Ironically, used resonators are about as expensive as used catalytic converters for this particular car.
According to CBS News, earlier this month The Cook County Sherriff’s department held a catalytic converter marking event where a technician sprayed catalytic converters with the CCSO symbol and star for free, logic being marked converters are harder to sell, a cat thief less likely to saw it off.
To promote their goodwill and show local Chicago residents the good they were doing, their social media team shared a video of them spraying the catalytic converter on a Cook County resident’s Jeep Renegade.
The only thing is the tech didn’t spray the catalytic converter, he sprayed the exhaust resonator which is obviously not the catalytic converter (as most car enthusiasts with a basic knowledge of cars will tell you,) has no precious metals, and by doing so, does nothing to help stop cat converter theft.
TikTok users were quick to comment pointing out their mistake.
“Good job painting part of the muffler and not the cat? 😂😂😂😂,” Derby life commented.
“Umm, that’s the resonator. The cat is part of the manifold on those cars. 😂,” Dave replied.
“Guys, the point is to paint the wrong part so that way they take the wrong part 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂,” ILoveMBeach wittly commented.
Check out their good-hearted attempt to help, surprisingly still up, below. In case they catch on and take it down, I’ve got a mirror linked here.
@cookcountysheriffsoffice In about 1 minute, our vehicle technicians have catalytic converters painted and residents on their way. #catalyticconverter #theftdeterrent #cookcounty ♬ original sound – Cook County Sheriff’s Office
In the video we can see a tow truck driver lift the Jeep Renegade into the air and a technician quickly crawl underneath, spraying with a template what he thinks is the catalytic converter.
While it’s probably not reasonable to expect anyone to know what every cat converter looks like, they do share characteristics that make them easy to ID and differentiate between a cat converter and another part of the exhaust system.
For one, cat converters usually have one or two oxygen sensors before, in the middle of, or after the cat converter.
Since they get hot, cat converters usually have some kind of design to dissipate heat like finning or heat shielding.
And, as far as exhaust components go, it’s the most complicated piece of the piping and looks like it, too.
What he marked looks like the resonator from a 2.4L Tigershark engine found under the hoods of a lot of Renegades in the United States.
A google search reveals that these engines only have one cat found right in the front, as is characteristic of small four cylinders.
Here’s where it is on a photo of a 2.4L Tigershark below.
And here’s what a resonator looks like standing on its side found, as the video shows, under the Renegade and further along in the exhaust system.
Used 49-state Catalytic Converters for the Renegade are surprisingly affordable, most shoppers on eBay paying around $140 for one.
Resonators are a tad less expensive at around $130.
Ironically, since, like most newer cars with four cylinder engines, the Renegade’s cat is right near the front, that, in and of itself, makes them difficult for thieves to steal.
A cat thief would have to saw one end underneath and then pop the hood to saw off the exhaust manifold, not difficult but difficult enough where it’d take longer than what a regular catalytic converter found completely under a car would take.
The Renegade owner showing up to this Cook County Sherriff’s event probably didn’t know where his cat was and just assumed the tech sprayed it.
What the tech should’ve done, in my opinion, was inform the Renegade owner where his cat is, why it’s more difficult to steal and done their best to mark the correct catalytic converter anyway.
So, Jeep Renegade owners with the 2.4L engines, your cats are a little more difficult to steal, which should technically make them less of a target.
For everyone else, google around for a bit to find out where your catalytic converters are just for your own edification.
For that Cook County Sherriff’s office tech, do better!
