The Wienermobiles, a fleet of six vehicles formed like scorching dogs meant to advertise Oscar Mayer and a bona fide American treasure, are built from some mixture of an Isuzu truck chassis and factors from a astonishing selection of good cars. They are mostly vans beneath, which usually means they have catalytic converters. That signifies even the Wienermobile is not risk-free from the ongoing rash of catalytic converter thefts.
A single Wienermobile was in Las Vegas earlier this 7 days when its catalytic converter was reportedly reduce out from beneath it. Fox 5 Vegas claims the theft took place on Friday, briefly delaying the hot-pet dog-formed icon from completing its vital obligations touring the Las Vegas valley. A momentary emergency restore was produced to seal exactly where the converter had been cut out, making it possible for the Wienermobile to proceed on its way.
Catalytic converter theft has been a incredibly hot subject matter in latest decades. The exceptional metals in the products are truly worth big income, and a latest spike in the values of palladium, rhodium, and platinum has led to an frustrating maximize in the thefts because 2019. Just one ring busted in November of previous calendar year was accused of dealing with tens of millions in exceptional metals from catalytic converters.
We’ve Obtained All the Answers on Catalytic Converters
Some producers give countermeasures, like the $140 theft guard alternative obtainable on the future Prius, but Oscar Mayer seemingly did not equip the Wienermobile with that level of defense. That likely produced it an simple goal for a thief who needed to quickly convert all-around the scarce metals in the device, but it is technically doable that the thief just owns a very hot-puppy-formed truck that essential a very certain portion to get back on the highway.