cat thieves

reds89 · 02-07-2009, 10:15 PM

The poor old yanks must be doin it tough over there,was onto one of the fseries sites i get onto and they were complaining about catalytic convertor thieves cutting them of the cars and trucks parked in the street.
One guy said they hit a car yard during the night and hacked the cats of about 15 to 20 cars,has anybody heard of that happening out here.
Evidently they cut them and sell em to wrecking yards and scrap metal.

ED Ford Falcon · 02-07-2009, 10:18 PM

wouldn't it be as easy to steal the whole exhaust?
and there is alot more metal then :S

hope it doesn't happen here :(

TaraHymen · 02-07-2009, 10:20 PM

i heard about this for the first time in the late 80's. chain pipe cutters are the go and they can remove one in about 2-3 minutes. they're full of precious metals, back then a cat was worth about $40 in scrap. get a few and its a decent wage. i thought alot of the states in the us put laws into place to make scrap metal dealers accountable for the source of cat convertors to kill off the theft trade.

ED Ford Falcon · 02-07-2009, 10:22 PM

$40 for one?

surely not that much

the scrap price for steel here is currently $170/tonne?

whats in cat's? LOL:S

TaraHymen · 02-07-2009, 10:25 PM

just one more thing, u reckon the yanks are doin it tough. a south african customer told me recently that anything made of metal over there is fair game for theft and scrap metal. he told about how a gang nailed about half a dozen of the industrial sized power poles - the ones that carry hundreds of thousands of volts. anyway they stole all the nuts and spring washers which bolt the towers down to the concrete bases. first windy day they domino'd.

TaraHymen · 02-07-2009, 10:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ED Ford Falcon

$40 for one?

surely not that much

the scrap price for steel here is currently $170/tonne?

whats in cat's? LOL:S

steel is for beggers. cats from memory contain platinum, byzantium, rhodium, paladium and a few other precious metals.

Matt47569 · 02-07-2009, 10:30 PM

maybe they have a rebate scheme where you get given money for old cats, it sounds familiar

ED Ford Falcon · 02-07-2009, 10:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TaraHymen

steel is for beggers. cats from memory contain platinum, byzantium, rhodium, paladium and a few other precious metals.

oh ok

cheers
ED Ford Falcon

Iggypoppin' · 02-07-2009, 10:36 PM

Think it's 40 bucks a cat here too, give or take. Got 5 once from the refuse bins near my work, paid for my weekend and fuel! Dunno why someone threw them out either.

ED Ford Falcon · 02-07-2009, 10:38 PM

just rang my brother, he does a bit of scrap and he says he gets $19 for cats...

rusty 351 · 02-07-2009, 10:52 PM

a local wreckers up here pays 25 for any cat and will take as many as u bring,

i should buy a chain pipe cutter and a balaclava

GeoNazi · 02-07-2009, 11:25 PM

local wreckers sell them to "the cat man" (?) for like 40 bucks

BHDOGS · 03-07-2009, 12:14 AM

Yeh i heard the same thing my local wreckers said he got $80 bucks for cats this is in adelaide as the stuff inside them is valuable or some crap or reused?

reds89 · 03-07-2009, 11:35 AM

well ya know what usually happens, whatever the yanks do for some reason we end following.

revell_m · 03-07-2009, 11:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by reds89

well ya know what usually happens, whatever the yanks do for some reason we end following.

FO SHIZZLE!!!!!

Powdered Toast Man · 03-07-2009, 02:01 PM

Well the yanks are pinching all the copper out of the derilict houses and buildings to sell so why not pinch cats for their precious metals.

Copper theft goes on here too so I guess we have cat theft to look forward to.

**Charliewool** · 03-07-2009, 02:38 PM

Carby · 03-07-2009, 05:58 PM

Now thats a Cat thief!

[Tonko] · 03-07-2009, 06:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Powdered Toast Man

Well the yanks are pinching all the copper out of the derilict houses and buildings to sell so why not pinch cats for their precious metals.

Copper theft goes on here too so I guess we have cat theft to look forward to.

Thats been happening here for ages.
Old houses with the hot water service in the roof is where the $$$ are. they have a big copper bowl apparently.

Telstra left a big roll 100+ metres easily stuck 3/4 of the way up a telephone pole out our way. A couple of days later the pole was down, power out and only the roll missing!

burnz · 03-07-2009, 06:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ED Ford Falcon

wouldn't it be as easy to steal the whole exhaust?
and there is alot more metal then :S

hope it doesn't happen here :(

it's allready happening in sydney's west, V8 and V6 as they have two (any brand).

xp xr6 · 04-07-2009, 11:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ED Ford Falcon

wouldn't it be as easy to steal the whole exhaust?
and there is alot more metal then :S

hope it doesn't happen here :(

Would'nt it b as easy 2 steal the whole car

ED Ford Falcon · 04-07-2009, 11:58 AM

probably. Until i few weeks ago, any key that fitted into the ignition started over my baby.

ignition barrel replaced now though..

Bossxr8 · 04-07-2009, 09:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Powdered Toast Man

Well the yanks are pinching all the copper out of the derilict houses and buildings to sell so why not pinch cats for their precious metals.

Copper theft goes on here too so I guess we have cat theft to look forward to.

Fords old plant 5 building down here in Geelong, which was sold off about 2-3 years ago, has had every last strand of copper wiring removed from the roof and walls by thieves over the last few months. They would have made a killing off it as the place would have been full of it.

dave351cid · 04-07-2009, 10:04 PM

never heard about the cats being stolen before or that they were even recyclable exept for metal case. interesting.

some bas*&%ds cut the " security " fence at work a few weeks ago and helped themselves to about 5 x 100meter rolls of new 35mm sq copper wire that we use for underground earthing on power lines. would have been a profitable nights work.
right on the highway too opposite the police station, not shy.

last fairlane · 04-07-2009, 10:45 PM

Bought an exhaust from an AU XR6 from the wreckers here in Brisbane for $50 and was told if I wanted the CAT it was another $80
and I thought they had no value after they were removed Ive been throwing money away
thanks John

tough_ea88 · 05-07-2009, 10:31 PM

i didnt think it was an issue either until a few months back, i was working at a wreckers in canberra and we were just keeping cats in a 3x3 metre skip until they went back up in value (thanks china) anyway when the bin was over flowing we moved it to the back shed, came back the next morning only to find a padlock cut off an empty 3x3 skip and we were down 2 employees..

nothing suss..

brenx · 05-07-2009, 10:47 PM

The theft's will rise as money becomes a little scarce. Scrap metal thieves will steal anything they can get their hands on. I've got photo's of illegally obtained and illegally loaded scrap. I've seen them in the act. The worst one I've seen, which I thought was quite smart. He had obtained a rear load garbage truck that was similar looking (color etc) to the council contractors. He would have been getting around 6-10tonnes per load.

Most scrappies steal from residential area's taking whitegoods (stove tops, fridges, ovens, washing machines, dishwashers and hot water services etc etc).

The problem is scrap is worth bugger all at the moment, so they need more to make the same $ they were on 12mths ago. They have to be very thorough to make a $ at present.