Welcome to PriusCats.com by Muffler Tech.
We developed this page to help all the Prius owners that have experienced catalytic converter theft in California. Why only California? We are currently the only state that has our own Air Resource Board known as the “California Air Resource Board” or “C.A.R.B.”. The reason this is impactful is that C.A.R.B. has very specific and strict rules around catalytic converter replacement, and an aftermarket part has to be on an approved list before it can be considered a legal alternative to a factory part. Unfortunately there are no approved parts for any model year Prius as of now approved by C.A.R.B. See this link:
What does this mean for Prius owners that need a replacement catalytic converter?
It means that the replacement part has to be the expensive Toyota part. We assure you that any and all parts other then the Toyota assembly will not get through a California smog inspection.
Here at Muffler Tech we believe that we are doing more of these replacements due to theft than any other shop regionally. We average about two per day. Because of this we have negotiated a very aggressive price from our wholesale Toyota parts supplier and we can be very competitive on the replacement/repair for those customers that do not have comprehensive coverage on their insurance policy.
If you do have coverage, we do full insurance claim processing at our shop. We know the ins and outs of handling a claim and will work with your carrier to fix your vehicle and get everything covered to the best of our ability including organizing and getting one of our tow partners to your car to get it to our shop.
Another matter to take very seriously with this sort of theft is that as mentioned above, the replacement of this part is another factory piece. This is important because the thieves know that they can come back to your car and it will have another valuable cat assembly to take again.
This is why we have developed three levels of theft prevention for the Prius here at Muffler Tech. Please see the attached video for some explanation around this and come in or call the shop for more detail.
Remember, if you make an insurance claim for anything on your vehicle, you legally have the right to take it anywhere you prefer, don’t let your insurance decide that for you.
Why is this happening?
All catalytic converters are manufactured using precious metals in their substrate. We have seen the cat theft as far back as 2007 starting with Toyota trucks. It has progressed into Honda products and also Ford Super Duty gasoline models with the Prius being the number one target currently. The reason these particular vehicles are at the highest risk is that the vendors that manufacture the parts for these vehicles use an unusually high content of Palladium and Rhodium both related to the Platinum family. What are the perpetrators doing with the cat they steal off your vehicle? More then likely they are going out of the state or country to a recycling facility to be smelted down for the precious metals. They are not, as far as we can tell, being sold to shops for reinstall. It is important to know that in the state of California it is illegal to buy and or install a used catalytic converter.