For almost 20 years the name Toyota Prius it is synonymous with an ecological car and a hybrid engine and the new, much-talked-about model of the Japanese company will continue on this path; among the various innovations that we find on the 2023 model of the Toyota Prius there is an aluminum plate dedicated to protecting the catalytic converter from the bad guys – in fact in recent years, especially in the United States but also Italy is no less, the theft of the catalyst it has become a widespread problem.
Toyota has been aware of this problem for several years and to better defend its catalytic converter it has decided to offer an aluminum plate called ‘Cat Shield‘, produced by MillerCAT extension: the plate is made of high quality aluminum, it is very resistant to both impact and wear corrosion.
The theft of the catalysts is very common since these elements are found inside precious metals which can be resold for considerable sums: these metals perform an important filtering action on the polluting micro particles produced by engine combustion and are therefore essential for ensuring that the car can comply with anti-pollution regulations, which have become increasingly stringent over the years. last years.
On the black market, a catalytic converter from a Toyota Prius can be resold to figures approaching $1,000while competitive catalysts are worth less since they contain fewer precious metals – such as platinum, rhodium and palladium.
Thanks to the installation of the Cat Shield, an option that Toyota will offer at the price of $140, accessing the catalyst will become much more difficult, whereas today the removal of a catalyst can be done in seconds, just lie under a car and be equipped with a hose to cut the exhaust pipe. Considering that the cost of a new catalytic converter can well exceed $1000, buying the Cat Shield offered by Toyota could be an excellent investment, especially for those who live in areas where this type of theft is particularly frequent.
