A Malaysian woman was left horrified after discovering that her car’s catalytic converter — a crucial component of the exhaust system that reduces harmful pollutants like carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, and hydrocarbons — had been stolen.
In a post on Xiaohongshu, she shared that the incident happened on April 22 at the Awan Besar LRT Station.
According to her account, she had been working overtime and was rushing back to the LRT station where she had parked her car.
Upon starting the engine, she was startled by a loud “boom” sound and initially feared that her engine had exploded.
However, after closer inspection, she was devastated to find that the entire undercarriage section — specifically the catalytic converter — had been stolen.
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“The bottom part of the car had been completely torn off — it was just hanging there,” she wrote.
The woman sought advice from several mechanics, who all told her the same thing: Toyota vehicles, particularly those still fitted with original parts, are frequent targets because their catalytic converters can fetch up to RM4,000 on the black market.
Heartbroken, she lamented the ordeal: “I worked so hard to save every bit of money, only for it to be stolen like this.
“A new catalytic converter costs over RM4,000. It’s devastating.”
As a temporary solution, the mechanics suggested replacing it with a second-hand catalytic converter. However, even that would set her back by at least RM1,000.
She ended her post by expressing her feelings of vulnerability and frustration, adding that she no longer feels safe parking her car anywhere.
