If you own a Porsche Macan, you might be concerned about the growing rate of catalytic converter theft across the country. Luckily, Macans are at a very low risk of being targeted.
“Side hustles” seem to be more popular now than ever, but a lot of people are making a fairly dubious choice when it comes to their second job—stealing valuable catalytic converters. Although Porsche Macans aren’t common victims, car owners can never be too careful.
In this article, we’ll discuss your vehicle’s risk factor, give you a few ways to protect your catalytic converter, and tell you which type of car insurance
will cover the repair cost. Is it easy to steal the catalytic converter from a Porsche Macan?
No, it’s actually fairly difficult to steal the catalytic converter from a Porsche Macan.
First introduced in 2014, the Macan has a very modern design wherein its catalytic converters (aka cats or cat cons) are kept secure within the body of the car instead of easily accessible in the exhaust system.
While the Macan is more or less safe, other SUVs are still at an increased risk thanks to their elevated ground clearance. When a car sits so high off the ground, it becomes even easier for a thief to slice off your cat con, since they might not even need a jack to get to it.
Why are catalytic converters stolen?
To the untrained eye, a catalytic converter looks like nothing but a piece of metal. But the well-informed know that it contains trace amounts of rare, extremely valuable metals.
The reason that these metals—platinum, palladium, and rhodium—are used is that they form a strong barrier that can filter out toxic elements from your vehicle’s exhaust fumes. The value of these metals has skyrocketed even further over the last few years, resulting in the widespread catalytic converter theft that we face today.
Let’s take a look at what the metals in your Macan’s catalytic converter are worth, as of January 2023:
Platinum: $1,074 per ounce
Palladium: $1,776 per ounce
Rhodium: $13,250 per ounce
Of course, there’s nowhere near an ounce of these metals in a single cat, but the low amount of valuable material is mostly offset by the fact that the part is very easy to steal (most of the time).
Of course, lucky you—your Macan’s catalytic converters are sealed in the transmission housing or snugly fit against the engine block, so you should have nothing to worry about.
Porsche catalytic converter replacement cost
We’ve finally gotten to the main reason you want to protect your catalytic converters at all costs—RepairPal puts the average cost to replace a Porsche Macan catalytic converter between $2,796 and $3,015.
You can probably save a little money by using an aftermarket replacement, but there’s no getting around the fact that this repair is going to bruise your wallet.
How to prevent catalytic converter theft from a Porsche Macan
The way things are going, cat con thieves will be a problem for quite some time. Your Macan might be safer than most vehicles, but we’ll still give you a few useful tips you can use to keep your catalytic converter secure.
Park in a secure area
The easiest and most effective thing you can do is to park in a public or private garage or a well-lit area. If you’re parking at home and don’t have a garage, you could try installing some motion-activated lights above your driveway or even parking beneath a streetlight.
The rapscallions trying to steal your catalytic converter would much prefer the cover of darkness, so don’t give it to them. Let there be light!
Buy a theft-prevention device
If you’re not averse to spending a little money, you could look into purchasing an anti-theft device. We would strongly recommend the Catstrap™. You might not be able to use it on a Macan, but it could be a lifesaver on cars with a cat con in the exhaust system.
A Catstrap
is a tough, neon-orange band that covers the length of an exhaust pipe and makes it virtually impossible to cut through. It’s filled with sliding steel cables, which render the cat thief’s favorite tool—a power saw—completely useless. Installation is easy, requires no tools, and can be done in about half an hour. If you like what you’re hearing, check out some of Catstrap’s other theft-prevention devices, like the motion-activated alarm
that blasts a deafening noise if it senses movement under your vehicle. Ouch! 
4.7/5 rating on the App Store | Trusted by 5+ million customers and 7 million cars4.7/5 app rating | Trusted by 5M+ drivers Put your VIN on the catalytic converter
It’s a less direct approach, but marking the cat with your Porsche’s unique VIN
makes it much harder to sell since it can be traced back to your car, specifically. The National Insurance Crime Bureau regularly hosts catalytic converter etching events. But if there isn’t an event near you anytime soon, you can always bring your Cayenne to a local muffler shop to get marked instead.
Invest in comprehensive insurance
Having comprehensive coverage on your insurance policy isn’t for your catalytic converter’s sake, it’s for yours. It might not do anything to protect your cat itself, but it will shield you from having to pay prohibitive out-of-pocket repair costs.
The only way you’ll be able to file a claim for a stolen part is if you have comprehensive insurance
. Otherwise, you’ll have to pay for an extremely expensive replacement yourself. It might not seem like it when paying your monthly bill, but adding full-coverage insurance
to your policy is one of the best ways to protect yourself against catalytic converter theft—and almost anything else that threatens your car (and your wallet). What to do if your Porsche Macan’s catalytic converter is stolen
In the extremely unlikely event that one of your Macan’s catalytic converters is stolen, first and foremost, you need to call the police. If you’re lucky, they might be able to find security camera footage or something else that can help identify the culprit.
Regardless, the responding officers will proceed to file a police report. Try to get yourself a copy, because it will really come in handy for the next step: contacting your insurance company. You’ll be able to file a claim for the theft as long as you have comprehensive coverage.
Your insurance provider should take care of scheduling a mechanic appointment and paying for the replacement, but you’ll still have to pay your deductible. Don’t worry, though, because it will be much lower than the full repair cost.
If you don’t have comprehensive coverage, you’ll have to pay to replace the cat out of your own pocket.
Can you drive a Porsche Macan without a catalytic converter?
Well, the answer is yes but no.
Your vehicle will still work without a catalytic converter, but there will be noticeable changes. Your car’s performance will take a hit, and you’ll probably experience some unpleasant symptoms—like sluggish, uneven acceleration, loud engine noise, and a pungent exhaust smell, to name a few.
Furthermore, missing even a single catalytic converter is a guaranteed way to fail an emissions test, which is a real problem if you live somewhere where emissions testing is required to keep your vehicle registration
in good standing. As if that wasn’t enough, the whole time you’re driving around without a cat con, you’ll be pumping noxious fumes into the atmosphere. So, you need to have those catalytic converters in your car for the Earth’s sake, as well as your own.
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