Fayetteville resident Valorie Jones started her Toyota 4Runner after leaving it in a parking lot overnight and heard a loud “roar.”
“It was ridiculously loud,” she said. “It sounded as if my muffler was gone.”
Jones said she left her car at Enterprise Rental in Fayetteville, and returned within 24 hours.
She said she parked under lights and a sign that warned of video surveillance.
“I couldn’t figure out why someone would cut out part of my exhaust,” Jones said.
Police Sgt. Craig Stout said the Fayetteville Police Department has received eight reports in the past two weeks of catalytic converters being taken off cars.
Catalytic converters are part of an automobile exhaust system that removes harmful chemicals, according to the Merriam-Webster’s online dictionary.
Most catalytic converters contain small amounts of precious metals, including platinum, palladium and rhodium, according to a newsletter from Scrap Metal Recycling Industries. Platinum is currently valued at $1,500 per ounce.
“They’re targeting Toyota vehicles and SUVs,” he said. “Mainly 4Runners. I’m not sure why. Maybe because they’re easier to slide under.”
Kevin Bray, area service manager for Midas in Bentonville, said he’s seen about a dozen customers who had catalytic converters stolen.
Bray said many of his customers’ cars were parked at the Walmart Home Office in Bentonville when the thefts occurred.
“They usually use a Sawzall or hacksaw to cut them off, and then they sell them off to scrap yards or someone buys them,” he said.
Bray said converters can be sold for about $100 each, depending on the type of car. Buying a new converter, he said, can cost $600 to $700.
Jon Simpson, Bentonville police chief, said he hadn’t heard of any recent thefts of catalytic converters.
At a Glance
To prevent catalytic converter theft, follow these tips:
Always park in well-lit areas.
At shopping centers and other similar parking lots, park close to the entrance of the building or near the access road where there’s a lot of traffic.
Park within a fenced area that’s busy during the day and secured at night.
Engrave the license plate number on the converter to make it traceable.
Purchase a vehicle security system and make sure it’s set to trigger with the slightest motion.
Visit a local muffler shop and have the converter secured to the vehicle’s frame with a couple of pieces of hardened steel welded to the frame.
Check out the different types of catalytic converter theft deterrent systems at local auto parts store or online.
Source: Nationwide Insurance
“We’ve had them in the past, but not recently,” he said. “I’d say the last report was about a year ago.”
Mike McPherson, owner of EQ Muffler Co. in Fayetteville, said he’s had three customers who’ve had their catalytic converters stolen in the last month.
Jones said she paid $500 to replace her muffler at Midas in Fayetteville.
“I was lucky as the thieves knew enough not to take the part with the oxygen sensors or it would have cost a lot more to replace it with a reconditioned part,” she said. “Some replacements are in excess of $1,000. The worst thing is that the vehicle isn’t really street legal without it.”
Stout said the thieves roll under the vehicle, make two cuts with a battery-powered saw and remove the portion of the exhaust system that has the catalytic converter.
He said converter thefts have been reported at the Northwest Arkansas Mall and other parking lots across town.
While investigators in Benton County and Rogers haven’t taken any reports of catalytic converter thefts, Lt. Derek Hudson said Springdale police have investigated a handful of reports.
“I know we’ve worked some cases and we’re working with Fayetteville on some of those investigations,” he said.
Gary Bush, law enforcement liaison for the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries, said catalytic converter thefts aren’t limited to Northwest Arkansas.
“There are quite a few that I recall seeing over the past several years,” he said. “I can’t say that it’s in any particular region. It happens at any given time at any given location.”
Bush said there aren’t any national statistics on catalytic converter thefts, which are generally lumped in with other auto theft incidents.
Widespread use of catalytic converters began around 1975 to comply with regulations from the Environmental Protection Agency, he said.
According to a newsletter from the Institute of Scrap Metal Recycling Industries, some of the most targeted areas for catalytic converter thefts are parking lots such as those at malls, vehicle dealerships, truck rental businesses and other similar locations.
Bush said ScrapTheftAlert.com is a nationwide alert system set up by the scrap industry law enforcement can use to notify local scrap yards of materials theft.
Once an officer enters the information, the alert system sends out an e-mail to subscribers in a 100-mile radius.
“If there’s someone who wants something bad enough, they’re going to get it,” Bush said. “The object is to slow them down or to make it to where your item can be positively identified. A lot of people have been etching their name or driver’s license number onto their converters since they don’t have serial numbers.”