Had my Cat stolen . Does anyone have have spare they are willing to sell? I have 2007 Prius.

I don't think you have a clue what you're trying to do, first you look at a $300 Magnaflow and a welder, then you ask a guy in Tennessee where he bought his converter, now you're asking if someone has a used one. You also try to get a converter from a parts store that tells you your car is made in Japan and he doesn't have a cat for your car.

You're going to run into someone who is going to scam you. You are going to install the converter that he sells you, then you try to get a California smog test and fail, then you start all over again.

 

Unfortunately yes.

 

They pay to have it carb approved for California. The companies have to go through all the processes. The converter have to have enough rare medals to do there job correctly.

 

Ummm...yeah. I got one. Not sure if I want to sell though because I have another Prius that might need it. From the other threads I think someone mentioned there is an aftermarket one that is approved by smog control or whatever you call it out there.

Safest way to remove exhaust/catalytic converter from wrecked Prius? | PriusChat

This youtube video says not to buy just any aftermarket cat though. Seems like the hardest part will be passing the visual inspection. My guess if you are an inspector you don't even bother looking at whether or not the "check engine" light is ON for Prius'. You just go straight to the pipes.

 

I haven't been to California's inspection process I would think a car that's old and has been through it many times like everything else in this world people get tired of fooling with if you were to take a cat and a smart person was to slice and dice it properly you could make up a cat that could get through California's inspection I'm just saying that because I know I could do it and it probably wouldn't be too much of a challenge of course I wouldn't be trying to take it to the largest inspection places in the state with 50 bays and 9,000 employees and all this kind of stuff but then again you know some people just don't have a clue there are number plates and all this kind of stuff on these catalytic converters if you look at them you will see what I'm talking about that is what a visual inspection person is going to be looking for is that stamped nonsense that's on the cat You have to come up with a way to duplicate that You think that's hard well I'm glad because it's not so that's what they're going to be looking for if you think a decent welder with a wire feed welder can't weld up a balloon converter on the existing pipes and make it look like it's supposed to You've got to be kidding me And then again to some degree it's going to be my word against some child that works in an inspections department Right so I'm sure there is paperwork and waivers engineers that have been 35 years in the automobile business I'm sure they don't put up with a lot of this nonsense there is stuff that you can do to get where you need to be And I don't think buying a $3,000 cat is the end answer when the end answer for the government is what's coming out the tailpipe That's the end answer for the government Not passing carb not spending tons of money The end result for the government and the people is supposed to be what is coming out of the tailpipe of that car what kind of carbon might have to be captured out the back of that car someday whatever for somebody to stand there and yell government regulations and tell me about paperwork and all this nonsense but sir only 0.05% of whatever is coming out the tailpipe i'm allowed 08 duh. But I know the government better than that so there's always some kind of a fix You just have to find it. I've got a car in one state I've been riding on a waiver for 5 years legally

SM-A715F ?

 

It seems like you’ve received your answer (Magnaflow and oem are your options to pass smog) but you don’t like it. Call a few smog check places in your area and ask them. They deal with this all day long and can tell you what the reality is.
The owner of the shop I go to told me he would literally lose his license and get shut down for passing a non-legit cat.

 

That's what they all say even here. But if they are tricked then it's on me not the station see how ill logical the flow of that crap is. It even sounds retarded because it tis. I know all these shop games..I've told customers thee most retarded things just for fun to see if I can make em believe. One can . Folks real dumb generally. Look at fail rates of EPA inspection stations. Calif. Nothing alarming. Long as plates or stampings on cat purdy much done. What do a poor as tech running obd 2 smog give a good fek about any o this. He don't he a kid in dad's shop c'mon. That's more the reality. I bet.

 

How much is magna cat?

 

Lots

 

If someone has the cliff’s notes summary for this treatise to post here, it’d be appreciated.

 

You can get around everything.period. especially wen end game is met . Tailpipe emissions are at govt prescribed level . Thank you. No buts..in the end that's what the laws about spiritof said law etc

 

If you live in California:
Sell the Prius.
Buy another car, or pay $2000 and wait 5 months if you get catnapped….or if you’re amoral pay $500-$1000 for a used Prius cat (maybe YOUR original cat) and hope it’s a real, functional G2 cat.

If you live in a free state, you CAN go to a muffler shop and pay about $100 for a straight pipe or “test pipe” but I’d strongly recommend you pay the additional 2-300 bucks for a decent aftermarket cat anyway if for no other reason than to make the car 49 state compliant.

If you live in an in-between state, pay a little more ($300 ish) for a car that will meet EMMISSIONS standards for all 52 states.

 

At least with a straight pipe no one will steal it again.

 

Installing a used catalytic converter is unlawful in California. See 13 CCR § 2222, subsection (i)(1), and CARB’s Aftermarket Catalytic Converters page: “[N]o used converter can be legally advertised for sale, sold, or installed in California” after July 10, 2008.

That’s the problem, though: as previously discussed, CARB just wants proof that an aftermarket catalytic converter works well enough for the vehicle to meet the “applicable full useful life new vehicle exhaust emission certification standard.” If anyone has one that can actually do that, on Prius cars, at a much lower cost, I have to wonder why they wouldn’t get it approved, undersell Toyota and Magnaflow, and earn a tidy profit.

In this situation, I’d respectfully disagree. Enough Californians were (and are) disgusted and sickened by air pollution that the Legislature and agencies have acted to close widely-exploited loopholes.

It’s still a fair criticism that California’s programs don’t address the high cost of replacing a stolen catalytic converter. BAR’s Consumer Assistance Program (up to $1,200 for repairs, subject to income limits) doesn’t cover this, and while the Smog Check Referee Program can issue a Limited Parts Exemption if an approved original or aftermarket replacement isn’t available at any price, they don’t issue Repair Cost Waivers for “missing, modified, or disconnected equipment.”

There’s also a contrary argument, that widespread publicity about catalytic converter thefts has put the owners of Prius and other cars on notice to take practical precautions, carry comprehensive insurance, or both, to be assured of meeting their individual responsibility not to pollute the air when driving.

 

I believe it's illegal to sell a used one here in CA and/or put a used one on. Aftermarket Catalytic Converters
The first thing a junkyard does is cut it off and turn it in for cash - that's what they do, and that's why they pay a few hundred dollars for a wreaked car. Everything else they sell off of it is gravy. A CA legal aftermarket CAT shouldn't cost more than $600 installed. Call around to small independent muffler shops. My dad's was $350 out the door about 5 years ago. The OEM CAT was $2500, back then - and you'd be asking the thieves to come back and take that one too. The OEM CAT is designed to last the life of the car, 200k+ miles; so they contain more of the precious metals the thieves are looking for.

The shop that replaces it is required to warranty it for 24 months or 50k miles - I think. May-be longer now.

Hope this helps

 

I’m afraid that’s no longer true. As discussed elsewhere, the least-expensive aftermarket parts that are approved in California sell for over $2,500, just for the front and rear converters, without pipes or labor.

I think it may be an issue not only of service life but also of temperature: the converter needs to be really hot (perhaps on the order of 400 °C) to work most effectively, but the gasoline engine on a hybrid vehicle doesn’t run continuously. One way to make up for lower catalyst activity, per unit mass or surface area, would be to put in more of it, which might well be what Toyota did, at least on second-generation Prius cars.