|
|
11-23-2020, 07:42 PM
|
#1
|
Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2019
Location: Arizona
Posts: 2,205
|
Catalytic Converter Thieves
The storage yard where I store my Dolphin was hit by catalytic converter thieves the other night. I got a voice mail message from the RV yard yesterday saying there had been an "incident" with my rig, but they provided zero details. I didn't know if that meant it had burned to the ground, been backed into or broken into, and since they were then closed for the day by the time I got the message it was a long night worrying what had happened to my moho. I knew the guy who was parked next to me with a travel trailer had poor backing skills and was like a bull in a china shop. I happened to be working at the moho a week ago when he was trying to put his trailer away and could see he was clueless so was watching him closely while his wife guided him in. Sure enough, I had to scream at him to keep him from backing into the side of my rig that time, so I was expecting the worst this time.
Since the office was closed today and I could not speak to anyone I just drove over there and let myself in with my gate code. My coach looked just as I left it, inside and out. No damage whatsoever!! I figured that they must have had the wrong coach and went home.
This afternoon I got another call from the yard and the manager explained that someone had broken in and cut the catalytic converters off a number of motor homes, mine being one of them. So I drove over there again to take a look for myself, and sure enough! Gone!! They did nice work though... the cuts are very clean!
I guess my next call will be to my insurance company. I hear stores of $800-1,200 EACH for Workhorse converters (ouch!) but I see Magnaflow converters for around $200 so maybe that's a possibility. Anyone got any experience with finding replacement converters for a W-series Workhorse chassis?
__________________
2004 National Dolphin LX 6320, W-22, 8.1, Allison 1000, Front/rear "Trac" Bars & Anti-sway Bars, Sumo Springs, Roadmaster Reflex Steering Stabilizer, 2005 PT Cruiser Toad
|
|
|
|
Join the #1 RV Forum Today - It's Totally Free!
iRV2.com RV Community - Are you about to start a new improvement on your RV or need some help with some maintenance? Do you need advice on what products to buy? Or maybe you can give others some advice? No matter where you fit in you'll find that iRV2 is a great community to join. Best of all it's totally FREE!
You are currently viewing our boards as a guest so you have limited access to our community. Please take the time to register and you will gain a lot of great new features including; the ability to participate in discussions, network with other RV owners, see fewer ads, upload photographs, create an RV blog, send private messages and so much, much more!
|
11-23-2020, 07:45 PM
|
#2
|
Community Moderator
Monaco Owners Club
Join Date: Jul 2016
Location: Central, Arkansas
Posts: 11,202
|
Converter scrap prices are throught the roof right now. This is going to become a lot more common.
__________________
2004 Beaver Monterey Laguna IV
Cummins ISC 350HP Allison 3000 6 speed
2020 Chevy Equinox Premier 2.0t 9 speed AWD
|
|
|
11-23-2020, 07:53 PM
|
#3
|
Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2015
Posts: 1,111
|
Stealing Converters is common here in eastern Pennsylvania too. My son's Auto repair shop has had converters stolen from vehicles parked in his lot when closed. . Easy to do ,battery operated saws make it quick and easy. Converters contain precocious metals and the market value is sky high.
CLIFFORD
|
|
|
11-23-2020, 07:56 PM
|
#4
|
Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2011
Posts: 1,048
|
Looks like quick work with a battery powered sawzall....thieves......the worst of mankind.
|
|
|
11-23-2020, 08:07 PM
|
#5
|
Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2019
Location: Arizona
Posts: 2,205
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by Toribk
Looks like quick work with a battery powered sawzall....thieves......the worst of mankind.
|
The managers live on site and I'm not sure how they didn't hear it. I cut an old exhaust off one of my cars with a Sawz-All a few months ago and the racket would have woken the dead!
__________________
2004 National Dolphin LX 6320, W-22, 8.1, Allison 1000, Front/rear "Trac" Bars & Anti-sway Bars, Sumo Springs, Roadmaster Reflex Steering Stabilizer, 2005 PT Cruiser Toad
|
|
|
11-23-2020, 08:10 PM
|
#6
|
Senior Member
Fleetwood Owners Club
Join Date: Feb 2017
Location: Omaha, NE
Posts: 176
|
Had mine stolen from my work truck about six months ago. Repaired it and parked it in a different location. 2 weeks later they stole the whole darn truck.
__________________
Tom
2017 Fleetwood Discovery LXE 40D
2022 Ford Ranger Lariat
|
|
|
11-23-2020, 08:25 PM
|
#7
|
Registered User
Newmar Owners Club Spartan Chassis
Join Date: Mar 2018
Posts: 2,846
|
Straight pipe through where the converter once was. ??
|
|
|
11-23-2020, 08:42 PM
|
#8
|
Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2019
Location: Arizona
Posts: 2,205
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by Eez Moose
Straight pipe through where the converter once was. ??
|
Yeah, I wondered about that, but not sure if it would make it louder? I wouldn't want that. Also, I guess you couldn't call me an environmentalist since I drive a ten-ton moho, but I hate to make it more of a polluter than it already is.
__________________
2004 National Dolphin LX 6320, W-22, 8.1, Allison 1000, Front/rear "Trac" Bars & Anti-sway Bars, Sumo Springs, Roadmaster Reflex Steering Stabilizer, 2005 PT Cruiser Toad
|
|
|
11-23-2020, 09:11 PM
|
#9
|
Registered User
Newmar Owners Club Ford Super Duty Owner Freightliner Owners Club Retired Fire Service RVer's
Join Date: Jan 2019
Location: Rosemary Farm, Northern Ca
Posts: 5,444
|
this is he threw tread I’ve seen about this appending in a little over a week. Glad I store at home.
|
|
|
11-23-2020, 09:24 PM
|
#10
|
Senior Member
National RV Owners Club
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: Lac Du Bonnet, Manitoba
Posts: 685
|
Sorry to hear that. This is also happening in Canada like my sister's Class C Ford 450 in a storage compound this summer. The garage offered an expensive replacement or a much lower priced one. They recommended the lower priced one as it was unlikely to be stolen if the thieves returned.
Another friend's converter was cut from her car while at a movie theater in broad daylight at a busy mall. Insurance partly covered replacements.
__________________
Ellen & Greg
08 National Dolphin DL-35Ci, RoadMaster Rear Sway Bar, Rear Trac Bar, Koni Shocks Front,
Workhorse W22, Kelderman Air Ride, Towing 2016 Smart Car
|
|
|
11-23-2020, 10:04 PM
|
#11
|
Registered User
Newmar Owners Club Ford Super Duty Owner Freightliner Owners Club Retired Fire Service RVer's
Join Date: Jan 2019
Location: Rosemary Farm, Northern Ca
Posts: 5,444
|
i think it happens where ever you find tweekers
|
|
|
11-23-2020, 10:26 PM
|
#12
|
Senior Member
Winnebago Owners Club Workhorse Chassis Owner
Join Date: May 2016
Location: Kamloops, BC, 60 miles from the Center of the Universe according to the Rinpoche, of the SF monks.
Posts: 7,305
|
Replace with straight pipe. I doubt it will be much if any louder.
Less back pressure = better fuel economy and/or power.
Just might not be a plan if you have emissions testing.
__________________
Happy Glamping, Norman & Elna. 2008 Winnebago Adventurer 38J, W24, dozens of small thirsty ponies. Retired after 40 years wrenching on trucks! 2010 Ford Ranger toad with bicycles or KLR 650 in the back. Easy to spot an RVer, they always walk around with a screwdriver or wrench in one hand!
|
|
|
11-23-2020, 10:51 PM
|
#13
|
Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2019
Location: Arizona
Posts: 2,205
|
No emissions testing here, but if I ever sell the MH I may be limiting where I could sell it. I've run into that even selling a car. We have no annual testing where I live in rural AZ, but they do in Phoenix and Tucson. I had a guy from Phoenix who wanted a car of mine, but since it had never been tested he was afraid of buying a car not knowing if it would pass their test.
Police said that they've had problems with gangs from Phoenix (90 miles from here) targeting RV yards. We have plenty of losers of our own too, so who knows. They did seem to be pretty professional about it. The RV yard has chain link fence with barb wire topping all the way around, manager and his wife living on premises, and apparently nobody saw or heard a thing. I'm not sure how many RVs they hit, but apparently it was a number of them.
__________________
2004 National Dolphin LX 6320, W-22, 8.1, Allison 1000, Front/rear "Trac" Bars & Anti-sway Bars, Sumo Springs, Roadmaster Reflex Steering Stabilizer, 2005 PT Cruiser Toad
|
|
|
11-24-2020, 04:28 AM
|
#14
|
Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2020
Location: NY State
Posts: 3,089
|
Fast, quiet, square cuts? Maybe something like this:
https://www.ridgid.com/us/en/258-power-pipe-cutter
__________________
John
1976 Southwind 28', '96 Winnie 34WK,
2006 Tiffin Allegro Bus 40QDP
|
|
|
|
|
Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
|
|
Thread Tools |
Search this Thread |
|
|
Display Modes |
Linear Mode
|
Posting Rules
|
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts
HTML code is Off
|
|
|
|
» Recent Discussions |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|