When you think of car theft, you probably think of entire cars being stolen, but a growing trend in vehicle crime involves the theft of specific car parts. As many as one in five drivers have experienced car part theft that has cost them over £1,200 to replace, but which car parts are in highest demand for thieves?

This blog will run through eight of the most commonly stolen car parts in the UK and what steps you can take to help prevent your car parts being stolen.

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1. Wing Mirrors

Wing mirrors top the list as the most frequently stolen car part, with over 1.4 million UK drivers reporting that they have had one stolen at some point. Although they may seem like simple tools, wing mirrors on modern cars contain valuable sensory equipment that can be sold on to make a fair amount of money, making them a big target for thieves.

To protect your car from wing mirror theft, it is recommended that if possible, you fold in your wing mirrors and lock them into place when parking so that it is harder for thieves to remove them. You can also purchase high strength acrylic tape that you can use to tape down the backing plate of your mirror for extra security.

2. Number Plates

Number plates are another common victim of car theft as stolen plates can be used for a number of different illegal activities. For example, thieves can use stolen number plates to put on unregistered cars, drive illegally, street race or steal petrol. In fact, every year 27,000 number plates are stolen from vehicles by thieves for possible illegal activity.

To protect your number plate from theft, replace your license plate’s regular screws with security screws. This should deter criminals from trying to remove your plates. If someone does pinch your number plates, be sure to report it to the police and the DVLA – it’s possible that the thieves will stick your plates on a different car, and you don’t want to be held responsible for any crimes they might commit.

3. Tyres and Wheels

13% of drivers reported having their tyres or wheels stolen at some point. Wheels are easy to steal as with the correct tools, a thief can removed your vehicle’s tyres and wheels within a matter of minutes. The added factor of these parts being hard to track and easy to sell makes your vehicle’s tyres and wheels a great target for thieves.

To protect your tyres, try turn your wheels at a 45 degree angle when parking and park close to the kerb. This should make it harder for thieves to gain access and remove your wheels.

4. The Car Emblem

Coming in close at the fourth most popular stolen car part, 12% of drivers surveyed by Compare the Market reported having their car emblem stolen at some point. Stealing car emblems was popularised by the music video for The Beastie Boys’ 1986 hit (You Gotta) Fight For Your Right (To Party), where band member Mike D had a VW badge hanging around his neck. This prompted fans all over the world to imitate the look and steal their own VW badges, so much so that a VW representative confirmed that in the first weeks of June 1987, as many as 250 car owners a day were getting replacement badges!

To avoid car emblem theft, park your car’s front section as close to a wall as possible so that there is no access to the bonnet or badge. This may not completely deter thieves but should make their job that bit harder.

5. Catalytic Convertor

Catalytic convertors are another valuable stolen car part that many thieves are eager to get their hands on. Made from a combination of several metals (platinum, palladium and rhodium) in the platinum group known to be worth more than gold, catalytic convertors can be sold to metal recyclers for a good lump sum. An experienced thief can also remove a catalytic convertor from your car in under a minute.

To deter thieves, it is recommended that you etch your VIN number or name on the convertor so that if it is stolen it is not only worth less, but can also be traced back to you – saving you up to £1,000 on a replacement part!

6. Battery

Car batteries are expensive and have a high resale value on the underground market, particularly the batteries from hybrid or electric vehicles. If you’ve ever had the task of replacing your own car battery, you know that removing it doesn’t take long when you have the right tools.

To deter thieves from stealing your car battery, you can buy alarm systems that you place under the hood of your car so that when somebody tries to open it to get to your battery, the blaring alarm should scare them away. You can also install hood locks and battery locks for extra security.

7. Airbags

Another easy car part for thieves to steal is your airbags. Airbags are compact, portable and can be stolen in a matter of minutes. Thieves will sell stolen airbags to collision repair shops where dishonest repairmen will charge vehicle owners the full price for the replacement, committing insurance fraud. The USA’s National Insurance Crime Bureau has reported that around 50,000 airbags are stolen a year in America, and the UK is not far behind.

Parking in safe places and using a steering wheel lock are two ways that you can help protect your vehicle from airbag left.

8. Registration

A lesser known but possibly the most dangerous item a thief can steal from your car is your vehicle registration. By taking your car’s registration documents, thieves will then be in possession of all sorts of your personal information. They can then use this information to register stolen vehicles or even get a duplicate car key made – scary stuff!

To avoid this happening to you, don’t leave your car’s registration documents in your glovebox or around your car. Instead, keep the documents at home or on your phone for easy access.

If you have been a victim of car part theft, or just need a replacement part for your car, contact A&L Vehicle Recycling today—we’ve got loads of spare car parts available at very reasonable prices.

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Why do thieves steal catalytic converters? Catalytic converters are often stolen by thieves because of the valuable metals they contain. They can  be stolen quicky and easily. Read on to learn how to prevent your catalytic converter from being stolen. [more]  

What Is a Catalytic Converter?

Catalytic converters are car components that filter exhaust emissions through a honeycomb mesh of metals such as platinum, palladium, and rhodium. This cleans the more harmful by-products of internal combustion, reducing the car's impact on the environment.

Thanks to environmental legislation across the 1970s and 1980s, all cars manufactured after 1993 have a catalytic converter built in to filter out harmful chemicals in the car’s exhaust emissions. Electric cars don’t have catalytic converters because they don’t need them, but hybrid cars do need converters because they still use petrol.

Why Do Thieves Steal Catalytic Converters?

Thieves steal catalytic converters because they can be sold for over £600, but also because catalytic converters are very easy to steal. Thieves simply jack the car up, saw it out from under the chassis, and the job’s done. This can take between five and ten minutes, but an experienced thief can steal a catalytic converter in less than two minutes. Stealing a catalytic converter doesn’t require a smashed window or a hotwired engine, both of which can trigger the car alarm, so it’s a crime that attracts criminals who want to make money quickly.

Newer car models might have tilt-sensitive alarms, making them harder to steal from, but a lot of older cars do not have such protections. Even then, tilt-sensitive alarms will only activate if the car is tilted to a certain angle, which might not happen if the jack is used cautiously.

Vehicles with a high clearance off the ground, such as 4x4s are even more at risk, because a jack may not be needed to access the underside of the vehicle. Car models like the pre-2008 Honda Jazz, the Toyota Prius 2004-2016 inclusive, and the Toyota Arius 2012-2018 inclusive are particularly vulnerable because of this. As a hybrid car, the Toyota Prius is even more of a target thanks to a higher concentration of precious metals in the catalytic converter.

What Is the Value of a Catalytic Converter?

The metals used in a catalytic converter are rare, making them valuable. Thieves who steal catalytic converters can often resell them for up to £600 or more.

Rhodium is especially valuable due to its rarity – an ounce of rhodium can be worth over £12,000! Although there are only 1-2 grams of rhodium per converter, the 7-8 grams of precious metals in a catalytic converter means thieves only need to steal six or seven to sell to an unscrupulous scrap dealer for a pay-out of up to £4000 per troy ounce (a unit of measurement equal to just over 31g that is specific to precious metals).

READ MORE: Why Do Scrap Yards Pay So Much for Catalytic Converters?

 
How To Prevent Catalytic Converter Theft

To prevent catalytic converter theft, you can...

• Buy a clamp or cage for your catalytic converter! This makes it harder to steal, deterring opportunistic thieves who want to make a quick getaway.
• Park near a wall or fence to stop the car being jacked up.
• Park your car in a private garage.
• Invest in domestic CCTV.
• Install a car alarm if you don’t have one already.
• Register your catalytic converter and mark it with a forensic marker.
• If the catalytic converter is only bolted on to your vehicle, you can ask a garage to weld the bolts shut.

Whether your car still has its catalytic converter or not, if its reached the end of its life, contact A&L Vehicle Recycling. We can help you get the best deal possible on scrapping. To find out more about our services, don’t hesitate to get in touch. We’re always happy to help!

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