Study suggests that almost 26,000 catalytic converters were stolen in 2022. Surprisingly, the number is 33 percent higher than in 2021! This is alarming, man!
But, there are ways to prevent it from theft. The solutions are also not so costly. Drivers, however, see it as penny wise, pound foolish. But, your presence here doesn’t imply so, right?
So, how do you prevent Subaru Catalytic converter theft?
You can prevent catalytic converter theft by using anti-theft lock, alarm, parking in a crowded place, carving license no. on cats and best using your intuition.
Don’t let this little excerpt fool you. There is a lot more to learn about this topic. Let me show you everything so that you won’t have to regret anything!
Why Catalytic Converters are Prone to Theft?
What makes catalytic converters so appealing to thieves?
Well, when you are talking about something that values at least $800 for each cats and there are multiple of that in there in your car.
Furthermore, you will have to spend a considerable amount of money on installing new cats.
But, the most powerful reason for cats being prone to theft is that: it’s super easy to steal. You have no idea how easy it is.
Thieves can literally sneak away within minutes.
Furthermore, they even don’t need heavy instruments to remove it from the engine. All they need is just a simple wrench, that’s it.
How lucrative is that if you can remove an $800 cats with just a wrench, which is very light and you can carry it around in your backpack?
Make sense? Move on.😉
Are Subaru Catalytic Converters Easy to Steal?
Since catalytic converter is so prone to steal, you may be able to guess the answer.
YES, the reason is catalytic converters are easy to steal since removing bolts from cats is just a duck soup and can be executed within minutes. And, the most brand doesn’t provide extra security measures to protect them.
Subaru also doesn’t offer any security features to protect catalytic converters from theft.
Models from Subaru like Foresters, crosstrek and outbreak also don’t provide anything extra to protect it. Thus all those Subaru models are easy target for theft.
But, keep in mind it’s not Subaru or it’s model specific. Catalytic converters from almost every model are prone to theft. Of them, as far I know, Honda is much more targeted for theft than others.
A not so smart tip to quickly asses if your car’s catalytic converter is prone to theft is to look for where the cats are situated under the car. If it’s tightly hanging under the engine, it’s not likely that much prone for being theft in comparison to others.
Another great way to analyze is by reverse engineering the price or replacement cost of your car’s cat. If it’s too costly and costs almost 1000 bucks or more, this indicates you are at serious risk, buddy!
Subaru Catalytic Converter Theft Prevention (All the Ways)
Since car cats are incredibly easy to steal and can be done in less than half of minute, even in daylight you might lose it.
That’s a serious headache. In case you are wondering if there is a way to prevent catalytic converter theft forever, I have got something to make you calm right off the bat.
The topic of this article is Subaru, so you might wonder if this is possible!
Heck, yea! I’ll bet it on you won’t ever have to worry or regret your Subaru cats theft after you follow the steps I’m about to share.
So, what’s that magical blue pill, man? Fasten your belts and carefully go through the proven ways suggested below!
#1 Use Catalytic Converter Lock
You can make the lives of the thieves measurable by installing a catalytic converter lock. It will lock the converter and make it hard for thieves to open it in minutes if not hours.
But, the fact is when you will use catalytic converter lock, it will deter thieves from stealing. I mean it will buy extra minutes which is a good deterrent in this case.
“Got it”, bro! But, how possibly should I trust your words when I don’t know how cats lock works?
Never mind. I’m happy to share.
Cats lock usually consists of two steel plates that clamp over cat with break-away nuts and bolts and secure to the frame using aircraft-quality steel cable.
Go to Google and do a search for Catclamps or catalytic converter locks. They’ll still get it if they want it because if they want it, they’ll get it!
Still, it’s a good deterrent. Before anyone notices, they’re going to spend 10-20 seconds at most. It would take them a couple of minutes if they saw the locks, and that is too risky. Therefore, they select a target that’s easier to hit.
To put it simply, catalytic converter can be stolen within minutes which made it a readily available target for thieves. Also, it’s not a cheap item. There are no surefire ways that can entirely minimize the risk cats theft.
However, if you use a cats lock, it will take thieves more time and effort to steal which will most likely deter them from stealing your cats at that moment!
Nice thing however is these solutions are super easy to install.
Why shouldn’t try this simple yet effective solution?
Who can say this will save you from $3000 replacement cost?
Here are the best cats lock solutions worth checking: Cats protection cage from Catclamp.
#2 Park in a Crowded Location
You might sneer after reading it! Don’t be little this simple trick. I bet on it that you can reduce the chance of stealing your cats by 80% if you take away this tips from the article and apply it religiously.
However, sometimes it becomes an obvious reason to park in desolate or little crowded places. I get that.
But, it’s always the best idea to shoot for a crowded place as Alfred M. Gray said,
“There’s no such thing as a crowded battlefield. Battlefields are lonely places.”
Alfred M. Gray
#3 Carve Licence Plate Number Cats
Since you have Subaru car, you are aware that its catalytic converters are more valuable than others. So, you can wisely scrap the license number on cats. It won’t be that much of a pain to do. But, on some rarest occasions, this simple yet effective tips can save your ass.
Also, if you report the police, this will leave the light of hope to find it again. So, why shouldn’t use this strategy?
Pro tip: Carve license number on catalytic converter and take a picture of it.
#4 Anti-Theft Alarm Systems
What if there’s a system that would notify when a thief attempts stealing? Yes, I got it you are thinking about an alarm system, right?
And, yea thankfully there are solutions out there that won’t leave you in despair.
Enters catalytic converter anti-theft alarm system! This is so effective to intimidate thieves instantly if not make them run right away! :v
Catclamo offers anti cats theft alarm system that will start chiming immediately on theft attempts.
The company offers two types of alarm systems.
- One is manual which I’m not interested in as a car owner.
- While the other one is automatic which is convenient for cars and trucks.
On manual alarm you will need to set alarm manually to prevent theft which I can bet is an easy to forget thing.
However the best part of the automatic one is: that it won’t require to set alarm beforehand and works on autopilot!
Is There Any Dedicated Cats Theft Protection Devices For Subaru?
I wish Subaru had dedicated protective devices for catalytic converters protection. However, there is no Subaru catalytic converter anti-theft device out there that’s solely dedicated to the model.
However, it’s in no way a deal breaker. In fact, it’s unlikely to find dedicated solution for other car brands as well. So, let this fact dismay you. You can easily use any third-party solution.
Parting Words
Catalytic converter aren’t cheap and its replacement is another pain in the ass. While stealing this little parts from car is pretty easy and can be done in minutes. That’s what made it so an attractive target for thieves and since then they treat it as gold!
However, as a car owner and in this case Subaru car owner you shouldn’t let the sneaky thief an easy chance to steal away your precious cats and make your life hard.
Thankfully, there is handful of ways and protective measures out there to ensure the security of Subaru cars cats. Some of them include taking precaution, installing anti-theft locks, alarm and parking in a crowded place. Rest depends on how well can you use your common sense and intuition.
It really hurts to lose and when you’re talking about lots of money; it strikes! Hope this guide will ease your worry with confidence.
In case, you are interested more in this topic, check out: How to prevent 4runner catalytic converter theft!
