Sellers throughout Canada are taking measures to fight theft, whether or not it’s locking buyer automobiles inside at evening, strategically parking automobiles to discourage catalytic-converter theft or putting in costly digicam programs to help safety employees.

On the Scottsville Group, which owns three shops in Pink Deer, Alta., and one in Cranbrook, B.C., Seller Principal Garrett Scott mentioned theft was a $75,000-a-year downside till his new safety protocols had been in place.

Over the previous 5 years, Scott has been putting in in all his Pink Deer tons a high-tech digicam system that detects movement and directs the ensuing video to a safety guard stationed in a automotive. The system permits the guard to dismiss inconsequential movement, resembling a fluttering purchasing bag, but additionally permits the guard to drive rapidly to the scene ought to an precise interloper be detected.

“The cameras themselves weren’t an efficient deterrent,” Scott mentioned. “However since our safety guard had that sort of instrument, we now have had only a few incidents.”

Scott estimated that the system value $500,000 by the point it was full.

Incidents have been few, he mentioned, restricted to occasional smash-and-grab thefts from buyer automobiles. “We spend good cash on safety,” Scott mentioned, “so it’s paying off.”

A first-rate loss was gas, he mentioned. “They might lay below a car, drill a gap within the tank after which go away.”

When confronted, he mentioned, trespassers have tried all kinds of excuses, resembling being an worker making an attempt to work after hours or attempting to persuade the safety guard that they themselves are performing safety duties.

CATALYTIC CRIME

At Crosby Automotive Group, which owns 4 dealerships in southern Ontario, catalytic-converter thefts have been an issue, mentioned Seller Principal Michael Crosby. He estimates that over 4 years, he has misplaced $50,000 to $60,000 to converter thieves.

“It’s been going again most likely 4 or 5 years,” he mentioned. “It’s definitely not something that’s new. It’s escalated within the final two or three years.”

Insurance coverage firms are sounding the alarm. In June, Allstate Insurance coverage Co. of Canada reported that in 2022, claims elevated 60 per cent over 2021 and had been up 1,710 per cent since 2018. In Winnipeg, police reported 351 thefts in April 2022 alone, whereas Calgary police reported 3,174 thefts from January to November of 2022.

It’s an issue that has captured the eye of the Motor Car Retailers of Ontario, which is making suggestions to the Ontario Ministry of Transportation.

“Broken automobiles needing repairs and the resultant larger insurance coverage premiums have gotten main issues for new-car retailers,” mentioned Frank Notte, director of presidency relations on the Motor Car Retailers. “We imagine that working along with authorities, legislation enforcement and different auto sector stakeholders can put an finish to this pricey crime that impacts everybody.”

Catalytic converters are in demand as a result of the valuable metals inside — palladium, platinum and rhodium — are worthwhile.

PREVENTIVE PARKING

Steps that Crosby has taken to assist mitigate the danger embody beefing up safety patrols. And for the reason that automobiles most frequently hit are vans and SUVs which are simpler to slip below, he’ll park sedans on all sides of these automobiles to at the least make entry tougher.

Audis are probably the most theft-resistant, Crosby mentioned, as they usually have underchassis covers that make it tough to get to the catalytic converter. Other than Audi of Kitchener-Waterloo, he operates Crosby Volkswagen in Kitchener, Volkswagen Waterloo in Waterloo and Listowel Honda in Listowel.

Crosby estimates the price of changing a converter begins with the value of the converter itself, starting from about $800 to $1,500, not together with labour. However for the reason that thieves aren’t precisely meticulous, he mentioned, there’s typically peripheral injury that requires restore or components alternative.

Whereas it’s a sufficiently big downside when it hits his stock, Crosby is cautious to make sure that his prospects aren’t focused when their automobiles are in in a single day for service. These automobiles are parked inside.

“It’s simply not the sort of information you need to be sharing with prospects,” he mentioned.

The worst conditions, he mentioned, occurred throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, when he would have a brand new automotive able to promote however then found it wanted a catalytic converter, which was typically back-ordered for months.

Repairs have turn into faster since components provides have begun to stabilize for the reason that pandemic, Crosby mentioned.

He thinks that as stock ranges start to normalize, the thefts might develop.

“It might turn into a bigger challenge as extra automobiles turn into accessible and sellers have extra sitting on their lot,” he mentioned.