My Exhaust was Stolen off of my Hybrid.

[cyberdog]

Cheapest way to protect then is to obtain a bunch of exhaust clamps sized to the pipe, and install them against each other, at different angles around the pipe. They blow through , and most likely brake several blades attempting to cut through them. There's also a wire mesh type device that clamps around the pipe, made from some sort of allow that will dull their blade in no time at all. - It'll just ruin their night of thievery, since they'll need to find a new blade to continue.

Problem is, they might be annoyed enough to damage other parts of the vehicle.

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[MakinDoForNow]

I hope you mean Platinum

I would expect a platinum 880.00/oz, palladium 2100.00/oz, with super hard Rhodium 16,700.00/oz alloy (rhodium in small amounts in alloy allows much thinner plating of one or both of the other two)! Plutonium however is used to power some batteries that have to have long life due to being used off planet. I don't know if my 12+ year life battery in my pace maker uses it or not. FYI Plutonium, both that routinely made in power reactors and that from dismantled nuclear weapons, is a valuable energy source when integrated into the nuclear fuel cycle. In a conventional nuclear reactor, one kilogram of Pu-239 can produce sufficient heat to generate nearly 8 million kilowatt-hours of electricity.

 

[MakinDoForNow]

Put some kind of heat resistant signage on it that reads “Hey stupid, this is not a catalytic converter”.

Make a sleeve to encase the darn thing. Silicon carbide aka carborundum
Silicon carbide maintains its strength even at temperatures up to 1400°C. Notable features of this material are extremely high thermal conductivity and electrical semiconductivity

 

[BankableWhee]

I finally decided on a protection scheme for my exhaust!
I purchased a "Cat Strap" and will attach it to the exhaust pipe after the catalytic converter flange, and before the auxiliary heater. I am purchasing it from https://www.catstrap.net/ .

It feels a little silly to protect a resonator with a $160 theft deterrent, but $160 is way less than my insurance deductible, so if it even deters a single thief, it will have paid for itself! I think this should work for two reasons: First, it will deter thieves from cutting out my resonator again, and second, it should draw thieves' attention away from the rest of my exhaust so they hopefully don't look too far into it and just move on to an easier target.

My next steps:
- I will post photos of the cat strap install once I install it.
- I will confirm with my dealer whether the hybrid has one or two catalytic converters, and what exactly was cut off of my truck (fairly certain it was just a resonator).

Also, just a side note about towing the hybrid Maverick!! My dealership called to let me know that they noticed both of my rear brake lines were either cracked or disconnected after being dropped off to their lot, so if you ever load a Maverick onto a flat bed tow truck, take care to avoid the brake lines when the tie down straps are attached or removed.

 

[Phileaux]

I finally decided on a protection scheme for my exhaust!
I purchased a "Cat Strap" and will attach it to the exhaust pipe after the catalytic converter flange, and before the auxiliary heater. I am purchasing it from https://www.catstrap.net/ .

It feels a little silly to protect a resonator with a $160 theft deterrent, but $160 is way less than my insurance deductible, so if it even deters a single thief, it will have paid for itself! I think this should work for two reasons: First, it will deter thieves from cutting out my resonator again, and second, it should draw thieves' attention away from the rest of my exhaust so they hopefully don't look too far into it and just move on to an easier target.

My next steps:
- I will post photos of the cat strap install once I install it.
- I will confirm with my dealer whether the hybrid has one or two catalytic converters, and what exactly was cut off of my truck (fairly certain it was just a resonator).

Also, just a side note about towing the hybrid Maverick!! My dealership called to let me know that they noticed both of my rear brake lines were either cracked or disconnected after being dropped off to their lot, so if you ever load a Maverick onto a flat bed tow truck, take care to avoid the brake lines when the tie down straps are attached or removed.

That was a tow driver that didn't care to learn about new vehicle towing points. Bummer it happens

 

[BankableWhee]

Update on the situation:
- I got my Maverick back, total cost of repairs including what insurance paid was about $2500. This was for a new exhaust assembly from the catalytic converter flange to the back of the truck, new exhaust clamps, two new rear brake lines, new brake fluid, and labor. The parts took about two and a half weeks to arrive, and installation was very quick.
- Asked my service supervisor about how many catalytic converters are on the hybrid, and he confirmed there is just the one cat mated to the exhaust manifold in the engine bay, NOT ACCESSIBLE from underneath the truck. The thief cut off and took a $20 resonator, not a secondary cat.
- I haven't installed the Cat Strap yet, but will post photos once installed.

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