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How Often Should You Replace Your Oil? Can You Change Your Oil Too Often?

How Often Should You Replace Your Oil

Every vehicle needs oil and every vehicle needs that oil changed from time to time. Since our vehicles need oil, not just any engine oil will do. Modern engines are designed with specific standards. Those engines require oils that should fulfill specific requirements for optimum performance. If a driver fails to ensure the correct oil … Read moreHow Often Should You Replace Your Oil? Can You Change Your Oil Too Often?

What Causes A Car To Overheat – 12 Possible Reasons

What Causes A Car To Overheat

Every vehicle has an engine system that works within a specific temperature range. As part of the engine’s function, it generates heat, increasing its temperature beyond the allowed level.   Luckily, the cooling system takes care of any access heat generated by the engine and cools it down.  It is completely normal for your cooling system … Read moreWhat Causes A Car To Overheat – 12 Possible Reasons

White Smoke From Exhaust On Startup – Can Low Oil Cause White Smoke?

White Smoke From Exhaust On Startup

That white smoke coming from your car isn’t making way for a genie to grant your wishes. So, what does white smoke from exhaust on startup mean? Can you save you car? We have the answers that you need now!  What Does White Smoke Coming From Your Vehicle’s Exhaust Mean? Whisps of white smoke coming … Read moreWhite Smoke From Exhaust On Startup – Can Low Oil Cause White Smoke?

How Long Do Car Batteries Last? How Do I Know When My Car Needs A New Battery?

How Long Do Car Batteries Last

Your vehicle can’t run unless you have a working battery in it. And when you don’t have that working battery, life can be a bit difficult. “How long do car batteries last?” is the question and we have the answers that you need, saving you time, money and frustration!  What is an Automotive Battery?  A … Read moreHow Long Do Car Batteries Last? How Do I Know When My Car Needs A New Battery?

Signs Your Car Battery Is Dying – How Do You Know If It’s Battery Or Alternator?

Signs Your Car Battery Is Dying

The flickering car interior lights, the white substance around your car battery terminals… what’s happening to your car? You may need a new car battery. So, what are the signs that your car battery is dying? We have the information you need to know now!  The Importance Of A Car Battery An automotive battery or … Read moreSigns Your Car Battery Is Dying – How Do You Know If It’s Battery Or Alternator?

How Long Does A Catalytic Converter Last? How Do I Extend The Life Of My Catalytic Converter?

If you're wondering “how to know if my catalytic converter is stolen,” watch for these symptoms: 1- Loud noises 2- Poor vehicle performance 3- Dashboard warning lights 4- Visual inspection If you've been noticing the auto news recently, you've potentially heard about the catalytic converter theft. Unfortunately, it's becoming a very significant trend leading to a lot of stress to people who own certain vehicle brands. Understanding whether your catalytic converter was stolen or not is a very critical skill set that could help you address the problem as soon as possible and before the thief runs away with catalytic converter. This article serves as a detailed guide to help answer the question “how to know if my catalytic converter is stolen?” It highlights the main symptoms of a car with a stolen catalytic converter, provides you with a step by step process on how to confirm, and highlight some recommendations about what needs to be done next. Why does the catalytic converter and why is it common to get stolen? Before we dig into the details about your question “how to know if my catalytic converter is stolen,” it is essential that you understand the purpose of this converter in your vehicle and the reason why it's stolen among all other car parts. The catalytic converter is responsible for converting harmful gases coming out of the combustion process into less harmful gases that are suitable to be released to the environment without causing significant environmental harms. Since this converter consists of a lot of precious metals, thieves are now focusing on stealing it among all other car parts. More specifically, they find it very easy to cut the catalytic converter and remove it from the vehicle within minutes only. With that in mind, people are getting now concerned about their catalytic converters getting stolen and that's why they've been starting to search for what vehicle brands are getting targeted the most and what needs to be done to address this problem. How to know if my catalytic converter is stolen? Now you have a general idea about what is the catalytic converter and why people are targeting it for thefts, the next step is to know how to determine whether your car has a stolen catalytic converter or not. The following list summarizes the potential symptoms that you will experience if your catalytic converter got stolen: 1- Loud noises The first and most obvious symptom indicating that your car lost the catalytic converter is when you hear very loud noises coming from the exhaust side. It typically indicates that there is a vacuum huge vacuum leak that led those gases to leave this vehicle in this way. Therefore come out whenever you notice any of these noises, you should check on the car and determine whether it's related to a lost or stolen catalytic converter or something else. Regardless of the content of this problem, you should address it as soon as possible because it's linked to something happening internally in your vehicle. 2- Poor vehicle performance If you were not able to determine the loud noises because your vehicle mostly makes these noises because of other reasons come up the other thing you need to look for is the vehicle performance. Typically with a stolen catalytic converter, your vehicle performance is going to be reduced significantly. In other words, if you tried hitting the gas pedal come out you'll see that your card is not responding fast and is not producing the required energy because there is this whole in the location of the catalytic converter. 3- Dashboard warning lights Depending on your vehicle type, sometimes you might notice dashboard warning lights associated with the catalytic converter. In that case come on you should notice what's happening and respond immediately to these warning lines because they are just the way for your car to communicate with you and bring your attention to internal problems. The more you ignore the warning lights, the more things get out of hand spirit in other words come on even if the warning lights are not related to a stolen catalytic converter, if you address them as soon as possible, you'll most likely be able to fix your car without needing to replace major components. Therefore, it is critical that you never ignore any warning lights on the dashboard even though these lights might be related to a simple problem because they might also be related to a significant issue. 4- Visual inspection Finally, if you couldn't identify any of the mentioned symptoms, you can simply perform a visual inspection and look underneath your car. Typically, a stolen catalytic converter would leave a hole on the bottom of the car where the catalytic converter was located. You'll see that somebody has cut through the exhaust tube and remove the catalytic converter. In some instances, you might even see something hanging underneath the car indicating that something was cut recently. Steps to check for a stolen catalytic converter If you're suspecting that your catalytic converter was stolen, there are some steps to check that helps you confirm that issue. Let's take a closer look below: - Look underneath the vehicle for signs of any metal cuts or missing components - Examine the catalytic converter and see if it was removed or is still there - Look at the exhaust systems for any symptoms of potential noticeable cuts - Check your security footage if applicable What to do if your catalytic converter is stolen? If you confirm that your car catalytic converter was stolen come out then you have to act immediately. The first thing you need to do is to follow these simple steps by automotive experts: 1- Contact the police The first thing you need to do is to contact the police as soon as possible. This is not going to be a solution for finding the catalytic converter especially if the thief already ran away. However, it can be a way to inform the neighborhood about this incident because it could be just a starting point for people to come and steal the other converters from the other vehicles. If you've installed any tracking devices on your car's catalytic converter camera your police might be able to track down the thief and hopefully find your catalytic converter. However, this might be a long process and might take a long time. 2- File an insurance claim Once you informed the police department, the next step is to contact your insurance policy. They you need to file a claim indicating that your catalytic converter was stolen. Keep in mind that giving you a new catalytic converter or any type of payment depends on your insurance type. In other words come out if you don't have a premium or a good insurance policy, you'll most likely need to pay out of pocket to fix the catalytic converter or install a new one. That's why you might want to reconsider your insurance policy if you're driving a good car and you're worried about a stolen kettled converter. 3- Consider prevention measures Finally come out if you live in an area where you are very concerned about somebody steal your catalytic converter or even if you're driving a vehicle that is a target for those who are searching for catalytic converter, you might want to consider some preventive measures that we will highlight in the following sections. How to prevent catalytic converter theft? The following list provides you with some preventive measures that you might want to consider if you're living in an area where there are high chances of catalytic converters getting stolen: - Install a catalytic converter shield or protective - Park in a safe area and consider parking inside - Install security cameras and put signs indicating that - Add alarm devices to the location of the catalytic converter - Mark you converter with a unique identifier - Consider upgrading your insurance polic How to know if my catalytic converter is stolen? Final thoughts The catalytic converter is a core component in your car that was a target for recent thefts considering the precious metals it has appeared unfortunately come out with a reported number of stolen catalytic converters, people are now getting concerned that their converters are stolen. This article summarizes the main symptoms that helps you identify whether your car catalytic converter was stolen or not. It also provides you with some recommended measures to take if you confirm that your conversion was stolen along with recommendations to prevent this issue from happening in the first place. If you end up with a vehicle that has a lost scheduled converter and you think that it's not worth installing a new one, it could be a perfect timing for selling it. Are you concerned about who's going to accept this car? Call cash cars buyer at 773-791-4363. Get your instant offer today! If you're interested in similar posts, we highly encourage you to visit our blog by clicking here.

 The catalytic converter, is the large metal box, affixed and bolted underneath your car outfitted with two pipes extending out of it. The catalytic convertor is also the component of a vehicle that converts dangerous emissions into harmless gas. Modern cars rely on catalytic converters for the removal of hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide and other damaging … Read moreHow Long Does A Catalytic Converter Last? How Do I Extend The Life Of My Catalytic Converter?