Motors What the hell, where did 4ft of my exhaust go?!

You're gonna love this.

I started the car this morning to find it suddenly sounded like a stang (it is a 2ltr petrol 4 cylinder Rav4). So I drop to my knees and I see there is something missing. Like 4ft of my exhaust system.

More worryingly I can see shiney clean cuts in the metal.

Long story short, after taking it to my local exhaust place, it turns out it has been cut and someone's made off with my catalytic converter, whilst my car sits on my driveway in the dead of night!

Well, they thought they did, see, what they actually cut out was just part of the primary exhaust system apparently, it looks alot like the Cat, but on the Rav the Cat is well into the engine bay and very hard to get at, which makes me feel better as I'll only have to pay £170 to get it replace (only!! ) instead of £500 ish.

But can you believe it!!!! I can't!

 

I'm sorry but I had to laugh whilst reading this. Mainly at the how bizarre and stupid someone has got to be to want to steal that part.

Nobody heard them cutting through your exhaust? Makes me worried someone might steal my system - although it probably wouldn't get much louder if I did lose it.

 

Scum, but at least they didn't quite get what they were after...

 

stealing the complete car would have prolly been easier and caused less noise.

sucks, but thats how life is, lets hope your insurance covers the damage.

 

I doubt the cost of the part comes close to the excess and loss of ncb.

 

Don't worry Jamie, I find it quite amusing.

As for why we didn't hear anything, they probably used a pipe cutter, I don't now if you've seen the small ones plumbers have for the copper piping, but they clamp around the pipe with two or three cutting blades inside, they just squeeze and twist and it cuts through with no noise!

As for the insurance, it's £500 excess on theft claims and loose two years of my ncb so I'll just pay the £170 lol - damnit, Jamie beat me!

This is even more frustrating as I'm trying to sell the damned car so I can get something faster and lower, which would have stopped this from happening! hehe

 

The title is funny - it reminded me of the time this chick calls me up "My petrol tank fell off!!" I asked if it was a big tank with a little pipe sticking out, cos it's probably the muffler... and yeah, when i get there i find that it was the muffler, so long story short, i assumed this would be another rusted out exhaust falling off... but cut off?!?
Who steals an exhaust system? Especially in the noisiest way possible? It's not like it was a twin 3" mandrel bent setup either.

Did you not hear a ridiculously loud grinder just outside your place in the middle of the night

edit: just saw yoru post - i don't think they could use one of those pipe cutters? The steel is thick & strong and the underbody of the car is in the way to swing the cutter around anyway.

 

Apparently the motor trade guys have powered ones, the showed one they used in the exhaust shop, you charge it up and then just squeeze it and it goes about it's business.

The thing with my car being a 4x4 is that it's jacked up so you can get under it easily, and you can get the exhaust system because it's not really sunk into the underside of the car.

What a bitch!!

 

It could have been worse - stealing all the wheels and leaving the car on bricks is more common and alot worse of a situation to be in.

Hope you enjoyed hooning around with your high flow exhaust system!

 

lol it sounded mean!! but annoying, so it's waiting for the part down at the exhaust place.

If they managed to get my car on blocks i'd be impressed, it weighs a far bit, and has locking wheel nuts which is good.

I'm just so glad they didn't actually get the Catalytic converter!!

 

If they had the tools, then they probably already knew what they was going after. They could have picked yours out as they have the same car, and that bit they cut away was faulty on the one they have, thus, why pay for a replacement if you can get it for free?

Or, they could have been pikey muppets..

I fkin hate pikeys.

DYA LIKE DAGS?

 

wow that is weird!
Never herd of anything like that before.

 

I have. It's the magnesium in the cat that they are after. Good value at the moment. Lots of people on Pistonheads are having this happen to them.

Also, locking wheel nuts are next to useless.

 

Ah actually I have two types on there lol, one is the bogo toyota ones, the others, which i did't fit, seem to be alot better, the whole key to undo them is alot more complex.

 

£170 for an exhaust is a bit steep tbh, what the hell makes it so expensive?

 

It's a 3dr Rav4, therefore it's not that common, it's not the back box or anything, it's the bit inbetween the cat and the backbox - they called it the primary system?!

 

It's Platinum and Rhodium IIRC.

Read something recently about thefts of them being on the rise, can't remember where though.

 

The guys at the exhaust shop said it was the 10th they'd seen this week, most of them were transit vans, but basically if you've got high ground clearance you are a target!

Hopefully I get a fabia vRS or Pro_Cee'd soon lol

 

Yep, half a dozen cats and you've got a fair bit of both.

Enough for a chav ring I spose.

 

Good excuse for all the Nova/Corsa boys to "slam" there cars.