Las Vegas Hyundai Drivers Can Get Free Software Upgrade This Weekend

Typically when you think of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department wanting to see you, you're thinking the worst. But in this case, Metro is trying to stop the worst. This weekend the department is teaming up with Hyundai Motor America to help get ahead of the still-rampant thefts of Hyundai brand cars.

From this Friday, March 22nd through Sunday, March 24th, swing your Hyundai (list of cars eligible are below) by Las Vegas Metro headquarters on MLK to help keep your car in your driveway.

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Las+Vegas+Metropolitan+Police+Department/@36.1678964,-115.1622399,15z/data=!4m2!3m1!1s0x0:0x125965335f4eced4

The security upgrade has been around for a while, but unfortunately some haven't gotten theirs. That spells a major issue for owners of these vehicles that are so easy to steal, a 12 year old can boost one. The upgrade is specifically for cars that feature a turn-key ignition. If you have a push-button start, your car isn't easily stolen. Congrats!

There are a number of models that are eligible for this free event. Look up yours below by model year.

Drivers will receive a "wheel lock" (aka The Club) along with their security software upgrade. But don't expect that to stop many people.

The theft of catalytic converters in Las Vegas is a plaguing problem.

You've seen the stories on the news, maybe you know someone or maybe you're a victim of this trending criminal activity: Catalytic convertors are being stolen at a high rate.

And it seems like in the past five years, a rush of more catalytic convertors have been plucked out of cars and sold as scrap metal. In 2022, catalytic convertor thefts were 540% higher across the country compared to 2020, according to USA Today.

It's a relatively "easy" crime that requires a sly person to slip under a car, to saw off the pollution-controlling device and to ultimately  sell off the metal from the converter.

It's a costly item that ranges in the thousands to get replaced, and most insurance doesn't cover theft of catalytic convertors.

Catalytic convertors help clean a car's exhaust and filters out harmful pollution coming from the car's tailpipe.

Precious metals, such as platinum and palladium, are used in the catalytic convertors, which are some-what valuable when sold off as scrap metal.  The disrupted supply chain has also increased the prices for these metals. Someone who sells a catalytic convertor and its metals can get anywhere from $50 to $1,000 depending on the quantity and quality of the metal.

But despite this increasing trend of stolen catalytic convertors, there are a few ways to protect your car.

The most common way is to park in a manner where thieves are unable to climb underneath. Keep your car in a garage (if you have one) and avoid street parking if possible. If you must park in the street, or in a public parking lot, then try to stay in a well-lit area near buildings or anywhere that may have a security camera.

Also, a AAA driver once told us to spray paint your catalytic convertor with a bright color like neon orange, bright pink, red, etc. This will deter a possible thief for a few reasons. It's harder to sell a spray-painted catalytic convertor, and the thief may think that the convertor is linked with a specific car, per the AAA worker's recommendation.

8 News Now published an article that outlines the 10 most popular cars that thieves target when it comes to stealing catalytic convertors. Scroll down below to see if your car is on the list!

https://www.dodge.com/journey.html

The tenth most popular car among catalytic convertor theft is a Dodge Journey. This car's size and popularity makes it a prime target.

https://www.chevrolet.com/suvs/equinox

A Chevy Equinox is the ninth most popular car when it comes to people targeting vehicles for catalytic convertors. Considering this is one of the most popular cars across the country, it makes sense why this vehicle is a hot target for this crime trend.

https://www.chevrolet.com/trucks/silverado/1500

A catalytic convertor replacement for a Chevy Silverado can cost more than $2,000 -- just for the part, according to RepairPal.com. From the precious metals to the ease of sliding underneath the truck, the Silverado is another prime target for catalytic convertor theft. The Silverado takes eight place on the top 10 most targeted cars for catalytic convertor theft.

https://www.subaru.com/vehicles/forester.html?GOOGLE700000001067987Forester+TP_Core71700000010434785Forester58700000469042871Subaru+Foresterp684437504843700006844375048&s_kwcid=subaru%20forester&s_kwid=keyword&s_kwcid=Subaru+Forester&ds_kids=p6844375048&ds_kid=43700006844375048&utm_source=paid-search&utm_medium=google_cpc&ds_rl=1196779&ds_rl=1235876&gclid=CjwKCAjwrdmhBhBBEiwA4Hx5g9uZMuOUsVYsOoZG48zS919O5ZgRiJbpdJkJquWg7ivv8j8jzql2oxoCDS0QAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

Subaru is one of the most popular vehicle makes in the West. The high degree of precious metals within this model's catalytic convertor makes it a prime target for car theft in general and catalytic convertor apple picking.

https://www.toyota.com/prius/

Placing sixth on the list is a Toyota Prius. Due to the car being a hybrid model, there are more precious metals within the car's interior products. Thus, making this model's catalytic convertor much more expensive.

https://www.cars.com/research/chevrolet-cruze-2019/

Although it's no longer in production, the Chevrolet Cruze is one of the most coveted cars when it comes to catalytic convertor theft. The metals and the abundance of this car makes it a prime ride to steal catalytic convertors from.

https://www.ford.com/commercial-trucks/e-series-cutaway/

The E-Series, which is the fourth generation Econoline, reached the fourth spot on our "Top 10" list. Due to the fact that many companies and organizations use this model for work or business purposes, it could be understood why these cars are plagued with the problem of getting their catalytic convertors stolen.

https://automobiles.honda.com/cr-v

This popular car is hot among thieves who are looking for a quick pay day. Precious metals and the popularity of the car makes for this vehcile to land on the third spot for most popular cars that are targeted by catalytic convertor thieves.

https://www.ford.com/trucks/f150/

It's one of the most best-selling cars in America: The Ford F Series Truck. It almost received the #1 spot, but the degree of theft wasn't as high as the next car on the list.

https://automobiles.honda.com/accord-sedan

The Honda Accord is one of the hottest vehicles when it comes to getting your catalytic convertor stolen. From the precious metals inside of the convertor and to sheer popularity of the car, this make received first place on this list.