at Fred Haas in Spring. Total repair bill was around $6k and it took about 6 weeks. The thiefs damaged sensors and some other components when they took the cats so the repair was on the high side.

After the repair, I bought a skid plate from a guy in Katy that fabricates them. It installed pretty easily with help from another person and covers up the cats really well.

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name of fabricator plz?

https://www.katymagazineonline.com/post/catalytic-converters-stolen-from-katy-isd-parking-lots

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It was this guy. Cost $300 and came with all necessary hardware for installation. He responded pretty quickly through facebook messenger

https://www.facebook.com/groups/702579966497759/permalink/4264043547018032/?sale_post_id=4264043547018032&referralSurface=messenger_lightspeed_banner&referralCode=messenger_banner

JSKolache said:

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TexAg2001 said:

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My 2013 Tundra had the cats stolen over Labor Day weekend. Decided to go with OEM since the truck was essentially an extra vehicle and didn't care too much about lead-time. Plus, I was going through insurance and the deductible was $500 regardless of the total. I had it repaired at Fred Haas in Spring. Total repair bill was around $6k and it took about 6 weeks. The thiefs damaged sensors and some other components when they took the cats so the repair was on the high side.

After the repair, I bought a skid plate from a guy in Katy that fabricates them. It installed pretty easily with help from another person and covers up the cats really well.

---

name of fabricator plz?

https://www.katymagazineonline.com/post/catalytic-converters-stolen-from-katy-isd-parking-lots

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We had more stolen off of a bunch of Ford vans at work this past Saturday, they hit us at 3ish in the afternoon. I park my work truck right under one of the cameras so they left mine alone (according to PD).

Unfortunately my work truck got a check engine light the next day, and the shop can't look at it until all of the Cats are replaced.

My Tundra got hit in Katy when I was in the doctor's office off 99 and I10. When sounded like I was at the drag strip. Cost was $5800 to replace all four cats at Katy Toyota . Insurance paid most of it. Since that time I learned from others on Texags there is a place in Spring Branch, Mayco Muffler Shop on Long Point that does good work. He replaces the cats and adds a strap that will cause problems if they try to cut through the exhaust pipe. His price is around $1200 for complete job. I have heard nothing but good things about this shop and their work.

BlueSmoke said:

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MouthBQ98 said:

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Enjoy your cutout sound. They're an environmental item and not a safety item. They will have minimal effect on performance. You can get into the whole stupid designed exhaust back pressure and valve temp argument but I really doubt that actually matters.

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Not my area of expertise, but my Tundra was as sluggish as a big, fat turtle glugging around town. It was awful. I can't imagine trying to get up to speed on the HWY?

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Your O2 sensors are giving the engine crap feedback on their operation so it would be doing crap things in fuel air mix. If you get the computer to work normally by spoofing normal O2 sensor input, your engine would run just fine without cats.

Why thieves love to steal catalytic converters (thehustle.co)

Sounds like this is primarily happening with cars that are higher and thus easier to get under there and cut them off without jacking them up. Have there been many instances of cars that have been jacked up to cut them off?

BCOBQ98 said:

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Sounds like this is primarily happening with cars that are higher and thus easier to get under there and cut them off without jacking them up. Have there been many instances of cars that have been jacked up to cut them off?

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I've seen some news reports of Prius cat thefts. They jack them up and cut them off. Get a cheap jack at Harbor Freight and a cheap battery powered sawzall and it's game on for these dirtbags.

I had some cat collars put on my truck and the shop I went to said they had replaced some cats on a Prius or two.

Yeah, Prius gets hit pretty often.

maroon barchetta said:

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BCOBQ98 said:

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Sounds like this is primarily happening with cars that are higher and thus easier to get under there and cut them off without jacking them up. Have there been many instances of cars that have been jacked up to cut them off?

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I've seen some news reports of Prius cat thefts. They jack them up and cut them off. Get a cheap jack at Harbor Freight and a cheap battery powered sawzall and it's game on for these dirtbags.

I had some cat collars put on my truck and the shop I went to said they had replaced some cats on a Prius or two.

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Would be a shame if the Harbor Freight tools of choice failed and pinned a thief or two under said Priuses (Priii?)

https://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2021/03/19/apparent-catalytic-converter-thief-crushed-to-death-collapsing-car-anaheim/

MouthBQ98 said:

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BlueSmoke said:

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MouthBQ98 said:

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Enjoy your cutout sound. They're an environmental item and not a safety item. They will have minimal effect on performance. You can get into the whole stupid designed exhaust back pressure and valve temp argument but I really doubt that actually matters.

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Not my area of expertise, but my Tundra was as sluggish as a big, fat turtle glugging around town. It was awful. I can't imagine trying to get up to speed on the HWY?

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Your O2 sensors are giving the engine crap feedback on their operation so it would be doing crap things in fuel air mix. If you get the computer to work normally by spoofing normal O2 sensor input, your engine would run just fine without cats.

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Except it would smell like burning ******* for everyone around,...

Don't run without cats. It's a ****** move.

I'm assuming that insurance will cover the cost of replacement less deductible?

BCOBQ98 said:

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I'm assuming that insurance will cover the cost of replacement less deductible?

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It should. Mine did. I could do the repair basically anywhere and the deductible was the same no matter what the repair cost was.

Not advocating it, just saying it can be done without harming the engine or affecting performance if need be

junior200414 said:

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https://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2021/03/19/apparent-catalytic-converter-thief-crushed-to-death-collapsing-car-anaheim/

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You hate to see it.

Mine covered it. Went to Ripleys in Rayford. Went with the aftermarket cats since my truck is long out of warranty, and I didn't feel like waiting 4+ months. Longest part of the repair was the back and forth with insurance adjuster and the shop. They didn't communicate well with the shop, so I was forced to call insurance often to keep things moving.

TexAg2001 said:

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JSKolache said:

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TexAg2001 said:

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My 2013 Tundra had the cats stolen over Labor Day weekend. Decided to go with OEM since the truck was essentially an extra vehicle and didn't care too much about lead-time. Plus, I was going through insurance and the deductible was $500 regardless of the total. I had it repaired at Fred Haas in Spring. Total repair bill was around $6k and it took about 6 weeks. The thiefs damaged sensors and some other components when they took the cats so the repair was on the high side.

After the repair, I bought a skid plate from a guy in Katy that fabricates them. It installed pretty easily with help from another person and covers up the cats really well.

---

name of fabricator plz?

https://www.katymagazineonline.com/post/catalytic-converters-stolen-from-katy-isd-parking-lots

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It was this guy. Cost $300 and came with all necessary hardware for installation. He responded pretty quickly through facebook messenger

https://www.facebook.com/groups/702579966497759/permalink/4264043547018032/?sale_post_id=4264043547018032&referralSurface=messenger_lightspeed_banner&referralCode=messenger_banner

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Had mine stolen off 2015 Tundra sometime between midnight and 5:30 in a lighted parking lot at a IAH hotel. Pisses me off. I won't see my truck for weeks (months?). Haas Spring helpful, but what a pain in the ass. Thanks for the info on this skid plate.

I'll read through the rest of this thread, but can someone tell me if Toyotas are easy marks for these MFers? Should I try to find a skid plate for my wife's Highlander?

lifted toyotas, tundras are #1 target

Watching our security cams at work, is also very easy to do on a box truck. mfers

You know those robotic sentries with the machine guns they had in "Aliens"?

Yeah. That would be your solution.

https://makeagif.com/amp/aAlTh2