Replace Cat before Selling? (Seattle)

Replace it with a cheap aftermarket version. $800 is not worth your insurance jacking up your rates... also make sure they don't do that just for reporting it stolen (I've heard of this happening!).

 

Welcome to PriusChat!!

Just stick an aftermarket cat ($130 on ebay) and a new OEM/Denso air/fuel sensor ($100+) and keep driving it around.

Be sure to coat the replacement cat with bright orange hi-temp paint, it may save someone the hassle of borrowing a cheap knockoff cat.

How much were you looking to get for it as is?

FYI : you're moderated until you've posted 5 times.

 

Ummm… why wouldn’t you just spend $500 getting an aftermarket cat installed by a local shop and keep the car? Sounds like you don’t want the car. Others will gladly take it off your hands for peanuts, repair it and drive it for another ten years.

 

This is probably the worst time in decades to buy a new or used car. If the only issue you have with your Prius is the missing cat, then the smart financial move is to get it replaced and keep it on the road. However, if you've got $$ to blow and you're ready for something different, go ahead and yes you'll be taken for a ride by the dealership... that's a guarantee.

 

funny. recently had to go into a dealership (more to the mechanical side for my Prius) and usually in years past i would always enjoy strolling into the new-car side of the dealership and just check out new vehicles of all sorts.

Went to the new-car side and there were maybe a dozen vehicles out front (usually there would be 100 or more) and a bunch of salesmen sitting in an empty dealership office. I asked one where are all the cars? Esp the ones inside the showroom where there were none.

He said everything had been SOLD.

 

No cars? Reason is … They can’t get the semiconductor chips required to build them. Think the chip shortage is bad now? Just wait until the Chinese take Taiwan and cut off the USA from a major chip supplier, not to mention intimidating others. And in the meantime the USA is preoccupied with social media spats, celebrities and other meaningless drivel. The Roman Empire falls again.
At least my old Prius value is increasing.

 

Good after market cat available on Amazon $125 cost me $100 to have my oem cat removed and new cat installed. Mine was not stolen.

The real hassle for theft victims is not only do they steal your cat they chop the O 2 sensor off too which damages the harness and they take the sensor so the O2 sensor needs to be replaced and harness repaired also. Lay down under your car if you see dangling wires they chopped it. Also very bad for the car if one of those wires shorts out against the chassis it will damage some electronics additionally. Really horrible all around.

Not sure if Wa is a Carb state. Factory cat is unobtainium. On back order for months.

Bottom line if your a lady with no mechanic in the family sell that car. It will be a constant hassle and $$$$ to own it from here on out. The will continue to rip your cat as now they know where you live.

Get rid of it and don’t give those
Jack nice person dealers a dime.

 

Take the $800 and have the cat replaced.
Drive the Prius for a little while until you get another vehicle for MSRP or less.

Pat yourself on the back for not spending about $5000 more than you would otherwise spend on a new(er) car or settling for another car that you're not crazy about.

Washington (state) is a CARB state but they're not like "some" places. They actually let people replace their catalytic converters with aftermarket units that meet emissions standards. The exhaust center you pick will know what's legal in your state and even in SEA-TAC $800 ought to be MORE than enough to get the job done - OR you're paying too much.

 

I am in Seattle as well and recently got my Cat stolen while parked in the Seatac Airport parking garage on a business trip, so I know the situation you are in. I was in the same dilemma. Let me tell you what I did...

I bought this cat on Amazon for $140...

I bought this OEM O2 Sensor for $48...

That's a total of around $200 in parts. Then if you have the tools and a jack, you can bolt it on yourself, or I paid $150 for MIDAS to install and weld the new muffler on. It's been running perfectly with no CEL since.

So even with MIDAS doing the labor, it's $350 total. Or $200 if you DIY.

Assuming that is the only issue with your car, it's a no brainer to just fix it and continue driving it. Buying a new or used car now is insanely expensive compared to this solution. Whether you choose to use insurance and pocket the $450 difference in cash, or just skip insurance and pay out of pocket is up to you... but $350 is peanuts to get your Prius working again!

 

The Amazon product page for the aftermarket says

• Genuine EPA certification, every catalytic converter body is stamped with exclusive EPA number. NOT for use in California and Colorado emissions models.
• 
  
  But
  In Washington State, it is clear as mud if this cat will be legal.

 

It's good enough for Washington State. The muffler shops have no issue with installing it here.. and those are the legit big-name shops so it's the best solution here to this cat theft issue. The replacement is cheaper or about the same as having a cat shield installed. Of course if your aftermarket gets stolen also, then the cat shield may be more worth it in the long run.

 

I'm assuming his deductible is not zero and even if it was I wouldn't go through insurance. Any claim will cause your rates to increase and often significantly.

 

+1

I carry a $1,000 deducible, but then I don't like paying insurance companies to under-compensate me for a loss and then raise my rates so that they can collect MORE from me than they payed out after the loss.

The OP has already files a claim, so that horse is already galloping down the street.
May as well leave the barn door open.

 

I'm not sure if he technically filed a claim yet. I'm also not sure how his insurance would handle just an inquiry into cost/compensation for a replacement cat. Either way, it's not a good idea to replace using his insurance.

 

Do NOT get the work done at the Toyota dealership - I assume you are speaking about the one in SoDo? Their prices are [censored] ridiculous and you have to wait forever. Call up Greg's Japanese Auto (near REI) for a quote to have an aftermarket one installed. I believe Marvin answers the phones; he's very nice.

Get protection at the time of the repair. Greg's installed my cat shield for like $130. I brought in the shield to them (purchased online for like $120?).

I'm afraid to say this is not a good time for you to be looking to buy a new or used car, unless you have a lot of $$$. Repairing might be the best bet.

 

For protection, I wish I could make their jack fail as they are cutting away at my Cat! That would be the best deterrent!

 

I don't know about Washington CAT thieves; but down here - they usually leave an aftermarket CAT alone. They seem to be targeting OEM CAT's. So that's another plus to fix it and drive it.
Anyone who still has their OEM CAT should look into a motion alarm and/or CAT shield. This won't guarantee your CAT won't get stolen, but it would encourage a thief to move on to an easier target.
I don't know about your DMV laws, but down here the current owner is responsible for the car to be road worthy at time of sale; unless it's begin sold as scrap. Title can't be transferred unless it passes smog. If you don't mind someone driving around in a car that's still titled to you - it no big deal. Don't be surprised if parking and moving violations show up in your mail box.
My dad lost the CAT on his 98 Toyota SR5 about 5 years ago; in the driveway. It's still parked in the same place with an aftermarket CAT installed for about $350 - that's a CA certified CAT. Could've saved $100 on a non-certified CAT at the time; but it wouldn't be road legal here. I've installed a cheap motion alarm and cameras; so those may also be deterrents.