Want to get a Toyota hybrid but worried about cat theft.
Discussion
Is there a family sized Toyota hybrid where the catalytic converter isn’t easily accessible by jacking up the side of the car?
Was in a dealership enquiring about a 2019 Corolla Estate but the dealer said that would need a Catlock (Fitted for £250) as the catalytic converter can be accessed under the car.
So I looked into cat anti theft devices:
https://youtu.be/n643Zizjdng
Honestly not impressed, non of them last more than a few minutes against modern power tools.
So is there a Toyota or Lexus hybrid suitable to carry around a family and their gubbins where the cat is buried in the bulkhead and there isn’t anything under the car that can easily be cut out?
Seems some Toyota’s the primary cat is buried in the bulkhead but a secondary cat is just slung underneath and thieves go for that?
Would prefer to spend about 20k to 30k nearly new so cant stretch to a Lexus LS or RX etc. Honestly would have gone straight for the Corolla hybrid estate if it wasn’t for the cat issue. 1 to 3 year old examples are a perfect price, good size, great fuel economy round town where it will mostly spend its time etc.
Was in a dealership enquiring about a 2019 Corolla Estate but the dealer said that would need a Catlock (Fitted for £250) as the catalytic converter can be accessed under the car.
So I looked into cat anti theft devices:
https://youtu.be/n643Zizjdng
Honestly not impressed, non of them last more than a few minutes against modern power tools.
So is there a Toyota or Lexus hybrid suitable to carry around a family and their gubbins where the cat is buried in the bulkhead and there isn’t anything under the car that can easily be cut out?
Seems some Toyota’s the primary cat is buried in the bulkhead but a secondary cat is just slung underneath and thieves go for that?
Would prefer to spend about 20k to 30k nearly new so cant stretch to a Lexus LS or RX etc. Honestly would have gone straight for the Corolla hybrid estate if it wasn’t for the cat issue. 1 to 3 year old examples are a perfect price, good size, great fuel economy round town where it will mostly spend its time etc.
Edited by wyson on Tuesday 7th February 16:45
Can't answer your question but had my lexus ct200h cat stolen yesterday, in broad daylight in the station carpark. They've mangled the grille to get at and cut the alarm wires too. Waiting for the assesor but quote from lexus is north of £2k with all the ancillaries etc. Seems these gangs are acting with impunity. Police been fair to be honest and reacted well enough and quickly enough with a crime number but admitted any outcome is highly unlikely.
Apparently the later cars, 2017/18 on have cats made up of 'lesser' metals so aren't as desirable as the early models. Maybe something to consider when you're looking. From the various forums the toyota and lexus cat guards only seem to delay the scrotes by 10-15 minutes rather than stop them outright.
Apparently the later cars, 2017/18 on have cats made up of 'lesser' metals so aren't as desirable as the early models. Maybe something to consider when you're looking. From the various forums the toyota and lexus cat guards only seem to delay the scrotes by 10-15 minutes rather than stop them outright.
Im starting to think its not worth the grief.
My colleague had the cat cut from her Honda Jazz a couple of months ago, it seems rife in London.
If it were a £200 quick fix, I would have risked it, but keep reading new cats sometimes take weeks to arrive and cost north of 1k to fix. So you will be carless and out of pocket if paid for directly, or face increased insurance premiums if you go down that route.
Sorry to hear about your Lexus rednotdead.
Thinking I need to up my budget and go full electric, Hyundai Ioniq 5 etc.
Its such a shame, the new Corolla 5th Gen hybrid estates just sound ideal. Whatcar was getting 70mpg on their tests around town, said ‘fuel’ costs were similar to running full electric cars on a standard tariff. Cheaper night time EV tariffs won’t work for us because both the Mrs and I still work from home and we draw lots of power during the day. Corolla seemed best of both worlds, efficient running around town, plus won’t have to rely on the patchy charging network for weekend trips.
My colleague had the cat cut from her Honda Jazz a couple of months ago, it seems rife in London.
If it were a £200 quick fix, I would have risked it, but keep reading new cats sometimes take weeks to arrive and cost north of 1k to fix. So you will be carless and out of pocket if paid for directly, or face increased insurance premiums if you go down that route.
Sorry to hear about your Lexus rednotdead.
Thinking I need to up my budget and go full electric, Hyundai Ioniq 5 etc.
Its such a shame, the new Corolla 5th Gen hybrid estates just sound ideal. Whatcar was getting 70mpg on their tests around town, said ‘fuel’ costs were similar to running full electric cars on a standard tariff. Cheaper night time EV tariffs won’t work for us because both the Mrs and I still work from home and we draw lots of power during the day. Corolla seemed best of both worlds, efficient running around town, plus won’t have to rely on the patchy charging network for weekend trips.
Edited by wyson on Friday 17th February 10:36
Repair bill for my Lexus CT is just under £4k. That's for a new cat, associated sensors and heat shields, repair to the alarm as they cut through the wires, new front grille and paint of the front bumper. b
ds!
Car will have been off the road for nearly 3 weeks by the time I get it back.
ds!Car will have been off the road for nearly 3 weeks by the time I get it back.
Long term Lexus owner here with two RXs.
The cat was stolen from the RX400h in January. Was caught in CCTV and literally took 2 minutes. It was a very loud journey home, 17 miles of motorway.
Solution was to spend £90 at local garage to straight pipe it where the cat used to be. Once done, the car sounded no different and is now theft risk free. As said above, it is the secondary cat that is accessible, so it is not the only cat.
It passed its MOT OK. Hybrids no longer need an emissions test, and absence of a cat....well, that's not an MOT failure. I see no point in replacing a cat as it will only happen again, criminals act with impunity, and there are only enough Police to give a crime number, not remove these scotes from the gene pool.
If there is a Toyota you like, just get the exhaust modified and keep the cat yourself.
Newer Lexus...as also said, these have no more precious metal than any other car, so no more risk.
The cat was stolen from the RX400h in January. Was caught in CCTV and literally took 2 minutes. It was a very loud journey home, 17 miles of motorway.
Solution was to spend £90 at local garage to straight pipe it where the cat used to be. Once done, the car sounded no different and is now theft risk free. As said above, it is the secondary cat that is accessible, so it is not the only cat.
It passed its MOT OK. Hybrids no longer need an emissions test, and absence of a cat....well, that's not an MOT failure. I see no point in replacing a cat as it will only happen again, criminals act with impunity, and there are only enough Police to give a crime number, not remove these scotes from the gene pool.
If there is a Toyota you like, just get the exhaust modified and keep the cat yourself.
Newer Lexus...as also said, these have no more precious metal than any other car, so no more risk.
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