Wienermobile receives burned by hotdogging catalytic converter burglars

Catalytic converter theft has been on the rise, but few could have predicted its hottest sufferer. Turns out, not even the Wienermobile is immune to the emissions device bandits. Low-lifes purloined the exhaust cleaner off of Oscar Mayer’s 27-foot-prolonged wheeled incredibly hot pet dog as the car made an right away cease in Las Vegas.

As Fox 5 Las Vegas experiences, the robbers created off with the catalytic converter in entrance of the Sonesta Suites motel in Sin City. The Wienermobile, just one of six these types of automobiles circulating throughout the place, experienced been scheduled to make an appearance at a browsing center in city on Friday, but was forced to make a pit end at a regional Penske vans store for repairs. 

In accordance to Highway & Monitor the Wienermobile is built on an Isuzu NPR Hd chassis, so it would make sense that a truck shop would be able to company it. Sadly, autos with a ton of ground clearance like SUVs and pickups are generally the targets of catalytic converter pirates, as the components are much more easily accessed from beneath. 

In 2019, reported thefts of catalytic converters nationwide totaled only 3,389, according to the Countrywide Insurance coverage Crime Bureau. The variety of studies climbed to 14,433 in 2020. In 2021, that swelled to 65,398, a 353% boost around the previous yr. The level ongoing apace in 2022, with Condition Farm by yourself reporting 44,500 thefts from their prospects as a result of June of that year.

The emissions-scrubbing units consist of important metals this kind of as platinum, palladium and rhodium. The Countrywide Insurance policy Criminal offense Bureau claims people metals are valued at $1,128, $2,938 and $20,000 per ounce, respectively, as of March 2022. Very last 12 months, California handed new laws to make it more difficult to sell stolen catalytic converters, when the Section of Justice busted a ring of catalytic converter robbers with property totaling $550 million.

Joseph Rodriguez, a Penske routine maintenance coordinator, told Fox 5 that the repair service was only short-term, as they did not have the accurate component to install. Even so, it was ample to deliver the Wienermobile on its merry way. 

Cars and trucks these kinds of as the Toyota Prius, Honda Accord, and Ford F-150 routinely prime lists of automobiles focused by catalytic converter burglars. That is partly owing to the actuality that these are prevalent vehicles bought in large variety, but the lesson below is that no auto is harmless. If scofflaws are brazen enough to steal from a brilliant yellow truck shaped like a frankfurter, practically nothing is secure.