The operator of a State Avenue business in Marysville, he didn’t want his name used fearing any publicity might scare away customers.

Nevertheless, he said he used to park his truck behind his shop. Then, about a month ago, he locked up his business around 7 p.m. as he usually does, then jumped in his truck and turned the ignition key.

“And I had a wide open exhaust,” he said.

He wasn’t sure at first why his truck was making more noise than the trains that run along State, but it didn’t take him long to figure out someone had cut out the catalytic converter, an emissions control unit that is part of every car’s exhaust system.

Converters have become a hot target for thieves because they contain several rare metals, most notably platinum. According to various sources, the stolen converters usually are sold for scrap. Estimates of their value vary greatly from $20 to about $130. If the unit can be sold as a converter instead of scrap, the price tag rises to a couple of hundred dollars.

“It’s just mind blowing,” said that State Avenue business owner. “You’d think the hot item on your car would be the stereo.”

By the way, this particular victim now parks his truck in front of his store where he easily can keep an eye on it.

Marysville Police Commander Ralph Krusey said he wouldn’t describe the city as suffering through a rash of converter thefts, but such instances seem to becoming more and more common.

Krusey said there have been eight instances of converter thefts in the city this year. But according to police reports sent The Globe, those thefts included multiple converters from multiple cars. For example, reports for June 30 state three converters disappeared from cars parked in the 9500 block of State.

In Arlington, acting Police Chief Terry Quintrall said he doesn’t believe the problem is worse there than in other cities. But he added over a dozen converters had been swiped from within the city in the last two months. For the thieves, Quintrall noted the thefts are a “two or three minute gig.”

Thieves simply slip under a car and using a portable circular saw cut out the converters. John Pearson is the manager of the Midas muffler shop on State in Marysville.

“It’s becoming a pretty common thing,” he said for converters to disappear. “It’s not just here, it’s all over … If somebody can make a buck on it, somebody’s going to steal it.”

Pearson said in recent months he’s sometimes received two or three calls a day about missing converters. Providing that a victim has a full-coverage policy, the car owner’s insurance often covers the theft, minus any deductible. But Pearson said replacing the converters still can prove an expensive proposition.

For that State business owner, using a universal converter instead of the one recommended by the manufacturer cut his replacement cost down to $350. Pearson said the average replacement runs between $300 and over $1,000. Repairs become especially expensive if the thieves remove or damage the car’s oxygen sensor, another key component of any exhaust system. Pearson also noted that while a simple piece of pipe will quiet the exhaust of a car with a missing converter, federal law demands the emissions device be replaced.

According to Pearson and others, late model Toyota trucks are among the more popular targets because the trucks sit high up off the ground. Pearson said thieves easily can slip under the car and cut out the converters.

“It probably takes them a minute or two at most,” he added.

Pearson said he knows of local thefts that have occurred at the Applebee’s restaurant on 88th Street and the Seattle Premium Outlet Malls in Tulalip, among other spots.

How does a driver protect against the thefts? Both Krusey and Quintrall said the key might be vigilance on the part of car owners and others. Krusey especially said the average person is concentrating on going into the store or restaurant they just parked near, not really paying attention to what is going on around them.

Quintrall said drivers and others should watch for cars cruising through parking lots without stopping. The occupants could be scoping out targets. Both he and Krusey said residents should report any suspicious activity to police.