Hey PriusChat, I’m bringing in my 05’ Prius to a local exhaust shop to change out my Cat. I haven’t had it stolen, it’s just that the second catalytic converter (towards the end of the car) is rusting holes right now which is making my Prius sound loud. I’m getting it swapped out with an aftermarket Cat found on Amazon for $143. The question is, how much is my stock catalytic converter worth? I live in Wisconsin which I’ve looked everywhere online to find an actual price since I’m trying to maximize as much of a price that I can for it. I don’t want to let go of my Cat to someone who could take advantage of me and get it for a low price since I don’t know much about the precious metals inside and how much they’re worth. What do you guys think?
The portion of your exhaust from where it bolts to the exhaust manifold (at the engine) to just in front of the resonator can be sold for $1300+. This section has 2 cats, one marked GD3 and one marked EA6. The one closer to the engine is kind of tucked out of sight, then there is an O2 sensor screwed into the pipe, then the second cat, then the resonator. Then the pipe passes over the rear axle beam and goes to the muffler. Are you sure its the cat that's rusting and not the resonator? The cat is less than a foot long. The resonator is about 2 feet log. I've never seen a cat rust out, but I don't spend much time in Wisconsin either.
Yeah it's the the second catalytic converter that's further away from the engine that's rusting. The resonator is completely fine with no rust which I'm just as confused as you where a catalytic converter would rust. But thanks for the price quote. I hope I can get at least $1000 for it since being a college student has been tough during the pandemic but I appreciate the feedback.
Catalytic converter casings are made of the industry standard 410 "Martensic" stainless steel which has less chromium as 304 "Austensic" stainless steels. All stainless steel will corrode and even rust when operating temperatures are elevated to 1600 degrees F. Also, if you had oil burning or other impurities that were impinged into the stream of the catalytic converter, the temperature may have been elevated higher. Thus, corrosion is enhanced and becomes more severe.
Make sure they give you the old cats and verify they are original with the GD3/EA6 stamps on them. Message me at the number that shows up if you click on my user name and I can provide you with contact information for a recycler in texas who will provide you with a current quote. He'll likely want a closeup photo of each cat with the number showing.
Alright guys, so I got my catalytic converter replaced. I then went to post my cat on Facebook Marketplace and people have been telling me that it's an aftermarket cat. Is this true? If so, what's the actual value of my cat then? The numbers/letters are N/TA 99490/5 13 for both.
Well, they are definitely not OEM Toyota Prius models. That explains the rust also. I have yet to see a OEM Gen 2 cat with rust, even the Canadian 2007 I had as a parts car had very little rust on the front half of the exhaust. Have you owned it since new or was this a recent purchase? This is a complete OEM front half and photos of the stamps.
Catalytic converter casings are made of 410 grade "Martensic" stainless steel. both the OEM ones and the Canadian made ones. While 410 stainless steel can rust at high temperatures, as the result of degradation of the chromic oxide layer, it does not rust as bad as the one shown in the photos.
Yeah I bought it used at 234,000miles. It had on the catalytic converter that I had on in the photos so he probably sold it on his behalf. Do you know how much I would get for my aftermarket exhaust?
Probably the price of scrap steel, given that a fully functional aftermarket cat could be had delivered from Canada for $125.
