A bill that would require catalytic converters to have a Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) stamped on them and increasing penalties for catalytic converter thieves was introduced to the Senate on Thursday.
Senate Bill 919, authored by Senator Brian Jones (R-Santee), would have new and used car dealers to permanently mark the VIN number on catalytic converters before being sold, primarily to help identify it if it is stolen and attempted to be sold. In turn, metal recyclers would then only be allowed to buy catalytic converters with VIN numbers on them and keep records of sale for police departments to access.
SB 919 would also raise the fines on catalytic converter thefts, adding to the potential jail times and fines thieves already face. Overall, the bill is designed to further discourage catalytic converter thefts and ease the arrest and prosecution of such thieves.
Catalytic converters, which are specialized exhaust emission control devices found underneath vehicles, are typically stolen for the rare metals inside, and can go for between $50 to $250 when sold to metal recyclers. Hybrid car converters, which contain more rare metals, can go for even more, with some bringing in $1,500 each. Meanwhile, people that have had them stolen have to pay up to $4,000 for a replacement converter, causing many a great financial burden. read more
Sounds good in theory, but 67 years of personal California history tells me it will get mucked up.
Why not crackdown on shoplifting?
How about on the spot execution for anyone bringing in a converter…
Introduced by a Republican. It is obviously racist.
I doubt that the state that has outlawed gas-powered leaf blowers and lawn mowers and will ban their sale by 2024 will do anything sensible. I pity the fool who has a large yard.
Needs that fingerprint ID thingy they want on guns…
Moar laws! I remember when people were getting murdered there before they passed a law against it.
Just put a warning on the cats stating that they may cause cancer. I think that everything causes cancer in California. I bought a putty knife today in Florida that had a warning sticker on it that it may cause cancer in Commiefornia.
Put a warning on them and they’ll never be stolen. I mean, who wants to get cancer?
someone is in the bag for the data management of that. Probably get the contract, then offshore it. Betcha
in ca, you can shoplift more than that and they just let you do it.
they should amend their new crime law instead of writing a new law.
Will car makers be required to put it on new cars?
If they do this, it will next be required to put numbers on existing converters. And it will have to be verified they’re the correct numbers.
Oh, goody- more to monitor and control.
they’re easy to steal, so people are going to steal them in a culture where some theft is legal.
Too lazy to google it, but why are platinum metals necessary in a cat? Can manufacturers not come up with a cheaper alternative?
Blacks, of course, will be excluded from prosecution. That would be racist.
If the thieves were smart, they could find mountains of catalytic converters in junk-yards from the ’70’s and 80′ when cutting them off and throwing them away was SOP.
Here’s a whacky idea: Why don’t the other 56 states pass laws that vehicles sold in their jurisdictions with VIN numbers on the catalytic convertors, must have the retail price of the convertor, along with the price of installation, rebated to the buyer. In cash.
Manufacturers who take issue with these laws, can pass the costs along to California buyers.
Plus one for Teslas not having this prob.
Running over people and catching on fire, sure. But no cats are stolen.
I think if they can choke it off at the recyclers, that would stop 90% if not all of it.
I think most are stolen for the value of the platinum. I haven’t heard a story yet around here that is about a low-price converter for sale.
they’ll make it mandatory and then have it be by ‘subscription’
like they’re starting to do with remote starters and heated seats
will they pull over vehicles to make sure they have a number?
it is part of the ‘you will own nothing…’
“I think most are stolen for the value of the platinum. I haven’t heard a story yet around here that is about a low-price converter for sale.”
Going back to early 2000’s, I believe, all I ever heard is they were being stolen for the rhodium and palladium.
I know of someone that would let the jack down on the jerk if they saw them doing that.
They caught a dirtbag at my work doing it to one of the subcontractors trucks. The guy had a getaway driver but they had a hold of him. When they called the cops they said they couldn’t be there for 2 hours so they let him go, yeah, Portland.
Why not stop making them mandatory on cars.
Problem goes away.
I had one car where I got a muffler shop to cut the dang catastrophic convertor out and put in a straight pipe. Back when you could still get away with that sort of thing.
“Going back to early 2000’s, I believe, all I ever heard is they were being stolen for the rhodium and palladium.”
I stand corrected. That’s where the value is.
Dadof4 – actually, they are members of the platinum-group metals. So, technically you were right. Apparently, they have rhodium, palladium and platinum in the damn things, but whenever I read about cat theft, it usually was rhodium and palladium that the thieves were wanting to extract. Still can’t understand why there isn’t alternatives to those metals.
Not yet another CA law that makes it more expensive to be a victim!?