Picture this – you had just finished a long day at work and were looking forward to heading home. As you walked to your car, you noticed something was off. Your car was sitting lower to the ground. Upon starting the car and putting a little pressure on the gas pedal, the exhaust growled louder than usual. After pulling your vehicle to the side and checking out your exhaust, you found out your catalytic converter is missing!
Car theft and stolen car spare parts in Malaysia usually go hand in hand in which most cases the car gets stolen first before it’s stripped for parts. Occasionally, swift-handed thieves would just steal one part while leaving behind your vehicle.
If you drive a cheap, economy car, there is a higher chance it might get targeted due to a lack of safety features installed, unlike most continental cars. Here are the car spare parts that are commonly stolen from your vehicle and here’s what you can do to prevent its theft.
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Catalytic Converter
Catalytic converters in cars have been consistently stolen from vehicles no matter the vehicle’s make and brand. For the uninitiated, a catalytic converter is prized among scrap thieves due to the precious metals used in it like platinum, rhodium, and palladium. Catalytic converters are used to filter out harmful exhaust gasses produced by the engine mandated by global emission laws. However, scrap thieves and drug junkies looking to make a quick buck soon discovered the precious metals inside a catalytic converter. If you’re driving a hybrid car, the chances of getting it stolen are twice as high due to more precious metals used to accommodate higher standards of clean emissions produced.
A quick search on e-commerce sites shows a used catalytic converter for a car goes for less than RM800 in Malaysia. Usually, the thief will hoist up the car with a car jack, then it’s removed with a saw or blowtorch. A good way to prevent theft on your catalytic converter is to install an anti-theft device that locks it in place. In addition, investing in an anti-theft vehicle system such as a vibration-triggered vehicle alarm would deter anyone who tries to tamper with your car.
Alloy Rims
Alloy wheels are a prime target for thieves because they are easy to remove and sell and most of all, untraceable. They’re the easiest to steal out of this given news about tires and rims stolen in Malaysia.
Genuine sport rims, depending on design and brand, could cost a small fortune on the resale market. Take the Volks Racing TE37 wheels for reference, Ray’s official website says one set of 19-inch Rays TE-37 Ultra M-Spec wheels in bronze goes for 428,000 Yen (RM 14,058.58, excluding import taxes).
All you need is a few simple tools and a brave individual to steal your rims. To deter this, get wheel locks in place of your rim’s lugnuts. Wheel locks are special lug nuts installed with a specialized key that is needed to remove them. They can be purchased at most auto parts stores or any e-commerce site in Malaysia.
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Car Engine and Batteries
Stolen car engines have also been reported missing around Malaysia. Car engines are also harvested for the precious car spare parts inside to be resold to workshops. Older, discontinued, and high-demand vehicles like cheap economy cars tend to fall prey to car thieves.
Furthermore, the lack of a safety system which is commonly absent in economy cars, makes your vehicle more prone to be stolen. A common way for thieves to steal an engine is to steal the whole car first. Then, it’s driven to somewhere quiet where the parts-stripping process begins. Stolen engines and dismantled car spare parts are even harder to track down once it’s harvested. It could be anywhere and in several different cars by the time you found your car back.
Right alongside catalytic converters, car batteries are also highly stolen either for resale value or for precious metals like lead inside. Again, if you’re driving an older car, there is a high chance your car battery is at risk of getting stolen for cheaper replacement parts. Some may also steal batteries due to necessity, such as those who need a working battery for their own vehicle but cannot afford to buy one. 
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Car Number Plate & Road Tax
Thieves steal car plate numbers to be used for nefarious purposes. These plates and road tax can be cloned by skilled criminals to assume your identity as a red herring for any investigative authorities. Furthermore, there are reports of people having their plate number and road tax stolen while having the summons and speeding tickets raked up under their name.
In other cases, a whole plate number and car may be cloned as robbery getaway vehicles or be sold as someone else with the false pretense of a street-legal vehicle. While it sounds straight up like a Hollywood heist film scenario, reality is not too far off from fiction. If you do find your car plate number and road tax is stolen or know someone is using the identity of your vehicle, make a police report right away and contact your insurance company with the police report.
As a general rule of thumb, the best way to prevent car theft is to park in a well-lit area, preferably one that has CCTV surveillance and guard patrols. Cheap, open-air parking may seem tempting, but it’s where car thieves go on the prowl if they’re looking for a victim ripe for the picking. If you do drive an older car, invest some money in a good anti-theft system like a vibration-activated alarm system or a kill switch. Moreover, getting good car insurance goes a long way if your car does get stolen, but do check if their packages cover stolen car parts.
All in all, if you’re a fellow car enthusiast like me, getting your beloved car stolen is something I would never wish on my worst enemy. Beefing up your car’s defense should be your number one priority to you, especially if it holds much sentimental value in your heart.
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