4 Catalytic Converters Stolen From Vehicles

You turn on your car in the morning and it sounds louder - a lot louder. What could be the cause?

Maybe, like some Southampton residents noticed last week, someone stole your vehicle's catalytic converter while you slept, or while you were parked at the grocery store.

Upper Southampton police are investigating the removal and theft of four catalytic converters, which were taken sometime between last Thursday evening and Friday morning.

The converters were cut from the undercarriage of the vehicle's exhaust system, police said.

All of the affected vehicles were parked in the 1700 block of Street Road.

The auto part, which has been required in vehicle exhaust systems since 1975, can be removed in less than a minute with simple and portable metal cutting tools, according to a 2008 report from MSNBC.com.

Theives don't just take the converters because they are easy targets, but because they contain high-value precious metals such as: platinum, palladium and rhodium, according to the story.

Estimates found on the internet value the resale price of the stolen converters between $50 and $150.

However, the cost to repair the damaged exhaust system and replace the catalytic converter "varies from car to car, but it is on the expensive end," an employee at told Patch.

Several anti-theft devices to protect vehicle's catalytic converters have been introduced in recent years.

One of them - “CatClamp” - surrounds the converter with steel wiring and connects the auto part to the vehicle’s frame. The CatClamp retails for between $120 and $270.

If you see any suspcious activity, you are urged to call police.