Tundra Catalytic Converter Anti-Theft Ideas – What Can You Do?

Catalytic converter theft is one of the most common problems for the owners of Toyota Tundra. These trucks have quite a high ride height and this helps thieves to get secretly under the vehicle without touching it much. They can relatively quickly cut off the catalytic converter and leave before they are caught.

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Why do they steal cat converters from Toyota Tundra trucks?

Toyota Tundra trucks are one of the main targets for catalytic converter thieves. Why? Because it has a high clearance (ride height) and its converters are valuable. The only more popular truck among thieves is the Ford F-150. But some Tundras are even more wanted among the converter thieves because some generations have four converters.

So, the prevention of cat converter theft is super important for the owners of Toyota trucks. Because in case your cats are stolen, you will have to pay thousands of dollars to get new ones. And this is not something you want to pay for from your own pocket.

Here's why people keep thinking about cat converter theft prevention for their Tundra trucks:

• the cat converters are very expensive, especially if we are talking about the new OEM parts;
• the Tundra may have a lot of converters which makes it a good target for thieves and a big burden for your budget;
• the trucks of this kind are the primary goals of converter thieves because it's easier to take off the converters from them than from a sedan car;
• your truck can't work normally without cat converters, it will roar like hell and emit kilos of bad gasses into the atmosphere;
• the cat thieves may damage other parts of your car, for example, the body, and they will get rusty over time - these guys don't care about your truck;
• replacing the cats will take some time and you will not be able to use your truck during this time.

Isn't it enough? Well, the police may also take some time and ruin your daily routine. You are going to call the police, aren't you? So, you should know that you may spend quite a lot of time giving them access to your vehicle and letting them do their work. So, it's still better to prevent this thing than to deal with the consequences of theft.

You may think that you shouldn't care about the catalytic converter theft threat if your truck is insured properly. Well, yes, the insurance company will probably pay you for the cats, but you will still need to spend some time on the police, on getting your truck to the dealer or to the repair shop, etc.

Catalytic converter theft prevention ideas

One of the strangest thoughts is that the thieves will probably earn up to $100 on all four converters that they steal from your car. And you will need to spend hours of your time and thousands of your dollars to deal with the problems.

So, we've decided to come up with some ideas on how you can prevent catalytic converter theft and avoid spending so much time and money on trying to deal with the problem. Here's what we could come up with.

1. Go to a muffler shop

A muffler shop is a place where they have some ready-to-use decisions. For example, they can install a special cage or something like that to prevent cat theft. You may think this will not help if the thief has any automatic equipment that can cut metal. Yes, it's still possible to cut the converter off even though it has the cage over it. But it will take much more time.

The initial task of all the devices that can be installed in your car to prevent catalytic converter theft is to prolong the time that is needed to cut off the converter. Once the thief is under your truck, he or she can think that it's a bad idea to mess with this cage and will choose the other vehicle as their target.

So, it doesn't guarantee that the cat converter will not be stolen. But it makes your chances higher to save the OEM converter for a longer time.

2. Invent an anti-theft device by yourself

Well, we don't recommend this because you may not know how the converter works. It heats pretty much and if you just cover it with some sheet of metal, you may find it melting some parts that are located near the cat. You will also find it overheating that will not prolong the life of the catalytic converter.

You can think of a perforated metal sheet or a kind of a cage for this. Maybe, one of the options is the self-made cage that you can copy from a cage that is sold in a shop. You can save up some money if you do this.

3. Choose a parking place

Always park your vehicle in an area where a lot of other people are hanging out. Also, make sure that some light will be on your truck for the whole night. If you are parking the truck near your house, make the street light that will be on the whole night. Thieves will not risk digging in your truck if it's under the light.

Also, using guarded parking lots is one of the best options for you. If you have one in your area, definitely use it for your truck. Otherwise, one day, you can find your Tundra roaring with anger because it has none of the catalytic converters in its exhaust system.

4. Park with some obstacles under the truck

For example, you may find a parking space where a couple of big rocks will disturb anyone from cutting off the catalytic converter. This is a great idea because it will not allow thieves to quickly cut off the cat and run away. They will spend much more time trying to cut these precious converters off.

It's really cool if you find such a place for parking that no one can actually fit under your car. This will be the perfect place for saving your catalytic converters intact. Even if someone tries to get their hands on the cats, people around will see and hear it.

What to do after you find out someone stole the cat converters from a Tundra?

If it's too late and you are reading this article with regrets that you haven't made any protection before, we have something to tell you. You shouldn't just put up with your fate, tale a couple of thousand dollars out of your pocket and head to the exhaust shop or to the Toyota dealer. No, you have better choices.

At least, you can try to get your cat converters back. Or you can get compensation from insurance companies.

Here's what you should do:

1. Call the police. This is the best first step to make after you realize your truck doesn't have a converter.
2. Find someone who could have heard or seen something when the theft was potentially completed.
3. Go to local scrapyards and ask whether someone sold Tundra converters - you may buy them back at very low prices.
4. Call your insurance company and ask if the catalytic converter theft is covered under your policy.
5. If nothing works, think of how you would like to cope with the situation and get your truck back on the road.

Unfortunately, the police can do very little to help you because catalytic converters don't have any special marks and labels. They are still important because they can document the issue and then you will get compensation from your insurance company or whatever.

But you can try to get your cat converters back. Go to all local scrapyards and call all local middlemen buying scrap catalytic converters. Ask them if they got any Tundra converters recently. If yes, just go and see if those are yours. You may take the pieces of pipes with you to see if they match.

Final words

It's not that hard to protect your catalytic converters in a Toyota Tundra. You will need to choose one or maybe some of the ideas we've prepared for you in this article. Mostly, these ideas will not cost you much, but they will help you protect one of the most expensive parts in your car that are prone to theft.