Police in Devon found four catalytic converters which had been stolen from a car dealership and charged a 24-year-old Grantham man.
The owner of the dealership in Barnstaple found four of the cars on his forecourt had been targeted by thieves who removed the catalytic converters.
The stolen items were found by police at a holiday centre where the three men were staying.
Craig Smith of Kedleston Road, Grantham, admitted handling stolen goods and failing to surrender to bail.
Smith was sentenced to a 12-month community order with a thinking skills programme.
He was also ordered to pay £85 in costs and a £60 surcharge.