lennyhb Posted February 28, 2012 Share Posted February 28, 2012 Doing some work on the van today, dropped a screw when looking for it noticed a big gap in the exhaust system. Some low life has nicked the cat. Cats 2 U appear to have them in stock for £234 inc. vat, just wondering if Nick has any experience of Cats 2 U, certainly seem cheap. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colin Posted February 28, 2012 Share Posted February 28, 2012 How about the plain pipe option, at least it won't be nicked again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lennyhb Posted February 28, 2012 Author Share Posted February 28, 2012 Was thinking about that, anyone know where to get one drawn a blank online. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shaun Posted February 29, 2012 Share Posted February 29, 2012 The bill starts to mount up if the thieves have cut through other bits as well, to remove the CAT. I see the latest type-approved suppliers say their product has no fitting kit, which means the replacement CAT is only half the battle. I had a straight through pipe fitted, but trawling the internet may be of little use, because much depends on what's left of your existing system, so stock parts may need supplementary bits added, such as hanging brackets. In my case, the guys had to fabricate a piece to fit the complete gap, weld a hanger in place, then add a flange to one end of the new pipe, as they didn't have the specific Fiat part. I think it was Performance Exhausts, or suchlike, who were basically your standard exhaust fitters, but with a franchise, I gather, for the extra things they could conjure up. Shaun Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lennyhb Posted February 29, 2012 Author Share Posted February 29, 2012 Well at least they didn't do any damage apart from cutting 2 of the rubber hangers. I've order a cat from Cats 2U they were very helpful & it's stainless steel, I'll find out tomorrow if it's the right one £245 including vat & delivery genuine Fiat one is £834 inc. Cost another £25 for gasket, hangers & nuts from Fiat dealer. Also ordered a Cat Loc & thinking about putting a hump in the drive under the cat, I thought we were quite safe we are the last house in a dead end road open fields on two sides, the van is parked next to my office window & only a few feet from the front door I'm around most of the time so I reckon it was done overnight. Went for the pattern part as didn't want two insurance claims in a year had a little bump in France last year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shaun Posted March 1, 2012 Share Posted March 1, 2012 I think this is a big problem after such a theft - all manner of extra cost and hassle to avoid it happening again. And all because manufacturers leave such an expensive part in a highly accessible place. I refused to go for all that expense and hassle, and sleep at night because of the through pipe. Only time will tell whether new emissions rules will change things. Shaun Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lennyhb Posted March 1, 2012 Author Share Posted March 1, 2012 Van back on the road, cat came this morning dead easy to fit probably took the low life's less than 10 min to get it off. Also fitted a Catloc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JudgeMental Posted March 1, 2012 Share Posted March 1, 2012 sorry to hear that Lenny. mines still there...for now *-) what are these things worth scrap and is there anyway of protecting one? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lennyhb Posted March 1, 2012 Author Share Posted March 1, 2012 Have a look under your offside cab door (UK offside you LHD man) you will see just how easy it is to remove the 2nd cat luckily the 1st cat is tucked up behind the engine (yes they have 2). Worth about £50 scrape value. I've fitted a Catloc, not infallible but at least it will slow down any low lifes and hopefully they will go elsewhere. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shaun Posted March 3, 2012 Share Posted March 3, 2012 In many ways, this is all madness, but it won't stop until the police, the insurance companies, the scrap metal dealers, or whoever, do something positive to stop the thefts. Last year when mine was nicked, Fiat wanted over £2,000 to replace it and make good. That huge cost is what made me decide to go for the through pipe, as I didn't want that initial expense, or insurance claim, or ongoing worry that the replacement would also be stolen. However, since then, with CAT prices now so much cheaper, I'm not so concerned. If my van gets through its MOT in a couple of months' time, then I'll leave things as they are. However, if it fails and I have to relay all my dealings with VOSA to the testing station, to show they're incorrect to do so, then I can see it's going to be a real chore each year getting through the MOT with a de-catted van. There's also the chance that VOSA will finally have to bow to the recent EU directive and instruct testers to fail diesel vehicles if an originally fitted CAT is not in place. VOSA could do that now, but in short, it doesn't have the confidence in testers to correctly recognise what a CAT is, as there are so many different types and they can get confused with DPFs and other emissions equipment. So for now there's no requirement for de-catted diesel vehicles to be failed. But that could easily change. It will soon be evident whether de-catted diesels come under MOT tester scrutiny, due to the related rule change for petrol engines which VOSA said would start to be enforced in the spring of 2012. If testers simply get it wrong and keep failing de-catted diesels, then us thru-pipers will probably have to invest in an after-market system just to keep testers happy. However, even if this happens, there's no way I'd leave such a system in place. It would be fitted for the MOT test only, then be removed to make way for the straight pipe again for the rest of the year. This has been going on for years, but usually for performance-enhancement reasons on cars. Now, this palaver seems necessary to avoid the hassle and expense associated with CAT theft. Shaun Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JudgeMental Posted March 3, 2012 Share Posted March 3, 2012 lennyhb - 2012-03-01 5:17 PM I've fitted a Catloc, not infallible but at least it will slow down any low lifes and hopefully they will go elsewhere. How much are they Lenny and are they easy to fit? I might change van next year for an auto so would rather not go for the permanent fix..what do you think? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lennyhb Posted March 3, 2012 Author Share Posted March 3, 2012 £125 inc vat & delivery, about an hour to fit. Up on a ramp probably do it in ½ hour. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr Dave Posted March 3, 2012 Share Posted March 3, 2012 Just wondering on a transit Mk7 where is the Cat?. Is it incorporated into the large silencer box under the van or nearer to the exhaust manifold? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted March 10, 2012 Share Posted March 10, 2012 I'm resurrecting this one to keep you all on your toes. A near neighbour got a new van (2010 reg Ducato base) about 6 weeks back. Last Tuesday morning he went to move it (back to the dealer to rectify a water pump fault that hadn't been identified - along with a few others :-) - before delivery), and the noise it made when it started nearly gave him a heart attack! He peered underneath and ............................. sure enough, big gap in exhaust where the cat should be! His van is parked on his private forecourt, right outside his front door. This is in town, not rural. The police told him that two 4 x 4s and one other van were done around the town on the same night. Time of raid estimated around 03:00 hrs. Cat had been unbolted to remove it, and the bolts had been left behind. He was duly appreciative for this small contribution towards the cost of replacement! :-) The replacement cat will be "caged". I told him about the de-cat pipes but he had already made arrangements for the replacement to be fitted with a Fiat dealer and his insurer. He has had vans for years, parked in the same location. His previous van was 6/7 years old, so no cat; so his new van had been sniffed out in a matter of weeks of arrival. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charisma Posted March 19, 2012 Share Posted March 19, 2012 Exactly the same thing just happened to me. Motorhome is at the repairers now having a complete new exhaust fitted - they took the lot, and it was parked on my driveway and we live on a busy main road.Question: does a straight pipe work OK as far as engine management is concerned? The electronics seem to only be fitted to the Pre-Cat which is further up in the engine bay, and they didn't take that bit.Anybody thought of fitting a shield made of tin plate or similar which could fit around the CAT and be pop riveted in place to make it really difficult for thieves. They could be drilled out if the CAT needed to be replaced legitimately - which I imagine would not be very often.Dave (Charisma) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ham Posted March 19, 2012 Share Posted March 19, 2012 On the Tribby forum. Someone was advised to wrap his Catalytic Converter in chicken wire as this fouls up the blades of the saw they use to cut the pipe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lennyhb Posted March 19, 2012 Author Share Posted March 19, 2012 They don't need to cut the pipes they are so easy to unbolt if you know what you are doing a few minutes work, mine was unbolted and no damage apart from cutting 2 of the hanging straps Oh! and seriously damaged my wallet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shaun Posted March 20, 2012 Share Posted March 20, 2012 In answer to charisma, following my CAT theft, I've been using my van with a thru-pipe since last June and there have been no engine management issues. There have been no warning lights and there's been no discernible performance or fuel consumption loss or gain...in fact nothing to report whatsoever. Shaun Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charisma Posted March 21, 2012 Share Posted March 21, 2012 Thanks ShaunDid you get one made up, or buy it ready made? Contact details for supplier would be welcome. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Airstream Posted March 21, 2012 Share Posted March 21, 2012 Hi, I have also been running my X250 with a cat bypass pipe that I fabricated myself as there were no reasonably priced pipes on the market, the lowest price I could find was £120 !!! The cost to knock a pipe up for my van was less than £30 and took less than an hour to make (photos and description have been on both main motorhome forums) However the following may help - quote from another forum "We have experienced catalyst thefts in the midlands area. As a result we have been able to manufacture a pipe that fits in place of the catalyst when the motorhome is parked up over a period of time. We then replace your catalyst when you begin using your motorhome again. Anybody who would like more information on how we do this can either visit our facebook page (motorhome depot) or can give us a call on 01527 60047, guaranteed to be cheaper than replacing a stolen cat" No connection with the above but may help Regards Ray Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shaun Posted March 21, 2012 Share Posted March 21, 2012 There's no rule of thumb here because much depends on what's left of the exhaust system after the theft. Sometimes the thieves unbolt, whilst others saw through pipes and hanging rubbers. I went to a local exhaust fitter which also did bespoke work as a franchise. However, I'd have preferred it if they hadn't cut off the Fiat flange and replaced it with one they stocked to match their pipe. But that's all they could do in a hurry, in the absence of Fiat parts. The job cost £90 in stainless and it was good value, given that they had to fabricate the pipe and fittings and had me on my way in an hour. Shaun Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flicka Posted July 2, 2012 Share Posted July 2, 2012 Came across this on the Swift-Talk forum - Alarm for catalytic converter. http://www.johnscross.co.uk/pages/Workshop.html (& scroll down) Is it a viable alternative to the Cat Clamps ? Or does anyone know of sensors that can be incorporated to an existing alarm. (?) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lennyhb Posted July 3, 2012 Author Share Posted July 3, 2012 There are other alarms about at similar prices they are over twice the price of Catloc and other protectors and alarms not going to be much help if you have left the van somewhere remote. Only way I can see me fitting an alarm to the cat is if it could be integrated in to the existing at a cost of less that 40 quid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hallii Posted July 3, 2012 Share Posted July 3, 2012 Dr Dave - 2012-03-03 10:01 PM Just wondering on a transit Mk7 where is the Cat?. Is it incorporated into the large silencer box under the van or nearer to the exhaust manifold? I think it's the smaller box nearer the manifold, I have asked the question on the Ford Transit forum so hopefully I will have a definitive answer soon, I will post the answer. I had a thought though regarding the ease with which they are unbolted. A dab of weld on the flanges should make it a lot harder to nick them. My other thought was to engrave the reg no. on the cat so it could be identified. Something like " Reg No. 123xyz this cat has been stolen, contact the Police" or something? H Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hallii Posted July 3, 2012 Share Posted July 3, 2012 The Fortd Transit 2.2 has the cat. bolted to the turbo which is right up by the engine so difficult to get to. I will sleep easy tonight, my cat. is safe it seems. H Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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