FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — It’s a crime that isn’t seeming to go away...catalytic converter thefts.
Arkansas already has a law on the books to make selling the stolen parts more difficult and Oklahoma lawmakers are now proposing a law to make the crime a felony.
“Last summer we had people about 5 times a day would call and say their cat was stolen or their car was extremely loud when they started it and they didn’t know why. It has died down. We’re probably a couple of times a week now but it’s still too high,” said Chris Eiler.
Owner of Razorback Muffler in Farmington, Chris Eiler says vehicles that sit up higher make the converters easier to get to and certain makes and models of vehicles make them higher targets for thieves. He says thieves can hack off the converters in less than a minute. The reason they are so valuable is they contain precious metals like rhodium, platinum and palladium which can be worth a lot. He says they do offer a way to try and protect your car.
“We’ll actually etch the VIN onto the converter and then we’ve been implementing some cable systems. They aren’t going to stop them completely but it’s something that will detour them and hopefully make them move onto another vehicle or just leave it alone altogether,” he said.
If you’re wondering what the catalytic converter does, it cleans the exhaust gas that comes out of the engine and is an EPA requirement. Some cars have up to four and it can cost between $600 and $800 to replace them, depending on the vehicle and the damage the thief caused.
University of Arkansas Police says two catalytic converters have been stolen from cars on campus in the last two months and there have been two other attempts. Captain Gary Crain says even if you don’t drive your car every day you do need to check it.
“A student may not go out to their car very often, but they should keep an eye on it. When they start it up, if it’s making any kind of sound that’s not the normal sound of the engine than they should get someone to look at it and call the police,” he said.
Razorback Muffler will etch your VIN number onto the converter and put it on the cable system for around $30. UAPD plans to host another etch event but hasn’t set a date yet.
DOWNLOAD THE 5NEWS APP
DOWNLOAD FOR IPHONE HERE | DOWNLOAD FOR ANDROID HERE
HOW TO ADD THE 5NEWS APP TO YOUR STREAMING DEVICE
ROKU: add the channel from the ROKU store or by searching for KFSM in the Channel Store.
For Fire TV, search for "KFSM" to find the free app to add to your account. Another option for Fire TV is to have the app delivered directly to your Fire TV through Amazon.
To report a typo or grammatical error, please email KFSMDigitalTeam@tegna.com.