Anyone lost their Cat?
- Thread starter Nicad
- Start date
m_thompson
Well-Known Member
I am waiting for someone to steal the resonator from a CS thinking it is a cat.
That happened to someone on the forum. Car was in storage; some idiot came along and cut out the center resonator.
Yeah they’ve been in our area a few times recently. They’ve gotten to some of the Priuses in the neighborhood. I’ve heard of a few being caught and a few being squashed after messing up finding the lift point. I worry about what’s left of my humanity that I smirked when I read that.
Asking manufacturers to help would be fine and great but here’s a better idea: waive the ban on installing used catalytic converters while the wait time is two months for a new one. Seriously: California needs to let the muffler shop source a cat off a wrecked car of the same or similar model. That sounds like an easy emergency powers waiver the governor could make since the price spike on metals is probably pandemic-related. Maybe they can stipulate that it needs to be made right before the next emissions inspection, I dunno. Any flexibility would help the victims.
Asking manufacturers to help would be fine and great but here’s a better idea: waive the ban on installing used catalytic converters while the wait time is two months for a new one. Seriously: California needs to let the muffler shop source a cat off a wrecked car of the same or similar model. That sounds like an easy emergency powers waiver the governor could make since the price spike on metals is probably pandemic-related. Maybe they can stipulate that it needs to be made right before the next emissions inspection, I dunno. Any flexibility would help the victims.
Don't get me started. This is a weekly conversation here at work since we core hundreds of cats every couple months because we're not allowed to sell them. It's big money running the show and logic is rarely present. I've always thought the only emissions test should be tailpipe measurements. Period. Doesn't matter what's under the hood or between the engine and tailpipe, if it burns clean enough it should pass.
The insane value of the precious metals is driving all the illegal activity now, but cheaper used cats for repairs would bring some relief to vehicle owners.
I'm happy to get you started.
I would voluntarily pay for a more expensive tier of registration for the privilege of the option of just complying with tailpipe standards. Seems like a lot of missed revenue opportunity over a little extra complication.
jmackro
Well-Known Member
But wouldn't that just provide the crooks with a higher price for stolen cats? I assume that the "new only" law was implemented to prevent stolen cats from getting passed off as having come from wrecked cars.
I'll agree that the current system is broken and admit that I don't have a better solution.
You got me started. Why don't they make hot water heaters from SS (they make ss holding tanks I know)? Imagine the landfill savings. Recall years ago some moron tried to overfill a propane tank and it blew up. This lead to new tanks with safety valves across the country, why not just a safety valve? All those tanks went where?
Here, any redone or torn down house gets the copper pipes stolen asap.
Here, any redone or torn down house gets the copper pipes stolen asap.
The reason used cats cannot be installed in a used car is that there is a federal law mandating that manufaturers replace any cat that fails with less than 80,000 miles on a car sold in the USA. This was done to ensure that catalytic converters were well engineered and to facilitate consumer acceptance.
As to the tailpipe inspection idea, I long ago proposed this as a way to tax emissions. Annual testing would need to be supplemented with peridioc surprise inspections, but the basic idea is that the annual fee we all pay to renew our registrations would be based, in part, on the results of a tailpipe emissions test. Those with higher emissions would pay a higher rate. Those with really high emissions would pay a very high rate. And as with the German Autobahn speeding tickets, you don't do traffic stops, just send a bill in the mail for the supplemental tests (with perhaps a grace period to fix your car and retest). This would provide a strong economic incentive for people to keep up their emissions systems.
As to the tailpipe inspection idea, I long ago proposed this as a way to tax emissions. Annual testing would need to be supplemented with peridioc surprise inspections, but the basic idea is that the annual fee we all pay to renew our registrations would be based, in part, on the results of a tailpipe emissions test. Those with higher emissions would pay a higher rate. Those with really high emissions would pay a very high rate. And as with the German Autobahn speeding tickets, you don't do traffic stops, just send a bill in the mail for the supplemental tests (with perhaps a grace period to fix your car and retest). This would provide a strong economic incentive for people to keep up their emissions systems.
But you forgot that logic isn't allowed in government reasoning. There's another part of that scenario to consider. The government controls the emission testing requirements, which is what creates the fees (tax) related to test results. If the government wants more taxes they just tighten the emission standards, or change the numbers, so they don't even have to ask to raise taxes. This works the same when they want to get more of the older vehicles off the road. They tighten the emission requirements each year so more and more vehicles fail, and a percentage are scrapped instead of kept on the road.
Whether it is extended homelessness, mail theft, smash and grabs, or cat removal.
It all bubbles up to one issue: Opiod abuse.
BTW - Washington state abandoned emissions testing also. Even as a “green state”, they recognized that federal emissions requirements on new cars has rendered the testing pointless.
Tying it all back together, my local emissions testing facility is now a public shower for the local homeless population.
It all bubbles up to one issue: Opiod abuse.
BTW - Washington state abandoned emissions testing also. Even as a “green state”, they recognized that federal emissions requirements on new cars has rendered the testing pointless.
Tying it all back together, my local emissions testing facility is now a public shower for the local homeless population.
jmackro
Well-Known Member
OK, so when your cat gets stolen in Washington, what's the motivation to replace it? Why wouldn't you just spend $100 to have a muffler shop weld in a basic resonator and leave it at that? Would the Check Engine light come on?
Most cars modern cars have a “downstream” O2 sensor after the last catalytic converter in the series I think. The car would probably know something was missing after a few run cycles.