Registration for St. Louis Park catalytic converter marking event opens Wednesday
Wednesday, St. Louis Park residents will be able to register for a catalytic converter marking event happening next week.
The city says registration will begin at 12 p.m. Wednesday for next Thursday’s event, which is free for St. Louis Park residents.
The marking event will be held from 2:30-6:30 p.m. Thursday, April 28 at the Municipal Services Center, where mechanics will etch and spray paint catalytic converters, and also give drivers a window sticker that states the car has a marked converter.
RELATED: Police struggle to deter rising catalytic converter thefts
In order to participate, you must register; city officials say no walk-ins will be accepted.
In addition, there is a two vehicle limit per household. A form will need to be completed for each vehicle if you make an appointment for more than one vehicle.
The registration will be open as long as slots are available.
CLICK HERE to register starting at 12 p.m. City officials say if you try to register after noon and don’t see available slots, you should refresh your browser to see which times are still available.
St. Paul police will also be holding an event in the near future for catalytic converter painting.
According to police, the department will be holding an auto clinic from 3:30-6;30 p.m. Wednesday, May 4 at the Allianz Field Parking lot.
The free event will have registrants pull in and have their catalytic converter painted.
CLICK HERE to register for the St. Paul event. If you want work done on more than one vehicle, you must register each vehicle separately.
Thefts of the exhaust system part have jumped over the past two years as prices for the precious metals they contain have skyrocketed. Thieves can expect to get anywhere from $50 to $300 if they sell the converters to scrap yards, which then sell them to recycling facilities to reclaim the precious metals inside, including platinum, palladium and rhodium.
Replacing a stolen catalytic converter can cost about $1,000, and vehicles can’t be driven for days or weeks while the part is ordered and installed.