Analyzing your shop's surroundings and addressing "the simple stuff" can discourage all but the most determined thieves intent on striking your parking lot, according to Daryl Allegree, risk engineering manager for Zurich Insurance.
A seemingly obvious option, of course, is storing yet-to-be repaired vehicles inside the bays during weekends and overnight, yet local authorities in some communities might balk at such a plan for safety reasons.
"Some fire departments may not like that," Allegree explains, "or they want you to leave the keys inside."
Clark's Auto Care in Huntington, W.Va. lacks a fenced lot. Police found it littered with two saw blades while investigating the recent theft of eight catalytic converters from customers' cars. "We try to keep everything inside," says manager Harold Brown, "but sometimes we have more vehicles than we have room for."
When that circumstance occurs, "we park them outside, lock them up, and hope we don't get hit again," Brown reports.
When tight space puts a squeeze on inside storage at B&B Automotive Repairs in Linden, N.J., owner Edward Bean Jr. adds a couple of extra steps to his evening closing routine. After suffering several converter thefts, he devised a plan that entails placing dismounted tires underneath each vehicle to block casual access to the exhaust system. You jack it up, slide the tires in and lower it back down.
"I haven't had any problems since," says Bean. "It's a pain in the neck, but it saves a lot of aggravation."
Ray Price Honda in Stroudsburg, Pa., has both a fence and surveillance system. However, that turned out to be not enough as police are now rolling the videotape searching for clues after two culprits working in tandem stole 37 converters from 29 new CRVs and 8 Pilots.
"We had them lined up for sale," notes general manager Danielle Singer; 11 other Honda dealers in the region have been similarly victimized by multiple converter thefts. Piazza Honda had 26 converters disappear over the Fourth of July weekend.
Such incidents "can't necessarily be prevented, but there are different ways to slow them down," says Singer. While declining to publicly discuss specifics for fear of tipping off anyone with ill intent, she emphasizes that security is being tightened up on several fronts. The operation is considering the purchase of Catlock devices for its repair center to install on the stock.
A Catlock consists of two steel plates that surround the exhaust component and tether it to the frame via an aircraft-quality cable. "You can adjust the height and width to fit various sized converters," explains Ian Monat of Phoenix-based Monat Technologies, which in June introduced the "strong visual deterrent that tells thieves to move along."
It takes 10 to 15 minutes for a professional to install a Catlock, he says, adding that it makes a valued addition to a shop's array of customer services – retailing for $99 while providing truck, van and SUV owners "peace of mind knowing their catalytic converters are underneath their vehicles and not in the hands of thieves."
The device's invention and path to production actually came about through a bizarre set of coincidences. In August of last year the converter on Monat's Toyota 4Runner was stolen.
As Monat dealt with his insurance company and prepared to shell out nearly $2,000 for a new converter, he made a mental note to call Arizona State University Professor Eric Menkhus to tell him about his budding idea for a theft-preventing device "that would spare others that financial pain and inconvenience." The two had met at a technology clinic while Monat was studying for an MBA degree.When Monat walked into a shop to have his converter replaced, there in the lounge sat Menkhus – who was waiting while his Toyota Sequoia was having the same repair done.
"I'm not too religious," says Monat, but seeing Menkhus that day "seemed like a sign."
Through a university program that assists students wishing to incubate innovative business plans, Menkhus had "the ideal mechanism" for helping him bring his idea onto paper and into production.
"We wanted to build a better mousetrap," Monat recounts. "And if you can put together a piece of IKEA furniture, then you can install the Catlock."
