Gosford: Catalytic converters stolen from parked cars

A disturbing new crime trend which started in the US and the UK has emerged on the Central Coast – and it has motorists parking at Gosford worried.

When Sharyn Conduit left a job at Gosford and started working at Erina she thought “finally I can get a decent car” without worrying about leaving it parked all day.

But when she got another new job back at Gosford her worst fears came true but in a way she never imagined.

Ms Conduit parked her BMW 320D at the Kibbleplex car park on Friday and went to work as normal.

When she returned she discovered she was the victim of a surprising new crime trend.

“As I was driving down the ramp I noticed something was wrong,” she said.

She called the NRMA only to discover “there was a whole section missing” from her exhaust system.

Thieves had cut her exhaust system in two places to remove the catalytic converter. Picture: supplied

Thieves had cut the exhaust in two places and removed the car’s catalytic converter.

Ms Conduit said by the time the car was towed to Erina Mufflers, NRL fans who she had seen earlier arriving for the Manly versus Warriors game where now leaving.

She has since learned another colleague had the same thing happen to their car, which was parked at the Baker St paid commuter car park about a week earlier and was told of a third victim who owned a Honda CR-V all wheel drive.

“It’s crazy,” she said.

“It’s just unbelievable it’s happening.”

The other part of her exhaust was left hanging under her car after it had been cut. Picture: supplied

Catalytic converters convert harmful pollutants into less harmful emissions and became mandatory for all cars and trucks in Australia in 1986.

Precious metals such as platinum, palladium, rhodium or gold are typically used as the catalyst.

The alarming new trend in stealing catalytic converters began in the US and Europe in tandem with skyrocketing precious metal prices and the ease at which thieves can use cordless saws to remove them in as little as a few minutes.

https://fb.watch/4QR4mBtkdM/

Ms Conduit said she was told that depending on the size they could fetch anywhere from $300-$500 on the scrap metal black market.

While Ms Conduit was insured, she said she still faced a $700 excess as well as the inconvenience of hiring a rental car.

Other motorists without full comprehensive insurance could find themselves with replacement costs running into the thousands of dollars.

Sharyn Conduit was happy to get a good car after leaving a job at Gosford only to get another job there later where her BMW had its catalytic converter stolen. Picture: supplied

“The most ironic thing is when I worked for APIA I didn’t want to get a decent car because I worked in Gosford,” she said.

“When I got a new job I thought now I’m parking at Erina I can get a good car.”

Tuggerah Lakes Police District has recorded two thefts of catalytic converters while Brisbane Water police have recorded four separate incidents since February.

Anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers.