They’re already stealing cats, grinding the VIN off will add another 30 seconds and we’re right back at square one…. Unless you start engraving the vin somewhere on the inside of the cat housing but that’s not really possible with JIT manufacturing.
I agree. The JIT process, JIT or Lean Manufacturing process. Those exhaust systems including the cats (all one piece?) are shipped in from some 3rd party supplier, they don't make everything in house, rather assemble. So you have no real way to know which complete exhaust system (again, one piece usually. Some people are in for real surprises when and if it is time to replace a cat on your vehicle) is going into which car. The VIN gets assigned to the body sometime early in the manufacturing process, apparently it is stamped in multiple locations as to be
tamper proof and super obvious if a VIN is altered, a Federal crime.
You'd have to put another robot to etch just before it gets to Final or some point along the way. Can be grinded off once off, unless doing so renders it useless.. cats get hot... but, let's continue.
So to VIN match parts.. okay I understand the
unique identifier part, but I still maintain that these thefts are either straight up drug addicts looking for money for a fix, or organized crime. This is why you see news stories (latest was Houston?) of drug house or abandoned house raids turning up about a million dollars worth of catalytic converters, almost always with an attached exhaust because Gone In 60 Seconds.
Shooting the thieves may deter the issue.
Removing the ability to sell the stolen goods for money may deter the issue.
Thieves know what to target, how to get what they want, may take time, now if they walk into recycling yard and are either arrested (stall until law enforcement comes, should work swell) or told NO.. They may be deterred at that point. Again, apparently you can show up to these places with two shopping carts of cats with sawed off jagged pieces on the end, not exactly looking like you just came from a shop, and be paid. Quoting ETCG1 video, he got cats stolen from his driveway on camera and the uniform one person had on was a clue as someone recognized where it was from for a possible lead but.. yeah, in conclusion, remove the incentive and you MAY see a reduction in thefts. There's more, but, concluding there.