The Automotive Blog

Metal thieves hit the road in crime spike

Updated on 25th May 2012

They convert harmful emissions from your car to less toxic substances, but more and more thieves are seeking to convert catalytic converters to cash.

Despite Force-wide decreases in metal theft in the year-to-date, including a 33% reduction in the County Division, police are warning motorists about a spate of catalytic converter thefts in some areas of the county.

Since the beginning of April 2012, there have been 112 catalytic converters stolen in the County Division – 94 more than the same period last year. And the thefts are increasing by the week.

Sherwood has been the worst affected, with 38 thefts (37 more than the same period last year). Bassetlaw East and Rushcliffe South follow with 21 (compared to 20) and 16 (compared to 0) respectively.

Three arrests have been made in connection with the recent thefts. Two Doncaster men, aged 24 and 28, and a Leeds man, aged 19, have been bailed pending further enquiries.

Chief Inspector Sean Anderson, Force and region lead for metal theft reduction, said: “We have recently experienced an unprecedented rise in the number catalytic converters stolen in Nottinghamshire, and specifically in the Bassetlaw, Newark and Sherwood, and Rushcliffe areas of the county.

“There were 16 recorded in January in total in the county. So far this month, 80 catalytic converters have been stolen.

“But we are not the only area experiencing such an issue. This is a regional and national problem.

“As with other crimes of this nature, we are looking at offenders from across the region, and have a number of suspects, including organised groups, on our radar. We are now seeking to gather the evidence to bring them to justice.

“We have a number of tactics in place, including extra patrols in hotspot areas and on main arterial routes into and out of the county, but we are also appealing to the community to help us in our quest to reverse this increase by reporting suspicious activity, such as people working under vehicles in an ad-hoc manner, and doing what they can to secure their property.”

The cost to the victim for replacement of a stolen catalytic converter can cost £1,000s, not to mention the increases in their insurance premium. The thief would be lucky to get £200, depending upon metal content.

According to statistics, peak days for catalytic converter thefts have been Sundays and Tuesday, with thieves tending to strike overnight.

All types of vehicles are targeted, with vans topping the table at 35 incidents, but followed closely by pick-up trucks at 33 incidents and cars at 32 incidents. Businesses are being urged to tighten-up their security after occasions when a number of work vehicles have been targeted on the same night.

aide automotive offer a Catalytic Converter Alam called CatGuard.

KNOW YOUR DIFFERENT ABS FLASH CODES FOR DIFFERENT MAKES OF SYSTEM

There are always two, possibly three, ways to power up the ABS system and you should know what to expect regarding light function. If an ABS/EBS cable is fitted then the GREEN headboard monitor lamp should be ignored and only look at the in-cab RED dashboard light. (The trailer light may not work at all with the ISO7638 connected)

STATIONARY TRAILER HEAD BOARD LAMP FUNCTION WHEN POWERED ONLY BY 24N STOP LIGHTS (REMOVE ALL OTHER CABLES)

The in-cab dashboard warning light will only work when the ABS Susie (ISO7638) or, in some cases, the 24S is connected. The lamp sequence will mimic the trailer headboard warning lamp when the ignition is turned on (NOTE: NO NEED TO PRESS FOOT BRAKE PEDAL)

** The first time after fitting a new ECU, this sequence is different until the vehicle has been driven above 30kph and the brought to a halt for dynamic sensor check. After this it should function as shown in table.

·         24Normal – ISO 1185

·         24 Supplementary – ISO3731

·         ABS/EBS – ISO7638

aide automotive ltd offer trailer light testers and ABS / EBS sensor testers for truck and trailer diagnostic repairs.

The CatGuard Alarm Now Has The Extra Benefit Of An Serial Number Identification Kit to Protect Against This Costly Theft

With the massive increase in Catalytic Converter theft, aide automotive has made an addition to the CatGuard Alarm kit. As well as the CatGuard Alarm we can add a unique serial number to the Catalytic Converter by virtually indestructible sticker and metal marking fluid. A belt and braces approach to protect against theft. You can register this serial number with local police and offer insurance companies a proactive solution to this automotive problem.

aide automotive offer an on-site fitting service of the CatGuard and Catalytic Serial Number Kit. Installation can be undertaken out of hours to suit a working fleet. CatGuard can also be installed by competent internal staff.

Taller vehicles such as Cars, Trucks, Vans, 4x4s & Motorhomes are particularly vulnerable as the Catalytic converters are more accessible and, because they tend to have larger engines, they contain more of the precious metals.

It’s not unusual for a new catalytic converter to cost in the region of £1,000 and repair bills of Catalytic Converter Theft to total £3,000.

With thieves just simply cutting each end of the catalytic converter and removing it completely, CAT Converters need to be protected. CatGuard has a sophisticated sensor fitted near to the catalytic converter, and if thieves attempt to remove the catalytic converter in any way then the CatGuard alarm will be activated. CatGuard is fitted to a vehicle in less than an hour.

Catalytic Converter Theft could seriously affect a business by downtime or the cost!

Read more and contact us at www.catalytic-converter-theft.co

Stop Catalytic Converter Theft

aide automotive have recently supplied all Chatfields truck locations with trailer test and diagnostics testers, Chatfields are a franchised truck repairer & distributor for DAF, Renault Truck, Hino & Iveco, predominantly across the North of England.

TrailerCheck is an intelligent trailer tester and diagnostic code reader / clearer for all makes of commercial trailers.

Wayne Edwards, the Chatfields National Franchise Director, commented “as part of the Chatfields’ one stop shop philosophy and following requests from customers, we decided to invest in the latest diagnostic and test equipment for trailers, with this we decided to invest in TrailerCheck from aide automotive ltd. This investment enables us to offer trailer maintenance service and repairs across all depots; this service also includes curtain repairs & bodywork.

aide automotive assessed the type of work our service would undertake and offered advice on the correct model type. Technical support was also part of the decision to invest in TrailerCheck, which included on-site training as part of the package. TrailerCheck has proved to be invaluable in the first few months of use in each depot, with customers feedback on the improved speed and accuracy of diagnostic repairs compared with their previous suppliers, which in turn saves our customers time and money.”

TrailerCheck is available is portable test boxes or van / workshop installed units. Remote Code Talk also covers reading and clearing of fault codes within the trailers ECU. Furthermore TrailerCheck 4 Vans  / Workshop also incorporates air test gauges enabling a total one man maintenance tool for trailers.

Contact aide automotive on 0115 8456471 for further details.

aide automotive offer product to protect from Diesel Theft.

TP Anti Syph and FuelKeep Value are two cost effective products to stop quick siphoning of fuel from truck tanks.

TankGuard is the latest product to protect diesel, this new fuel tank alarm will sound once the fuel cap is removed.

All the above anti fuel theft products could have protected RK Transports 800 Litres of Diesel!

800 litres of fuel stolen from RK Transport Services

Willenhall-based RK Transport Services has been hit by a series of diesel thefts in the past year, with the latest incident seeing thieves siphon off 800 litres of fuel costing the firm around £1,000.   Dave Barlow, sales manager at the haulier, says the intruders entered the site and broke the locking fuel caps off four lorries to obtain access to the diesel.   The West Midlands firm, which runs a fleet of 30 vehicles and specialises in general haulage, is now waiting on planning permission to tighten security with higher perimeter fences.

Story taken from Commercial Motor News dated – 8.5.12

Stop Fuel Theft With A Anti Siphon

The AdBlue Cap article oN HGVuk.com as below:

Publish Date: 26.04.12

A new product has been unveiled on the UK aftermarket, which protects the AdBlue tanks on HGVs from potential diesel contamination.

Contamination of the AdBlue system is an increasing problem for truck manufacturers and truck operators alike.

In order to comply with new emission standards the automotive industry decided to introduce SCR technology to diesel powered vehicles. SCR stands for Selective Catalytic Reduction, which transforms harmful exhaust gases into naturally occurring substances. As well known in the diesel car and van sectors, mis-fuelling is easily done and now the truck industry has its own problem of diesel contamination in the AdBlue tank.

It takes just a small amount of diesel in the AdBlue tank to turn an efficient truck into a nightmare breakdown scenario with repair bills reaching into the thousands.

AdBlue Cap, from aide automotive is a retro fitted anti mis-fuelling cap, which has a built-in mechanism, which only opens when the AdBlue nozzle is inserted (manual fill or magnetic pumped nozzles).

With the AdBlue Cap, a diesel pump nozzle cannot be entered into the tank, and diesel residue in the nozzle will run off through drain holes. Also the AdBlue Cap will prevent any debris from entering the AdBlue tank.

The AdBlue Cap is available in two sizes: 58 (Mercedes, DAF, MAN) & 77mm (Volvo, Scania, Renault, Iveco, Hino)

To buy online go to www.adblue-contamination.co.uk

AdBlue Cap Competition Details and Entry

This competition is to win 5 AdBlue Caps, size of your choice
with each winner receiving 1 AdBlue Cap!

To enter please click on the link below and answer the simple
question in the subject heading or text box, the question is:

What Does SCR stand for?

A, Social CO2 Reduction

B, Selective Catalytic Reduction

C, Sky Clean Rainbows

The closing date for this competition is the 30.04.12

AdBlue Cap Competition Answer email shoponline@aideautomotive.com

To Read More About The AdBlue
Cap Click on

Anti
AdBlue Contamiantion Cap

aide automotive have introduced a AdBlue Cap for a Truck AdBlue Tank to stop diesel or debris contamination.

This is AdBlue Cap!

Welcome to the Anti-Contamination Cap (The only SCR Anti-Contamination cap with integrated magnetic device in the world!)

This SCR Cap is the only cap that comes in 58 (Mercedes, DAF, MAN) and 77mm (Volvo, Scania, Renault, Iveco) and covers all makes and models.

It only takes a small amount of contamination which affects the SCR systems dosing unit and catalytic converter which can put your truck in limp mode requiring a full reset.

To read more and BUY ONLINE click on AdBlue Contamination

SCR Anti Contamination Cap

aide automotive can report on a Rear Truck Brake Fault Solution!
DAF & Scania trucks fitted with Electronic Braking Systems (EBS) could have the same fault but for different reasons. The fault occurs after the vehicle has been driven for a few miles, when the rear brakes slowly start to apply by themselves and in some cases the brakes are on so much that the vehicle is un-drivable.
There are two reasons this fault can appear, the first one is quite simple. On the rear of the vehicle there is a EBS modulator valve which controls the brake pressure to the rear brakes, one of these pipes connected to this valve is from the redundancy valve. This is a saftey back up for the brakes, if in event the EBS fails the truck is left with some brakes to stop the vehicle.

If the redundancy valve starts to leak the air pressure can build up in the pipe connected to the rear modulator valve and start to apply the rear brakes, at the same time the EBS system which constantly monitors the brake pressure when you press the brake pedal sees that there is pressure in the modulator but knows the driver dosnt have his/her fott on the brake so assumes the rear modulator is faulty and puts the EBS warning light on in the cab.

This means there is two faults being caused by the one leaking valve, the EBS causedlight on and the rear brakes applying. The easiest way to identify this fault is by removing the pipe which comes from the redunacy valve when the brakes are on, you will hear the aire pressure being released from the pipe and hear the brake come off.

The Second reason this same fault can appear is a faulty foot brake valve. On a EB System when you press the foot brake on, the foot brake valve not only supplies air pressure to the rear modulator and applies the brakes, it also sends a CAN signal to the rear modulator to apply the brakes. The CAN signal is basically an electronic signal telling the rear modulator to apply the brakes. Inside the foot brake valveare switches which knowhow far you have pressed the pedal down, if these switch’s work incorrectly they can think you have pressed the pedal down when you havent and tell the rear modulator to apply the brakes.
The easiest way to see if the fott brake valve is causing the fault is by removing the electrical connection from the foot brake when the fault appearsand you will hear the brakes release. In both cases the rear brakes usually only apply a small amount but in both cases the EBS light will come on.

aide automotive offer products to test ABS or EBS Sensors or offer brake testers for inspection sheet brake testing.

Trailer testers are available in portable format of wrokshop / van monuted testers.

The I-Addvantage Cataytic Converter Theft Advert is now live and can be seen by clicking on:-

Catalytic Converter Theft!

So what is I-Addvantage?

In the modern day the internet is where people search for products or services; with this any company from a one person dog grooming business to a multi country business with a specific product that needs to be on the first page of search engines such as Google or Bing.

Statistics says that if you are not on the first page of the organics search engine you will not get the call! Organic driven searches are of greater interest to the searcher than the Pay per click adverts on the page, so we could say pay per clicks could not work for you.

We think of I-Add-vantage as an ever present advert on the internet, not a one hit half or costly full page advert in a publication hidden within pages and with a very small shelf life, I-Add-vantage can be around forever!

So to find how you can achieve top search engine ranking call Matthew Burke on 07876663609.

With regard to CatGuard, In the early part of 2008 as a result of the credit crunch in the UK, prices on scrap metal and precious metals increased dramatically. At the same time the theft of Catalytic Converters followed suit with thieves just simply cutting each end of the system and removing the CAT completely, with the demand for precious metals, and parts as a result, the risk of theft of catalytic converters is on the rise.

Vehicles that sit higher from the ground, such as trucks, pick-ups and SUVs, are particularly vulnerable to catalytic converter theft because thieves can slide underneath without having to jack up the vehicle to gain access to the converter. With just a few cuts of a battery-powered saw, the converter can be removed in less than a minute.

If a CatGuard is installed and a thief attempts to remove the Catalytic Converter, CatGuard alarm will be activated. This will result in a 114 decibel siren or voice alarm giving a deafening warning along with a high intensity flashing strobe to drive the thieves away.

With the low cost of a CatGuard, this device can hopefully prevent high repair costs to the unlucky owner.

To enquire for a Internet Advert call 07876653609 or to enquire about Catalytic Converter Theft click on CatGuard!