JoeJoe

I agree about the scrap dealers. I wrote to my local MP to ask him what is being done about this ongoing crisis. No reply. I read online that in the US they are changing their laws to tighten up the whole theft-to-scrap chain. In this country so far nothing, as usual politicians are not interested in the suffering of the working people (unless we refuse to pay taxes). 

Regarding theft of aftermarket cats - I asked a couple of installers on eBay and they said that their customers haven't had their cats stolen yet. Also watched videos from the US from mechanics that install aftermrkt ones and they say that thieves generally ignore them. But I agree that there's still a big risk, so will have to think it through. May be I will do a social experiment and time how long it will stay on. I wonder what should I use to record the time - a watch or a calendar 😐 Also noticed that the Zeller cats from Germany have now increased significantly in price, apparently because of the new import red tape and expenses after January.

I replaced my missing cat with a flex pipe, but now the exhaust it deeper, louder and of course smokes more when cold. The cat seems to reduce the smoke and noise significantly. I definitely notice it's missing, which takes away from the Lexus experience. Anyone else experienced that and how to minimize it? Thanks.

P.S. No exhaust leaks, all coming out the exhaust pipe at the back.

Regarding straight pipes in places of the cats - I put a flex pipe on mine and now the exhaust is louder and deeper, especially when the engine is cold. Also, more smoke, which is expected. Have others with no cats noticed this? Is there a way to minimize it? Thanks.

Thanks Illogan & Paul. 

I currently have a flex clamp pipe where the cat used to be and it's functional. However, it's not as quiet as it used to be, esp when the engine is cold. There's a load, throaty rumble from the back of the exhaust and more smoke, although it gets better when it warms up. But it's not as quiet and smooth as it used to be with the cat. It's surprisingly loud, considering there are still 2 front cats, a muffler and a silencer at the back. No exhaust leaks either, the noise increase is coming straight out of the exhaust pipe in the back. It has a deeper/louder tone - good for a tuned car but may not a Lexus. Has anyone else noticed that and any advise on how to minimize it? 

Another desperate idea - I was thinking of painting markings on the cat to make it obvious its worthless. Like "aftermarket" or £0 🙂. I bought a Zeller cat and  visually it's a very different from the OEM one. Just brainstorming....

Hi. Has anyone had an aftermarket (not Oem) cat stollen or heard of this happening? I am thinking of installing one of those, they are worthless in terms of metals. The problem is whether thieves can recognise and spare them. 

On 9/26/2020 at 9:33 AM, Andre2000 said:

I am the original poster and unfortunately these thieves were back outside my house last night. My neighbour noticed these guys and went outside, this was 3:30am in the morning. They were under the car. What I don’t know is if the fact that I have a generic replacement had stopped them from taking my cat or the neighbour disturbed them. I am located SE London in Bromley. Beware!! 

I am nearby in SE9 and mine got cut off this week. I wonder if it's same gang - 2 white men with a Blue Audi. Apparently there's also an "Irish looking guy with a white pickup" caught on camera stealing one from a CRV. It's a plague around this area, multiple thefts recently, thieves caught on camera, including faces, their cars and registration and still no results from police. 

I am also thinking of getting a cheap metal one and relying on the fact it's worthless. Has anyone had their aftermarket/generic cat stolen yet? Is it worth putting a plate to protect a generic cat, or relying on the professionalism of the thieves enough? 

Long time, first time. The cat converter of my Lexus RX400h was stolen on Monday, 21 Sept, 2020 in South East London. The neighbor saw everything - around 2 pm - 2 white, tall men, white shirts, baseball caps, pulled up in a BLUE Metallic AUDI sedan, 1 got under the car while the other one watched and 30 sec later they were gone with my converter. Sharing this info in case it helps anyone. Neighbor called police immediately, they recorded the info, said "thank you" and went back to sleep. It's amazing they way things work in this country. Btw, I registered mine with the ISR and had a sticker on the window, but that didn't bother the thieves at all (so this is basically useless).

I have a technical question - has anyone tried using a temp fix with pipes and clamps without welding? Would something like that work? I don't have to pass MOT until Summer 21, by which point i ill replace with an aftermarket cat. 

I am now missing a 42cm-long section, diameter of rear side pipe is ~55mm, while at the front the pipe seems wider, around 63mm. Can anyone share links with products and instructions on how to replace that section? As i said, i wanted to use clamps and adapter without welding. 

Thanks,

Joe