What do they do with stolen batteries?

[KneeGrinder]

Can't sell a used cat here. Maybe some unscrupulous yards might buy them? No idea what they do with them.

I can get Cat's all day long from salvage yards in SoCal, it's who you know...

Walmart will give $12.00 last time I bought a battery, any battery seller will buy cores for that price, some will buy good condition batteries for a bit more when they look like they are new and they load test good.

They gut the cat, the honeycomb ceramic is then broken down and the platinum, palladium, and rhodium are extracted. The thieves are at the bottom of the the pyramid. These are organized groups with equipment and knowledge to extract the materials.

Ding, ding, winner. This is the most profitable way, and the person that performs these precious metals recovery operations is the person that makes the money, not the thief!

P.S. There is Rhodium in a cat? I think Rhodium is the most expensive metal I know of. I doubt but a couple people here may know what its main use is for.

 

[KneeGrinder]

I've never heard of batteries getting stolen. To break into the car, pop the hood and then remove a battery is a lot of work and brazen. Are the police not doing anything?

I think it's from big trucks and equipment, no breaking in.

 

[JHZR2]

I’ve taken batteries to a metals place before. Any scrap place takes them.

 

[Gimpy1]

I've never heard of batteries getting stolen. To break into the car, pop the hood and then remove a battery is a lot of work and brazen. Are the police not doing anything?

A stolen battery is very low priority

 

[Gimpy1]

I can get Cat's all day long from salvage yards in SoCal, it's who you know...

Walmart will give $12.00 last time I bought a battery, any battery seller will buy cores for that price, some will buy good condition batteries for a bit more when they look like they are new and they load test good.



Ding, ding, winner. This is the most profitable way, and the person that performs these precious metals recovery operations is the person that makes the money, not the thief!

P.S. There is Rhodium in a cat? I think Rhodium is the most expensive metal I know of. I doubt but a couple people here may know what its main use is for.

Yes there are very small amounts, at $17,000 an ounce its a very small amount. I believe the major use of rhodium is as a catalyst for auto and industrial purposes.

 

[Bobaloo22]

We used to boly a chain to the hood and then padlock under the car to the bumper bracket or something sturdy. Cut down on 95% of the loss.

 

[Chris142]

We used to boly a chain to the hood and then padlock under the car to the bumper bracket or something sturdy. Cut down on 95% of the loss.

They just cut the chain or locks. I built a metal box out of 1/8 sheet metal around the batteries in the water truck. They just sawzalled it apart the next night

 

[BMWTurboDzl]

I imagine with so many people working from home that there are a lot of vehicles sitting with dead batteries and these individuals either can't afford new or would rather pay less for a "used" one.

 

[Wolf359]

My boss said he would put them on the payroll if it would keep them from stealing $600 worth of batteries every day.

Is there any way to hide a tile or airtag on them so you can track where it goes afterwards? I think some batteries have bottoms with a honeycomb type matrix and a tile would fit in there. They're probably not going to lift it high enough to see if it's underneath.

 

[exranger06]

I've scrapped a few batteries before (legally). I got somewhere between $5 and $10 each for them (it's been a while and I don't remember the exact amount).

 

[BillyHW]

I dare any thief to steal the battery out of my 2012 Chrysler 200 with "cab-forward" design. In fact I double dog dare them to even find the battery. I would even pay them to do it next time I need to change out the battery.

 

[paulo57509]

Sorry, off-topic and not electrical.

Even though the loading dock was locked and had security cameras, no vsuals were obtained. Just a pickup driving through the dock area. They stole 21 tires off the trucks. Just like this:

 

[Chris142]

Sorry, off-topic and not electrical.

Even though the loading dock was locked and had security cameras, no vsuals were obtained. Just a pickup driving through the dock area. They stole 21 tires off the trucks. Just like this:

View attachment 88918

Those tires come right off with very little work.

 

[JohnnyG]

Maybe they're melting down the lead to cast their own bullets?

Nah, I'll stick to the crack theory.