And there is goes, my cat got stolen

I could be out of date. As always, caveat emptor.

 

Roger that LM!

 

Better be safe than sorry. I dont want to take a risk of finding out if they will take it or not because if they really want it, they'll take it.

Make it harder for them to get it.

I'm taking mine to the shop tomorrow to get a new cat and the plate installed. I'll post pictures of the finished product and my first impressions with it installed

 

Cool - good luck! I sifted through some old posts and looked at reviews + options, and even with 250k on the clock, I just couldn't bring myself to have one of the $120 cats from ebay spliced in. I have to make it to 300k, right?? There were a few posts saying they only made it 10k with the cheapie before it started throwing a P0420 code, so guess I better up the ante.
It seemed of the bunch, only Magnaflow or Walker are halfway recommended and lasting more than 50k? Those seem to be the only ones with much in the way of positive reviews or mentions on the forums here.
So I went with the Walker (Amazon was cheapest and hey, speedy prime shipping definitely a plus when your car is down). From the youtube vids, it looked to me like I could install it myself if I went ahead and did the resonator also, since they just clamp together - I can handle it as long as there's no welding. Bolts on otherwise and did not look complicated. I'll leave the stock muffler in place, it's fine and the stock parts are stainless where the walker seems to be aluminized steel, a notch down corrosion wise and something I need to think about here in rainy Oregon. I'm a little worried about the rust over time. One reviewer mentioned painting it with high temp paint to try to help, but that sounds a little extreme.

The parts I had to order, if it helps anyone:
16337 (cat)
55431 (resonator)
35405 (clamp)
31690 (walker gasket)
36454 x2 (bolts)
35460 x2 (rubber hangars)
and one oem part -
17451-21060 (toyota gasket)
and then the Denso O2 234-4623

about ~$500 but on the flipside, no install cost and looks to be an hour and a half job.

Now to look at all the cat shields...

 

***If it helps anyone;
My $120 STAINLESS STEEL 'after market cat' , actually performs better than my OEM CAT.
NO ISSUES-NO CODES

 

Every once in a while I’ve got to ask: vandalism insurance is out of the question in the States? Premiums and/or deductible too high??

 

Damn have read about this stuff on here before, and bastards took my cat too. Not even mad, just find it hilarious. Looks like the sensor and cat will run me 200 bucks on Amazon but wont be here for another week and half. Any other similar priced options locally in the states?

 

EBAY

 

Do you have some link to this thing? I cannot find the aftermarket cat in this price range made from stainless steel.

 

I mentioned painting it ORANGE so many the next guy who try’s to steal my cat will notice it’s a funny color and see it’s an after market cat.

 

get Prime free shipping next day.

 

Yes, would be helpful if you had a link or seller for the one you have. There are lots of them and not everyone has had such good luck. I didn't feel like taking the risk but maybe if there was a confirmed seller + link I would have considered it. Esp if it's stainless?

The Walker popped on without issue, no problems at all. 4 bolts and a clamp + the O2. 1.5 hrs all up.

I went with the $110 (current price) CDP Cat Shield from ebay. I did not use the hardware supplied and used some stainless double pull rivets instead. Went on pretty easy - definitely helped to have access to a lift and access to my friend's better drill + rivet gun, not sure how I would have fared in my driveway. So far so good!

Yes, I had comprehensive insurance and was paid for what the factory part would have cost, so definitely made a lot of $ on that part of it. I would have rather just put the shield on ahead of it and not had to deal with the downtime and all of the messing around, though, but glad I had that coverage and that I was compensated for the original part.

 

It is called "comprehensive" in the USA and covers things which are not collision. The price depends on a million variables but the last time I paid it was just under $20 for 6 months coverage with $250 deductible. With this rash of cat thefts I suspect there will be a big price increase on that line item for gen 2 Prius's soon.

 

How thick was the CDP Cat Shield - was it aluminum or steel

 

Well they just stole my CAT again. The aftermarket one I bought on ebay. I really hate these idiots. I am gona try painting it orange this time.

 

Lol (sorry), even the quality of thieves is going down these days.

 

I see that CCM has a new enhanced model with stainless end brackets to augment their aluminum shield.
My local Toyota dealer now recommends and installs these. I’m wondering if anyone out there has any personal experience with the new design.


Cat Security™ 2004 - 2009 Prius - Level 2 Complete kit (ULTIMATE PROTECTION)
$249.99

Cat Security™ 2004 - 2009 Prius - Level 2 Complete kit (ULTIMATE PROTECTION)

 

I got the orange paint idea from Georgina and thought why not but don’t think it will help much as it’s usually pretty dark under there and I doubt these idiots take the few seconds it takes to use a flashlight and check for the Toyota part number to see if it’s real.
Bottom line is your Gen 2 Prius cat is not safe anywhere anytime unless it’s got a cage over it. Even then you’ll have idiots jacking your car up all the time to look under there.
This car at this age is not worth that negative attraction.