I remember when I first read about catalytic converter theft in Fresno a few years back. I wasn’t surprised, as Fresno’s fame in the media is usually negative, such as with drugs and shootings. Apparently, now catalytic thefts are now much more widespread across California. Any car not parked safely runs the risk of a catalytic converter being stolen, of which is particularly terrorizing the vastly populated areas like Los Angeles and the Bay Area. And I thought it was a pain having to remove wheels and seats from bikes to secure them.
Why catalytic converters anyway? Catalytic converters have the important job of converting harmful byproducts in combustion engines to be less harmful. In order to do this, they use precious metals, particularly palladium, which tends to be more valuable than gold due to its many practical purposes.