Most people don't think much about their cars' catalytic converters until these exhaust-system components are stolen. And in Clark County, as in much of the country, that's happening more often.Over the past year, 27 catalytic converter thefts were reported in Vancouver, Camas and unincorporated Clark County. And those reports are only a small portion of the overall thefts.
"(The victim) was in the store about 10 minutes," a typical report read. "When he returned, he jumped in his car and it sounded like a race car. It was then he got out of his 1990 Toyota truck and saw that his catalytic converter had been stolen."
The crime is quick and, with replacement costs in the thousands of dollars, painful. With the vehicle's exhaust diverted from the muffler, it's also loud.
And Toyota trucks, with their high road clearance, are a disproportionate target.
While metal thefts have increased in recent years, catalytic converter thefts are of a different order. Instead of turning large amounts of common metals into nickels and dimes, these thieves turn small amounts of rare metals into dollars. Lots of dollars.
There isn't much metal in a catalytic converter. Sold for scrap, one might fetch you $1 at 5 cents per pound.
But the catalyst - the thing that makes a catalytic converter work - can cost thousands of dollars per ounce. It's typically a combination of platinum, rhodium and palladium.
The price of those elements has spiked in the past five years, with platinum nearly tripling and rhodium selling at 18 times its 2003 value at metal retailer Kitco Inc. Palladium is worth about 40 percent more now than it was five years ago.
With only 4 to 6 grams of these precious metals in a catalytic converter, it wouldn't seem worth the effort. And, for years, it wasn't.
But with platinum, the most common catalyst, selling for more than $1,500 per ounce, a few grams will net $200 or $300.
It's a matter of supply and demand, said Tamarand Campbell, owner of recycler AcmeCatz Inc. in Portland. AcmeCatz buys catalytic converters by the truckload - but from reputable scrap yards, Campbell said, and not the public.
As air quality rules tighten, manufacturers increase the amount of the catalyst metals to keep up, Campbell said. The demand drives the price up, making the catalytic converters doubly attractive.
"The stronger and tighter emissions laws become, the more they have to use," Campbell said. "So the more valuable the converter becomes."
In the first 13 of his 14 years at Vancouver Toyota, assistant service manager Tony Harris said no one came in needing to replace a stolen catalytic converter. Last year, Harris saw 15 or more thefts in two-month periods.
Toyota pickups from the 1991 through 2002 model years get singled out, Harris said, because their converters are easy to reach. Thieves sometimes unbolt the catalytic converter but usually they take a torch or a portable saw, damaging the exhaust system in the process.
"Out of the 50 or 60 we've done, only two or three were taken apart correctly," Harris said.
The same precious metal price spikes that have lured thieves have also boosted the price of replacement catalytic converters, hitting the victim again. Harris said repairing the trucks and replacing the converters runs $1,800 to $3,200.
Because this crime trend developed quickly, theft deterrent devices haven't kept up. One, called the CatClamp, went on the market nine months ago and has sold about 200 units, said Jim Dusa II, president of manufacturer JAM-CJ Innovative Products, based in Toledo, Ohio.
The device locks a cage over the catalytic converter with aircraft wire, slowing down an otherwise quick crime.
"The reason these thieves are stealing them is because it's easy," Dusa said. "They don't even have to get under the vehicle. They stick the cordless reciprocating saw in and gravity does the rest."
Harris hears the horror stories when customers drop their trucks off for repairs. "In one instance," Harris said, "a gentleman left from here after having his oil changed, parked his truck at Vancouver mall, went into Sears, paid his bill, came out and the catalytic converter was gone.
"It was five minutes, and there was no sign of anyone," Harris said.
In Washington, folks can buy used catalytic converters. To be legal, used ones must be recertified by the Environmental Protection Agency and have a two-year warranty, said Kim Schmanke, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Ecology.
These thefts happen day and night across Clark County, said Kim Kapp, spokeswoman with the Vancouver Police Department. "It's at the mall, at Southwest Washington Medical Center, just random places," Kapp said.
While most people would call the police if they saw someone stealing a car's wheels, many people don't recognize a catalytic converter thief, Kapp said. That lets them work in plain view.
If someone is tinkering under a truck in a church or store parking lot, or at night, Kapp said, it could be a thief. And as with traditional thefts, alert citizens can stem this new crime wave.
"If they spot a crime in progress, they should call 911," Kapp said.
Did you know?
Catalytic converters reduce harmful tailpipe emissions including carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides and hydrocarbons.
The catalyst, what makes a catalytic converter work, is usually a precious metal such as platinum, rhodium and palladium.
Vehicles with catalytic converters became common in the mid-1970s, when auto companies introduced them to meet federal emissions guidelines.
Environmental Protection Agency data show that vehicles now emit 96 percent less carbon monoxide, 98 percent less hydrocarbons and 90 percent less nitrogen oxides than those sold in the early 1970s.
Justin Carinci covers law enforcement. He can be reached at 360-735-4517 or justin.carinci@columbian.com.
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