Is a stolen catalytic converter covered by insurance?
Auto theft has been a rising problem in the Greater Toronto Area and it has many people with high-end vehicles concerned they could be a target.
But as thieves steal catalytic converters by cutting them off cars, it doesn’t really matter how old your vehicle is or what kind of shape it’s in.
“I honestly thought I would be immune from the whole car theft thing because my SUV is 16 years old – but apparently not,” said Calida deJong of Etobicoke.
deJong said her 2006 Honda CRV, which has almost 200,000 kilometers, was parked in the family’s driveway when thieves came during the night, crawled under it and cut off the exhaust system and catalytic converter.
deJong said as soon as she started her SUV, she knew something was wrong as it was extremely loud and smelled bad and when she took it to her mechanic she was told the exhaust system and catalytic converter were missing.
- Download our app to get local alerts to your device
- Get the latest local updates right to your inbox
The catalytic converter is attached to your vehicle’s exhaust system to help control pollution and contains precious metals such as rhodium, platinum and palladium that thieves sell on the black market.
While thieves may only get $200 to $300 for a stolen catalytic converter, for the vehicle owner who has to replace it, it can cost thousands of dollars for parts and labour.
“$4,500 just for parts and there will be labour charges on top of that,” said deJong.
To make matters worse, deJong's auto insurance policy won't cover the theft or repairs because to save money on insurance she only had liability insurance which doesn’t cover car theft or theft of auto parts.
"I only have liability coverage, and not comprehensive so they are not going to cover anything," said deJong.
The Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC) said you need comprehensive insurance to cover vehicle theft, theft of parts or if your vehicle is damaged in a storm.
Anne Marie Thomas with IBC said liability insurance doesn’t cover those situations.
“Things such as a tree falling on your car, someone vandalizing your car or someone stealing your car would not be covered if you only have liability insurance,” said Thomas.
deJong had been using her SUV to get to her job helping people with disabilities go on sailing trips, but now that it’s no longer fit to drive she is taking public transit and she is unsure if she will bother repairing it.
“I would rather give them [the thieves] $300 than have them steal a part that is worth over $4,000. It's just such a huge pain and not enough gain for how much pain it causes," said deJong.
To try and stop this type of theft you may want to park your car indoors if you can or in a well-lit area with security cameras.
It’s a crime that happens quickly as thieves can cut a catalytic converter off a vehicle in less than a minute.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'They needed people inside Air Canada:' Police announce arrests in Pearson gold heist
Police say one former and one current employee of Air Canada are among the nine suspects that are facing charges in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year.
House admonishes ArriveCan contractor in rare parliamentary show of power
MPs enacted an extraordinary, rarely used parliamentary power on Wednesday, summonsing an ArriveCan contractor to appear before the House of Commons where he was admonished publicly and forced to provide answers to the questions MPs said he'd previously evaded.
Leafs star Auston Matthews finishes season with 69 goals
Auston Matthews won't be joining the NHL's 70-goal club this season.
Trump lawyers say Stormy Daniels refused subpoena outside a Brooklyn bar, papers left 'at her feet'
Donald Trump's legal team says it tried serving Stormy Daniels a subpoena as she arrived for an event at a bar in Brooklyn last month, but the porn actor, who is expected to be a witness at the former president's criminal trial, refused to take it and walked away.
Why drivers in Eastern Canada could see big gas price spikes, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
Doug Ford calls on Ontario Speaker to reverse Queen's Park keffiyeh ban
Ontario Premier Doug Ford is calling on Speaker Ted Arnott to reverse a ban on keffiyehs at Queen's Park, describing the move as “needlessly” divisive.
'A living nightmare': Winnipeg woman sentenced following campaign of harassment against man after online date
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
Woman who pressured boyfriend to kill his ex in 2000s granted absences from prison
A woman who pressured her boyfriend into killing his teenage ex more than a decade ago will be allowed to leave prison for weeks at a time.
Customers disappointed after email listing $60K Tim Hortons prize sent in error
Several Tim Horton’s customers are feeling great disappointment after being told by the company that an email stating they won a boat worth nearly $60,000 was sent in error.