Supply and demand. They rarely need to be replaced.
Why are catalytic converters so expensive?
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Originally Posted By: gathermewool
Originally Posted By: SirTanon
Is this for your 2004? If so, I'd say you got overcharged by a fair bit.
RockAuto - 2004 Corolla 1.8 catalytic converters
Two different Walker cats on there under $300 each.
RockAuto is doing free installs these days, huh???
That also needs the resonator which would be another $63 on top of the $265. A muffler shop would probably be a little over $100 for labor. But I can see a shop marking up parts a little and then maybe 1.5 or 2 hours for labor and bingo, now at $600.
Originally Posted By: SirTanon
Is this for your 2004? If so, I'd say you got overcharged by a fair bit.
RockAuto - 2004 Corolla 1.8 catalytic converters
Two different Walker cats on there under $300 each.
RockAuto is doing free installs these days, huh???
That also needs the resonator which would be another $63 on top of the $265. A muffler shop would probably be a little over $100 for labor. But I can see a shop marking up parts a little and then maybe 1.5 or 2 hours for labor and bingo, now at $600.
Originally Posted By: gathermewool
Originally Posted By: SirTanon
Is this for your 2004? If so, I'd say you got overcharged by a fair bit.
RockAuto - 2004 Corolla 1.8 catalytic converters
Two different Walker cats on there under $300 each.
RockAuto is doing free installs these days, huh???
No, but the part can be had for substantially less via RockAuto than at the shop. As was previously stated, a decent muffler/exhaust shop can put this on in an hour or less, and that doesn't come anywhere near the $300 it would take to bring one of RA's sub-$300 Cats to the $600 range, installed.
Originally Posted By: SirTanon
Is this for your 2004? If so, I'd say you got overcharged by a fair bit.
RockAuto - 2004 Corolla 1.8 catalytic converters
Two different Walker cats on there under $300 each.
RockAuto is doing free installs these days, huh???
No, but the part can be had for substantially less via RockAuto than at the shop. As was previously stated, a decent muffler/exhaust shop can put this on in an hour or less, and that doesn't come anywhere near the $300 it would take to bring one of RA's sub-$300 Cats to the $600 range, installed.
If the old one was OEM, it's worth some money.
I just replaced the old Toyota OEM cat on my truck that had 299,000 miles on it. Local junkyard bought it for $50. They did give me the third degree. I had the receipt for the new cat and muffler shop labor receipt, and that was enough to sell it.
I just replaced the old Toyota OEM cat on my truck that had 299,000 miles on it. Local junkyard bought it for $50. They did give me the third degree. I had the receipt for the new cat and muffler shop labor receipt, and that was enough to sell it.
Originally Posted By: car51
I junked a older Honda Civic last weekend and got $100 from the scrap place we deal with at work. It had a "man a verter" on it or manifold/converter
lucky you. The yards cant buy them here. Keeps tweekers from stealing them.
I junked a older Honda Civic last weekend and got $100 from the scrap place we deal with at work. It had a "man a verter" on it or manifold/converter
lucky you. The yards cant buy them here. Keeps tweekers from stealing them.
With a new OEM cat having around 3-7 grams of precious metal (plat/pall)....and with 31 grams per troy oz, that's worth $95-$220 new.
Originally Posted By: Merkava_4
And that's why the salvage yard cars all have missing catalytic converters.
LOL, This man knows well!!
Picked up an oem 08' nissan cataltic for $100 at a salvage yard, it worked perfectly and was in tact!
Dealer price online was $800+ and dealer like $1100.
Saved me a pretty penny!
And that's why the salvage yard cars all have missing catalytic converters.
LOL, This man knows well!!
Picked up an oem 08' nissan cataltic for $100 at a salvage yard, it worked perfectly and was in tact!
Dealer price online was $800+ and dealer like $1100.
Saved me a pretty penny!
I have a cat from a 2001 superchanged bonneville that had gone bad. It rattled upon acceleration, and once removed from the vehicle, it's clear the ceramic cone stuff is loose inside.
I wanted to toss it in the garbage for the longest time. I replaced it with a $50 high-flow cat (I was suping the car up then), but am left with the old one. I know it's worth money, now what to do with it and how much? I am seriously considering just giving it to a coworker of mine that routinely has scrap metal in the back of his truck when he parks at work (there's several scrap yards in the area.) and asking him to get whatever he can for it, and give me a 12 pack or something for the favor... It was literally saw-zalled off (my own car), but that car I sold in 2013. Not sure I can get proof of ownership for the car. I'm simply tired of it bouncing around the back of my pickup, and I'll throw it in the trash if it's too much headache to get a bit of money out of.
I wanted to toss it in the garbage for the longest time. I replaced it with a $50 high-flow cat (I was suping the car up then), but am left with the old one. I know it's worth money, now what to do with it and how much? I am seriously considering just giving it to a coworker of mine that routinely has scrap metal in the back of his truck when he parks at work (there's several scrap yards in the area.) and asking him to get whatever he can for it, and give me a 12 pack or something for the favor... It was literally saw-zalled off (my own car), but that car I sold in 2013. Not sure I can get proof of ownership for the car. I'm simply tired of it bouncing around the back of my pickup, and I'll throw it in the trash if it's too much headache to get a bit of money out of.
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Nick1994
$100 site donor 2024
They way overcharged you.
I bought one last month for my Jeep online for $140 and had a muffler shop weld it in for $40
I bought one last month for my Jeep online for $140 and had a muffler shop weld it in for $40
Originally Posted By: Merkava_4
And that's why the salvage yard cars all have missing catalytic converters.
The real reason is it is prohibited to resell them once the vehicle has been scrapped unless they have been re-certified which is a difficult and expensive process. If the yard is letting you take them they are breaking Fed and state regulations, the could face heavy fines (crazy I know).
Quote:
What about using converters from salvage yards or junked cars?
EPA considers it a violation of the policy to install a used converter from a salvage yard or sell it for reuse unless it has been properly tested and labeled. Similarly, it is a violation to install an untested used converter brought in by a customer, even if the customer insists that the used converter came off his/her vehicle.
https://www.catalyticconvertersonline.com/federal-epa-aftermarket-catalytic-converter-fact-sheet
http://scrapcatalyticconverter.com
And that's why the salvage yard cars all have missing catalytic converters.
The real reason is it is prohibited to resell them once the vehicle has been scrapped unless they have been re-certified which is a difficult and expensive process. If the yard is letting you take them they are breaking Fed and state regulations, the could face heavy fines (crazy I know).
Quote:
What about using converters from salvage yards or junked cars?
EPA considers it a violation of the policy to install a used converter from a salvage yard or sell it for reuse unless it has been properly tested and labeled. Similarly, it is a violation to install an untested used converter brought in by a customer, even if the customer insists that the used converter came off his/her vehicle.
https://www.catalyticconvertersonline.com/federal-epa-aftermarket-catalytic-converter-fact-sheet
http://scrapcatalyticconverter.com
Originally Posted By: TX_1821
Originally Posted By: Merkava_4
And that's why the salvage yard cars all have missing catalytic converters.
LOL, This man knows well!!
Picked up an oem 08' nissan cataltic for $100 at a salvage yard, it worked perfectly and was in tact!
Dealer price online was $800+ and dealer like $1100.
Saved me a pretty penny!
Yeah as mentioned earlier, I find this hard to believe unless they didn't really care or thought it was just a resonator instead of a catalytic converter. It's not really clear, but I think they're also responsible for the 25k fine.
Originally Posted By: Merkava_4
And that's why the salvage yard cars all have missing catalytic converters.
LOL, This man knows well!!
Picked up an oem 08' nissan cataltic for $100 at a salvage yard, it worked perfectly and was in tact!
Dealer price online was $800+ and dealer like $1100.
Saved me a pretty penny!
Yeah as mentioned earlier, I find this hard to believe unless they didn't really care or thought it was just a resonator instead of a catalytic converter. It's not really clear, but I think they're also responsible for the 25k fine.
I picked up two lightly used JDM factory cats for Hondas @ $50 each. Installed one on each bank of my V6. Nice and clean, work perfectly and one even had a temperature switch inside (factory feature). Hard to beat OEM catalysts for performance
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The 3 california approved cats for my jeep are $2800
Originally Posted By: Wolf359
Originally Posted By: TX_1821
Originally Posted By: Merkava_4
And that's why the salvage yard cars all have missing catalytic converters.
LOL, This man knows well!!
Picked up an oem 08' nissan cataltic for $100 at a salvage yard, it worked perfectly and was in tact!
Dealer price online was $800+ and dealer like $1100.
Saved me a pretty penny!
Yeah as mentioned earlier, I find this hard to believe unless they didn't really care or thought it was just a resonator instead of a catalytic converter. It's not really clear, but I think they're also responsible for the 25k fine.
Yea I understand, definitely not normal. I didn't inspect it or care to check it, at that price just buy it.
My guess is they didn't care or had the parts too long and wanted to get rid of.
Car looked like it'd been there maybe a few months.
Actually enjoyed working on the car after I got that price Ha!
Originally Posted By: TX_1821
Originally Posted By: Merkava_4
And that's why the salvage yard cars all have missing catalytic converters.
LOL, This man knows well!!
Picked up an oem 08' nissan cataltic for $100 at a salvage yard, it worked perfectly and was in tact!
Dealer price online was $800+ and dealer like $1100.
Saved me a pretty penny!
Yeah as mentioned earlier, I find this hard to believe unless they didn't really care or thought it was just a resonator instead of a catalytic converter. It's not really clear, but I think they're also responsible for the 25k fine.
Yea I understand, definitely not normal. I didn't inspect it or care to check it, at that price just buy it.
My guess is they didn't care or had the parts too long and wanted to get rid of.
Car looked like it'd been there maybe a few months.
Actually enjoyed working on the car after I got that price Ha!
Originally Posted By: bbhero
Try this on for size.... A lady I worked with at the hospital had her catalytic converter cut out of her Toyota truck while she was at work in the hospital. Did a whole lot of damage.
Toyota 4x4 trucks were very popular theft targets for cats: they were high off the ground, so easy to cut with a sawzall , and the cats had good resale value with the recyclers. In Maryland they passed a law that required drivers license ID for any cat sales to recyclers.
Try this on for size.... A lady I worked with at the hospital had her catalytic converter cut out of her Toyota truck while she was at work in the hospital. Did a whole lot of damage.
Toyota 4x4 trucks were very popular theft targets for cats: they were high off the ground, so easy to cut with a sawzall , and the cats had good resale value with the recyclers. In Maryland they passed a law that required drivers license ID for any cat sales to recyclers.
Try living in NY, $600 for a cat is CHEAP
JHZR2
Staff member
Originally Posted By: mightymousetech
Platinum $978.85/ounce
Paladium $907.80/ounce
Rhodium $1,100/ounce
Those are the metals used in a cat. The better quality of the cat, the more of these metals they have.
$600 is actually pretty cheap for a cat.
Exactly.
Heavy cost for metals, specialized monolithic structures to hold the materials, rigorous T&E to verify that the good ones are actually functional.
Platinum $978.85/ounce
Paladium $907.80/ounce
Rhodium $1,100/ounce
Those are the metals used in a cat. The better quality of the cat, the more of these metals they have.
$600 is actually pretty cheap for a cat.
Exactly.
Heavy cost for metals, specialized monolithic structures to hold the materials, rigorous T&E to verify that the good ones are actually functional.
As many have pointed out, its all about the stuff inside them that sells for big bucks. I have two friends who had the the converters stolen off their 4Runners in park and ride lots. Police indicated the thieves were in, used cordless sawzalls, and out with 5 of them in the same parking ramp in less than 10 minutes... The 4Runners were a target due to high ground clearance and large converters...
All in all ended up being a $1200+ repair (insurance covered though).
All in all ended up being a $1200+ repair (insurance covered though).
$600 is high. A shop could do this for around $300 converter and $100 labor.
It may have a shorter warranty than the factory but that's not proof of anything, so long as it's stainless. Lots of car parts don't have long warranties even though just as good/long-lived as OEM factory parts. I expect a large part of why the warranty is short is the risk exposure level, that they're selling it to be put on a vehicle that already damaged the original and will probably have more and more oil, coolant, fuel finding its way out the exhaust over the coming years compared to the first cat's tour of duty.
Why is any OEM part typically 200%+ the price of an aftermarket? There's definitely not > $100 more precious metal in an alternator for example...
That's just how the market is set up.
It may have a shorter warranty than the factory but that's not proof of anything, so long as it's stainless. Lots of car parts don't have long warranties even though just as good/long-lived as OEM factory parts. I expect a large part of why the warranty is short is the risk exposure level, that they're selling it to be put on a vehicle that already damaged the original and will probably have more and more oil, coolant, fuel finding its way out the exhaust over the coming years compared to the first cat's tour of duty.
Why is any OEM part typically 200%+ the price of an aftermarket? There's definitely not > $100 more precious metal in an alternator for example...
That's just how the market is set up.
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