The Unkindest Cut continued from page 11 problem everywhere.” A slowing economy isn’t the only reason catalytic converter thefts have skyrocketed. The rise in crime is also connected to a crippled supply chain, new state emissions regulations and record prices in precious metals. We’ve hit a sweet spot for catalytic crime, and it’s only getting sweeter. And louder. Of all the questions people asked after hear- ing about my recent brush with auto theft, the most common was this: “What does a catalytic converter do?” A catalytic converter is a device installed Motors — and the Automobile Manufactur- ers Association announced that they had partnered to study pollution-reduction tech- nology. But instead, the group conspired to block the introduction of any such devices, including catalytic converters, according to a 1969 antitrust case fi led by the DOJ. The auto industry’s legal defense suc- cessfully moved the case from Los Angeles to a more favorable court in Washington, D.C., where a grand jury investigation was replaced with a consent decree between the federal government and the auto industry. Per the decree, the industry pledged to do better — but instead defeated state legislation aimed at creating cleaner car emissions for years. In 1971, California House Representa- tive Phillip Burton exposed a memo in the verters, sold for around $900 per ounce in June, according to market estimates, while rhodium sold for more than $1,300 an ounce and palladium for over $1,800. Generally, each exhaust pipe in a car equals one catalytic converter, and most cars have just one. But a dual-exhaust system requires two converters, and some vehicles have even more. Secondhand converters can currently sell anywhere from $50 to $500 on the black market, and models on larger vehicles or turbo engines can fetch upwards of $1,000. Some cars are easier targets than others, but few are safe. My Toyota 4Runner, a 2004 model, didn’t have the most valuable converter, but it was easily accessible under Most catalytic converter thefts are done quickly and loudly with a reciprocating saw like a Sawzall. The lowlife who stole mine at least had the courtesy to cut up my car cleanly, but not everyone is lucky enough to get the street surgeon I did. “It depends on where it’s cut out. They cut the easy ones underneath the car, but in some cases they can do much more damage. If carbon monoxide comes in the car, the oxygen sensors won’t read it correctly, and it adds more fuel [to the engine]. Then your fuel economy goes haywire,” Cave explains. “I’m also constantly repairing and replacing ones that people have tried to put in themselves.” Although Cave admits that the work is good for his business’s bottom line, he’s not happy about it. He used to look forward Exhaust Pros owner Howard Cave’s schedule is full with replacing catalytic converters, which use a mix of precious metals to reduce exhaust pollutants. on a combustion engine to control emissions by using a slurry of precious metals such as platinum, palladium and rhodium to convert toxic gases and pollutants into less-toxic gases and pollutants. Most commonly found on cars, catalytic converters are also used on engines of motorcycles, buses, locomotives, heavy machinery, electrical generators, ships and even some stoves. The earliest forms were invented in nineteenth-century France, but it took nearly 100 years for them to become widely adopted. The modern form was developed at the Engelhard Corporation in New Jersey in 1973, but versions of converters were receiving patents in the United States as early as the 1950s. Why did it take so long for catalytic con- 12 verters to catch on? One theory is so shady that it inspired a 2021 crime thriller from Steven Soderbergh, No Sudden Move, with a cast that includes Matt Damon and Denver East High School alumnus Don Cheadle and a plot fueled by the U.S. Department of Justice. The movie involved a lot more one-liners, excitement and murder than was possible to confi rm, but the real story is slimy enough. In 1953, America’s big three automobile manufacturers — Chrysler, Ford and General DOJ case showing that auto manufacturers were indeed trying to suppress pollution reduction technology while lying to the public and elected offi cials. Our overlords fi nally accepted that we had a smog problem, but they didn’t institute a widespread adoption of catalytic convert- ers until 1975. Still, the U.S. was the fi rst country to do so, and these doohickeys have proved pretty important to the environment. On top of reducing pollutants by up to 98 percent, according to Harvard Univer- sity’s Chemistry and Chemical Biology Department, catalytic converters take up a decent chunk of a car’s exhaust system, so when one is removed, you’ll feel and hear it — hence the jalopy-sounding shitbox I drove home that fateful Sunday morning. And my driving ended at home, as vehicle emissions laws in Colorado make it illegal to drive a state-registered vehicle without a catalytic converter. Scrapyards have always been willing to pay for the metals inside of catalytic convert- ers, which can also include cerium, iron, manganese and nickel. However, increasing prices and a decreasing supply of precious metals have created a spike in demand. Platinum, the most common metal in con- the car’s high undercarriage, essentially an open invitation for thieves. Toyota Priuses and Honda Elements are particularly at- tractive because their hybrid systems have more precious metals, according to CATPA and the DPD, while the Chevrolet Equinox, Subaru Forester and Outback, Ford F-150 and Econoline and several other Honda and Toyota models are also enticing. New and expensive cars are popular, too. “Some of these replacements are so new, they have to be bought from a licensed deal- ership,” says Howard Cave, owner and man- ager of Aurora’s Exhaust Pros, and that adds both time and costs. “There’s a [Mercedes] G-Wagon in my shop right now. All four of the converters on it were stolen, and it’s not the fi rst time that car has come in.” The longtime mechanic has been operat- ing the shop since 1994 and has seen all sorts of vehicles come in without catalytic converters. Over the past two years, Cave has replaced converters on luxury vehicles, church buses, motorhomes and everything in between. Replacements usually cost anywhere from $1,000 to $2,900, depending on the make and model, but a Prius model can run almost $5,000 — and that’s only if a converter replace- ment is the sole repair, he notes. to summers at his muffl er shop, when he typically worked on hot rods. The last few years, however, his garage and parking lot have been full of insurance cases. “If cars aren’t on the road because of all of this stuff, then I’m closed, so my parking lot is totally fi lled up. I have more vehicles waiting on approval from insurance companies than anything else,” he says. “And you can’t leave a hot rod outside overnight. Those jobs take all day long, yet I’m jammed up with all of these converter replacements.” Cave calls the situation “terrible for the common consumer,” and he’s not just referencing theft. In 2018, then-Governor John Hickenlooper and the state Air Quality Control Commission adopted standards that began requiring new cars and newly installed catalytic converters to pass stricter emissions tests than the federal government required. According to Cave, aftermarket suppliers have taken advantage of this, and some older cars now need replacements that are harder to fi nd than brand-new models. “Colorado adopted these rules without having a plan in place, because not every vehicle on the road has a listing for a com- pliant converter,” he notes. “I had a car in my parking lot for a continued on page 14 JUNE 30-JULY 6, 2022 WESTWORD | MUSIC | CAFE | CULTURE | NIGHT+DAY | NEWS | LETTERS | CONTENTS | westword.com EVAN SEMÓN EVAN SEMÓN
