What can you use instead of copper wires?

dereksbicycles said:
Yesterday, I saw 2 catalytic converters being sold at flea market for $25 each. I guess they were removed off junk cars.
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If they are worth $100 each, you should of bought them and sold them for the profit, but then you might of been the one nailed for trying to sell something that was stolen, although I don't think they have serial numbers, so it's basically impossible to trace them back to any car they came off of. Maybe serial # on catalytic converters is the answer to eliminating the theft problem, if you could trace them to the cars they came off of and the theft had been reported, you could stop the thieves in their tracks.
 
You will be surprise, sometimes they would put in serial number or EVEN VIN hidden on them. The factory will supply police the necessary information. I used to work in private manufacturing company, sometimes they do stamp serial number on some parts. They do that for two reasons, one is quality control (In event batch of parts was found bad, can be recalled), second is thief control.

seb said:
If they are worth $100 each, you should of bought them and sold them for the profit, but then you might of been the one nailed for trying to sell something that was stolen, although I don't think they have serial numbers, so it's basically impossible to trace them back to any car they came off of. Maybe serial # on catalytic converters is the answer to eliminating the theft problem, if you could trace them to the cars they came off of and the theft had been reported, you could stop the thieves in their tracks.
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I've never seen a vin # or serial # on a converter, I think you would have a nightmare for the auto industry if they had to match catalytic converters to specific cars being made. I could see putting serial # on them though. I believe it is illegal to sell used catalytic converters in the US and is violation of the clean air act with a fine of $25,000 if convicted, but you can sell a used one if it is being recycled and here lies the problem. With the way the law is written people can cut the converter off a vehicle and sell it to be recycled and unless you start taking names and checking some of the thieves out the problem will continue. The government wants the scrap yards to be the police and it really isn't their job, it's the people who passed the law to stop the thefts.
 
Have you taken it apart? I have seen them hidden inside sometimes. Security people don't tell us everything! And manufacturing owners usually don't share sensitive information.

I am not being paranoid, I have heard news about issues on stolen CC, and other metals for long time, so its nothing new AND I have work for a company, and I have done serial number stamping on parts that goes inside something that is not easily visible from outside. So, not all parts are obviously easily seen.

Of course not all parts have serial number stamped. Just that there are some out there already have them. Toyota don't stamp their CC, and some of their CC can be scrapped up to $200 each (I just found out).

seb said:
I've never seen a vin # or serial # on a converter, I think you would have a nightmare for the auto industry if they had to match catalytic converters to specific cars being made. I could see putting serial # on them though. I believe it is illegal to sell used catalytic converters in the US and is violation of the clean air act with a fine of $25,000 if convicted, but you can sell a used one if it is being recycled and here lies the problem. With the way the law is written people can cut the converter off a vehicle and sell it to be recycled and unless you start taking names and checking some of the thieves out the problem will continue. The government wants the scrap yards to be the police and it really isn't their job, it's the people who passed the law to stop the thefts.
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