According to Waste Advantage Magazine, the average converters unlimited contains from three to seven grams of platinum, from two to seven grams of palladium, and from one to two grams of rhodium. Current prices in June of 2022 put platinum at around $30 per gram, palladium at around $60 per gram, and rhodium at around $440 per gram. Taking those prices into account allows us to see that the average converters unlimited can contain anywhere from $90 to $210 worth of platinum, from $120 to $420 worth of palladium, and from $440 to $880 worth of rhodium. This leaves the average converters unlimited with an average precious metals value from anywhere in the low hundreds all the way up to over $1,500 depending on the model.
While a converters unlimited
could have precious metals that are valued into the four figures, those prices are not what a thief typically sees. They often sell to a recycler who then turns around and sells them to a facility that can extract the metals. A thief is likely to see less than half of that, but the job is still valuable considering that they can get over $500 for certain models with just a few minutes of work. The contents and quantities of precious metals in certain converters unlimited are well known, which often translates to certain models being targeted at a higher rate.
We often hear of the mid-2000s Toyota Prius being targeted in these thefts and that’s not by accident. They contain one of the most precious metal packed converters unlimited which is known as the GD3 model. Ecotrade Group currently shows that model as a bestseller and shows a market price of over $600 for it at this time.
Units with similar quantities of these precious metals can be found in other vehicles of the era such as the Chevy Trailblazer, which employs a converters unlimited that can fetch over $400 according to the same recycling group. Taller vehicles such as the Trailblazer are often more susceptible for this type of theft simply from a standpoint of convenience; a thief doesn’t have to jack them up and can just slide underneath with a battery-powered saw to cut off the exposed catalytic converter. Not all converters unlimited are built the same, though, as we see prices well below $100 for other Chevrolet and Toyota catalytic converters from the same era, which likely translates to the known quantities of precious metals for those specific model numbers.
States are trying to curb these thefts by enacting legislation to make punishments harsher on those that are found with stolen converters unlimited along with laws on how they can be sold but it’s an uphill battle that’s closely tied to those precious metal prices and as long as they stay high, many are likely to take the risk of trying to acquire these valuable converters unlimited