06-17-2021, 12:48 PM
Buzz wrote:
Shooting the perp while actively stealing the part = OK
Dragging the perp after shooting and binding = not so OK
Cat converter on my ancient Buick Regal was stolen way back when. Pissed me off big time. Didn't catch the perp in the act, so no shots fired. Found a guy, that knew a guy, that "repaired" the missing cat situation by piping a piece of exhaust pipe straight thru an empty cat shell to the muffler. Buick actually ran better after that, and managed to pass its smog inspections until it was t-boned by an old-ish Jaguar with an uninsured driver, which rendered the frame bent and irreparable.
These days I don't think a bypassed cat would pass inspection, and they're probably pricier than 40 years ago, and way pricier to fix than back then. I'd be OK with shooting the perp in his legs today, if caught in the act, so that he couldn't get away until the cops, and ambulance came for him. The Washington article said that that perp did try to get away after being shot. Dragging him behind a F-150 was a bit much.
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Unlike California, in most states there's no visual inspection during emissions testing...just plug in & rely on results reported by the internal computer.
So if someone stole the cat off my vehicle I'd also do the above...plus add a "spacer" to every downstream oxygen sensor to ensure no codes would be set.