Catalytic Converter Theft

[lynnmor 7,307]

No, not the type where deadbeats crawl under and saw them out, but the thieves at the scrapyard.  I took an old one with little use to two different scrapyards and was quoted $5 and $25.  I believe that the national average is about $160 and the one I have is is valued a bit more than that.  The first clown that offered $5 said that it was an aftermarket and he could tell by the poor welds.  I personally hung that thing in the barn when the car was less than two years old and it was OEM.

[Handy Don 12,233]

Clearly you looked like someone they thought they could bamboozle. 

Here in NY, it is illegal for a scrap yard to sell a used converter to a consumer or repair shop and illegal for a repair shop to install a used one even on a near-end-of-life vehicle!

The yards have become so concerned about stolen stuff that the ones near me take photos of you and your ID when recording each transaction.

[ri702bill 8,327]

Back in 2005, my son gave me a 1994 saturn SL1 five speed with 143,000 on the clock. Actually not a half bad car. He had gotten it for $100 - seems the son of the female owner did a bit of late night off-roadin' - broke the LF headlight assembly, the bumper cover and cracked one of the plastic tanks on the cross flow radiator. The woman had that headlight assembly replaced with a so-so  salvage yard one... He bought an online radiator ($85), installed it and drove it for a year before he and the Family packed up and moved to NC.

I fixed a few things, the car would get 41 MPG!!!  UNTIL a portion of the honeycomb departed from the inside of the converter - wiggled & danced down the Z shaped centerpipe and lodged in the first bend. Car had no power - sounded like a steam whistle!!!

Replaced the converter for $140, cut the centerpipe to fish our the honeycomb chunk, rewelded the pipe. Good to go...

I got $80 for the old converter with the chunk stuck inside.....

 

Perhaps that yard RESELLS their scrap for a profit - most do...

[Handy Don 12,233]

Yep, they sell to specialized recyclers and the trade is closely tracked. Hasn’t stopped thefts of those (or airbags).

[lynnmor 7,307]

1 minute ago, Handy Don said:

Yep, they sell to specialized recyclers and the trade is closely tracked. Hasn’t stopped thefts of those (or airbags).

I think that the cats are rarely sold for use, it is the valuable contents that brings the value. 

[953 nut 55,281]

How Much Is The Platinum In A Catalytic Converter Worth? 

The average catalytic converter has 3 to 7 grams of platinum worth about $100 – $237. Platinum is more valuable than gold, silver, and even palladium and is a good target for thieves.

As of 2022, the platinum price is $997 per ounce and $32.18 per gram. Keep in mind the platinum price constantly fluctuates.

[Pullstart 62,905]

I know of a driveway, from back in my younger days, where there is plenty of platinum, scattered all about the drive… not incriminating any hammers and rods for more power or anything…

[bc.gold 3,403]

4 hours ago, Pullstart said:

I know of a driveway, from back in my younger days, where there is plenty of platinum, scattered all about the drive… not incriminating any hammers and rods for more power or anything…

 

I often find bags of loose converter comb at one particular landfill, farmers using purple gasoline will eventually poison the converter. One power loss is noted the comb is removed.

 

Imports have a higher precious metals loading this assures the catalytic will exceed warranty thus saving the manufacture the cost of dealing with a failed converter on foreign soil.

 

Bets price I got was $1500.00 for a converter from Dodge diesel, the GM bread loafs depending on size $400.00 / $300.00.

 

Due to junkyard shenanigans, I haven't sold my cats to any of them in years, instead I strip the precious metals wash coat off of the comb using chemicals easily obtained from the hardware store.

 

I've seen an assay from catalytic converters that spent their entire life on asphalt, $135.00 per pound of comb while my country cats assayed at $35.00 per lb. Poor vehicle maintenance and dusty roads a contributing factor.

 

Fine dust particles by passing the paper air cartridge sand blast the converter wash coat out of the tailpipe.

 

Turbo charged domestic vehicles will also have more precious metals content due to the forced air induction with increased vacuum at the air filter drawing in more dust. Dust so fine its invisible to the naked human eye.

 

The best air filter you can have is an oil bath.

 

 

Edited February 7, 2023 by bc.gold

[Pullstart 62,905]

8 minutes ago, bc.gold said:

The best air filter you can have is an oil bath.

Amen!

[bc.gold 3,403]

17 hours ago, 953 nut said:

How Much Is The Platinum In A Catalytic Converter Worth? 

The average catalytic converter has 3 to 7 grams of platinum worth about $100 – $237. Platinum is more valuable than gold, silver, and even palladium and is a good target for thieves.

As of 2022, the platinum price is $997 per ounce and $32.18 per gram. Keep in mind the platinum price constantly fluctuates.

 

You forgot Rhodium,  $10,850.00 troy ounce, which is also one of the three metals used in catalytic converters.

[Handy Don 12,233]

I’m resigned to replacing my ‘04 car in the next six months (before it’s next NYS inspection). 299k miles but the cat is done and a replacement will be $1,500 plus labor to meet new NYS rules.

[bc.gold 3,403]

I can see this happening in the near future, when you purchase a new fossil powered vehicle the catylist used in the converter will be leased to the consumer.,  End of life the catalytic converter will be disassembled then assayed for metal loss fro which you will pay for.

 

Description

 

Mitsubishi International Corporation (“MIC”) enters into precious metal lease transactions. The precious metals transacted will be: gold, silver, platinum, palladium and/or rhodium. The metal is, in case of the transactions with oil refining companies, processed with chemicals and made into catalysts required for the counter parties' operations. At the end of the term of the transaction, the counter parties return either:
 

(i) the original metal provided (after applying chemical processes to separate it from the other chemicals with which it has been mixed); or
 

(ii) the same type of precious metal (i.e. platinum, gold, etc.) in the same quantity and grade as the metal originally provided by MIC.
In return, MIC receives a lease fee.

 

This type of transaction is commonly referred to as a "precious metal lease".

[bc.gold 3,403]

 Still plenty of snow but was warm yesterday so I had decided to process some platinum.

 

Posted to show colour of platinum in a leach, palladium is coffee brown.