Any way to know if the replaced catalytic converter will pass CA insprection?

California requires an OEM or Toyota supplied catalytic converter for it to be inspected and to be licensed in California, period.

There are no waivers for any car not complying or no complying after-market converters approved for replacement in California.

 

My prius passed smog here in Cali with an aftermarket catalytic last week. Granted no CEL, you should be fine. The guy didn’t even look at my catalytic. Just plugged into the OBD port, I was out in 5 min.

 

As per above post, it really has to do with the person doing the inspection. If they're super thorough and follow all the requirements than you're screwed. But if they skip the physical inspection of the cat, then you're blessed and have saved a lot of money.

 

The aftermarket looks exactly the same once welded ... ‍♂️ paid 100 bucks for the aftermarket cat and 50 for smog. I got a quote from Toyota for 2000 for an oem since the price of platinum has shot up which would of made it unreasonable to even keep the car. Its worth a shot to try.

 

The OEM cat has a Toyota logo stamped on it. Maybe as much as 99 times out of 100 the person doing the inspection looks for Toyota logo. If it's not on the cat, the inspection is over and the vehicle failed. There's huge numbers of people who have had this experience in California. Still have yet to read of another state that's been this strict, but it's possible in some states. Learn more here: Prius Cat Theft Tracking | PriusChat

 

99/100 times? Thats wild. I’ve had my aftermarket cat for 6 years now, 3 smog checks at different locations. Passed each time. I must be very lucky. Also, where exactly is the stamp located? The actual cat or the resonator?

 

The logo is on the cat istself. And yea... I kinda just made up those numbers. To be clear you're only the second person I've read about on here that survived a cat inspection in California with an aftermarket cat.

 

I think what helped me is that I just didn’t mention anything about the catalytic. Let the man do his job, paid him and left.

 

Is this aftermarket cat on your 2014 Prius Plug-in? Did it go bad or was it stolen?

If they stole it, did the thief cut the preheater coolant lines making the coolant leak out on the pavement?

 

Im willing to bet not many people on the forums have even tried an aftermarket cat and tried to get past smog. Ive learned alot of things people say on forums is just what they have read online and not first hand knowledge.

I bet she will be fine.

 

There's definitely people on here who said I'm going to try aftermarket cat and then came back to report that they failed smog inspection. There was also some poor guy who got charged an extra service fee so they could remove the cat shield just to confirm the cat was OEM.

But I suspect primarily it's muffler shops, repair shops and dealerships telling everyone that state law requires OEM more than anything else. Would be fun to better track how vehicle inspections go so there was more certainty because the difference between the cost of OEM and aftermarket is massive and waiting list for OEM gets longer and longer over time.

 

Either trade and keep the vehicle local, and sell the prius and get her a simple civic or corolla instead.

There are reports of aftermarkets cats being stolen as well, thieves aren't always very bright.

 

You could always get the shield installed and let her take the car to Cali afterward. I don’t believe that Cali would have any reason to inspect a car not registered there.

 

^^ that makes the most sense. They say you need to register within like 1 month of living here or somthing but I still have my out of state tags and its been years. just keep your current tags especially since she will only be there for 1 year.

 

I need to update my sig, I was referring to my 2008 touring prius which I have owned since brand new. I was throwing a cel for the catalytic a few years ago, car burns about a quart of oil every 1000 miles now which probably lead to the damage to the original cat. Ironically, my 2008 prius outlasted my 2014 PLUG in and turned out to be the better car. I have a 2020 supra now that I use more often, but you can't beat the gas mileage on the prius.

 

You're a wonderful father.

 

Letting your kid decide is what they always say is the best way... Of course if your kid chooses the 12 year old car...

 

Really that is the thing. An after market cat can easily pass the smog requirement but it could not pass the "Visual Requirement." If it is not stock, it ain't right and you fail!

Wayyy back in the day when I was a Ca. Smog Tech, the early 90's, the only requirement for a Cat was that the car if required had to have one. Back then where a Cat came from did not matter??

But apparently the same conditions are no longer in place?? But if it is a "Visual Inspect," to check for OEM Number's?? Yeah you'd be screwed.