Edinburgh Toyota Prius hybrid driver warns others to be vigilant after thieves jack up car and steal catalytic converter

An Edinburgh driver is urging other motorists to be vigilant after thieves jacked up his hybrid car and stole a catalytic converter at the weekend.

Phil Campbell first noticed something was wrong when he turned on the engine of his Toyota Prius in Powderhall Road on Saturday.

He reckons the theft took place overnight from Friday into Saturday morning and says a number of other local residents reported hearing noises and seeing people outside at around 1:50am.

Police are carrying out inquiries into the crime, which car insurers say is becoming more prevalent due to the high-value metals - including palladium, platinum and rhodium - found in the components which can be stripped out and sold on.

Thieves stole the catalytic converter from Phil Campbell's Toyota Prius hybrid at the weekend. Pic: Phil Campbell

Hybrids like the Prius, Honda Jazz, Toyota Auris and Lexus RX are among some of those most targeted as their converters - which turn noxious gases in a car’s exhaust system into less harmful substances - don’t work as hard as those in other vehicles which means the precious metals are less corroded.

Mr Campbell, who works as a power and gas trader, reckons the cost of replacing his own catalytic converter will likely exceed £1,000 and has warned other motorists, particularly hybrid drivers, to be “vigilant.”

The 32-year-old told the Edinburgh Evening News: “I can get a ‘cat lock,’ which is some kind of protective caging to put around it, because I’ve read stories of people getting it nicked twice. I will definitely be getting one of those protective cages and will look into getting an alarm which can sense if the car has been jacked up.”

The catalytic converter is part of a vehicle’s exhaust system and cleans up harmful gases before they leave the exhaust pipe. It is located in a box on the exhaust pipe underneath a car and, in order to steal it, thieves slide under the car and use cutting tools to detach the box.

In November the Edinburgh Evening News told how Admiral car insurance reported a “dramatic” rise in the number of owners claiming for thefts of catalytic converters in the second half of 2020.

This follows a BBC investigation in the summer which found a 600 percent rise in such incidents in England and Wales in 2019 and anecdotal evidence suggesting thieves were targeting hospital car parks.

Police in Edinburgh issued a warning in July and February last year after recording a rise in the number of cat converter thefts in the Capital.

Prices for the precious metals found in cat converters have been rising and palladium was selling more per gram than gold in 2019.

What can be done about it?

To help protect your car from catalytic converter thieves, police forces across the country advise parking in a locked garage or in a well-lit, densely populated area and close to fences, walls or kerbs with the exhaust being closest to the barrier.

If the catalytic converter is bolted on, local garages can weld the bolts to make it more difficult to remove.

Motorists should also consider a ‘cage clamp’ which locks around the converter or have the unit etched with a unique ID number.

Dealerships can also fit a tilt sensor that activates the alarm if someone tries to jack up the car.

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this article. We're more reliant on your support than ever as the shift in consumer habits brought about by coronavirus impacts our advertisers.

If you haven't already, please consider supporting our trusted, fact-checked journalism by taking out a digital subscription.