I read the other day that catalytic converter thefts are on the increase. Is the one in the FL2 easy to get to? The newspaper (I think it was the Express) said if possible to weld over the bolts or fit some kind of mesh as thefts from an 4x4 could be done easily in a few minutes. Black MY2013 SD4 GS Auto, Wood Company Armrest, Freel2 sticker.
Gone MY2010 Freelander 2 Manual TD4.e S, Alaska White.

I think it's because of the high ground clearance they are easy to get to,i've heard of people welding some nuts and grinding them off if they need to remove them later.

One of the local dealers has had several incidents of customers coming in with noisy exhausts some months back, which was due to the cat being removed with a chain saw.

They certainly are on the increase, certainly in Warwickshire/Oxfordshire....mind you, we are in the middle of JLR Territory up here and there's a lot of easy pickings about. Mercedes Sprinters seem to be high on the hotlist for thieves, so presumably they are easier to nick than some others?

Thames Valley Police teamed up with the ISR last month, and were etching Cat's free of charge at a Vauxhall Dealership in Banbury...I took mine in and they did it there and then.

More details here:

http://www.retainagroup.co.uk/metal-marking.html

Might be worth checking with your local Force(s) to see if they have taken up the initiative as well. Foraging near Gaydon....
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MY13 HSE Lux SD4, Baltic Blue - current, 30,000> miles without fault
MY12 HSE 2.2 SD4, Sumatra Black - gone after 10 months/43,000 fault-free miles

It's not that easy to remove on our Freelanders, the 'cat' is on the upward incline and quite close to the exhaust manifold, only the tail end of it is easily accessible from underneath. Mind you if they are determined then there's not much to stop them.

In easy reach is the DPF, now they can pinch that one if they like

No amount of welding the nuts will help, the local Tesco stores have lost their Cats a few times round here, the local boys in blue were saying the Ford Galaxy's, Seat Alhambras and such are being hit, they don't even bother to unbolt, according to a Garage we use they are using some sort of metal cutter like the Brigade use in an accident, it's not a grinder or saw they are actually lopping through the sections of the exhaust either side of the Cat, the ends are nipped up when cut, leaving you requiring a complete exhaust system as well as a new Cat.

The pikeys usually target easy to remove cats like Transits etc. Although no car is safe, the FL2 will be low on the list of targets due to the hard to get at nature of the cat. John
07 HSE Narvick Black
Land Rover Series One
Triumph Rocket 111 (sadly gone!)

We had our works yard done over last year, cats taken from 2 Peugeot Boxer vans and a VW Transporter van that we left overnight - my gaffer had left his Range Rover Sport as well that night but that was untouched - perhaps LR Cats are not that easy to get to?

The cats are going from all the Land Rovers here is West Yorkshire.

Mind you they are taking the rest of the vehicle as well.......!

They use a battery powered small grinder to cut the pipe work either side of the unit.

Takes very little time to do. I've watched it on CCTV and it took a couple of mins start to finish

I know its an old thread but there seems to be a spike in thefts again in the Huddersfield/Halifax area this last week. Something to keep an eye out for? Black MY2013 SD4 GS Auto, Wood Company Armrest, Freel2 sticker.
Gone MY2010 Freelander 2 Manual TD4.e S, Alaska White.

a little angle grinder with a decent battery and the super thin cutting discs will cut trough several cats no probs.

Im saving up for a li-on battery for mine as with a ni-cad battery it would struggle to cut one, seems only thieves can afford decent tools, or only steal the best  At work
At home

"I can't always believe facts I read on the web" - Charles Dickens

winner by default of the tractor vs caravan race

Spate of catalytic converters stolen here over the last few weeks! 1998 300TDi Auto Disco, never to be forgotten.
2008 Auto TD4 Freelander2, now gone?
2013 Auto SD4 Freelander!
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Stevie5tapes wrote:

I know its an old thread but there seems to be a spike in thefts again in the Huddersfield/Halifax area this last week. Something to keep an eye out for?

Hi Stevie
I live in Huddersfield and work in Halifax
A couple of years ago we had several cats pinched off the works Sprinters in 1 night in the car park, there were quite a few taken in Elland that night, police thought it was pikies

Was it in the Examiner you read about the latest thefts?

Rob

Do you get higher performance without it?

I had a Isuzu Trooper that was much better when the cat was removed.