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Another CAT victim looking for advice

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Main Forum' started by megatron, Oct 1, 2021.

  1. megatron

    megatron Junior Member

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    Parked my Prius in the airport for a 4 day business trip and came back last night to the sound of a tank engine from under my seat. I thought it would be safe in airport garage parking, but I guess not. I even parked it in a spot only about 20ft from where the elevators are, with plenty of lighting.

    Anyways, so I know and have read about the $2000 OEM cat from Toyota, which of course would be the best and my preferred choice, BUT looking on e-bay, it seems like you can get aftermarket ones for $200-$300. I know they supposedly have LESS precious metals and less materials than the OEM, but will it work every bit within specifications of an OEM one?

    I guess I am trying to figure out what the "real-world" difference is between a cheap aftermarket cat vs OEM one... is it the perfect fit, shape and size, or just longevity of the cat? I prefer exact fit and exact shape so it is easy to install like OEM with no worries about holes or mounts not lining up, but I would prefer cheaper than OEM. If it's just the lifespan of the cat, I don't mind because my cat was 200,000 miles old anyways.. so I figure as long as the aftermarket one has the same "previous material" as my used 200,000 mile one had, I shouldn't be any worse off.

    Any opinions, ideas before I decide what to do? Any help would be appreciated.

    Thanks!
     
    #1 megatron, Oct 1, 2021
  2. ETC(SS)

    ETC(SS) The OTHER One Percenter.....

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    There are many threads covering this, and the consensus seems to be that the aftermarket cats are "good nuff" for a 15 year old car with near-lunar mileage....unless you live in the one state that will not allow you to use an aftermarket cat....and actually cares enough about it to check under your car.......

    Good Luck!
     
    #2 ETC(SS), Oct 1, 2021
  3. xliderider

    xliderider Senior Member

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    #3 xliderider, Oct 1, 2021
  4. megatron

    megatron Junior Member

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    Is there a common "best" aftermarket cat that I can buy? Seems like with enough of these cases out there that there should be some aftermarket ones that are showing to be above the others in quality?
     
    #4 megatron, Oct 1, 2021
  5. xliderider

    xliderider Senior Member

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    #5 xliderider, Oct 1, 2021
    audiodave likes this.
  6. megatron

    megatron Junior Member

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    Thank heaven... NO I am not in California. But I am in Washington state, which is a close second to California in terms of Environmental costs.
     
    #6 megatron, Oct 1, 2021
  7. Another

    Another Senior Member

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    Depends on age of vehicle in WA
    2008 and older are exempt supposedly according to post on other threads here.

    Remember if you have comprehensive insurance, they should pay for a new one OEM
     
    #7 Another, Oct 2, 2021
    Mendel Leisk likes this.
  8. qmanqman

    qmanqman Active Member

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    I just put this one one yesterday. The CEL (P0420 code) didn't come back on during the drive back from O'Reilly's where I used their OBDII scanner to turn the CEL off. The CEL came on during the drive back after I replaced O2 sensor and after the two Cataclean treatments. This is the cat I put on.



    It was kind of a PITA because the pipe on the exit of the new CAT was a lot larger than the input pipe to the muffler. I put four split cuts in the CAT exit pipe and smashed it down as much as I could with a muffler clamp but it still leaked. I sealed that up with the exhaust putty and tape. Runs like a champ and like I said "NO CEL."
     
    #8 qmanqman, Oct 2, 2021
    Georgina Rudkus likes this.
  9. Travis Decker

    Travis Decker Active Member

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    walker 16337 cat is best aftermarket at my shop. see lots of ebay specials flag a p0420 soon after install. we have done 100’s no problems with walker
     
    #9 Travis Decker, Oct 2, 2021
    tangerino likes this.
  10. megatron

    megatron Junior Member

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    Do you have to weld the tail end? Or does it slide over the existing stub from the resonator so that we can use a clamp?
     
    #10 megatron, Oct 2, 2021
  11. Another

    Another Senior Member

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    #11 Another, Oct 3, 2021
  12. Travis Decker

    Travis Decker Active Member

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    we have a little piece of bigger ID pipe we slide over and weld. however if no welder you buy the resonator section from walker then it clamps together
     
    #12 Travis Decker, Oct 3, 2021
  13. Flowbee

    Flowbee Junior Member

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    I'm in Washington too. Did you report this to anybody? It may seem fruitless but who knows maybe it will help in some larger scale investigation.

    It sucks having to fear parking your car. These guys must pay.
     
    #13 Flowbee, Oct 4, 2021
  14. qmanqman

    qmanqman Active Member

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    I don't know how someone gets under a Prius to steal the cat. The car is only a couple inches off the ground.
     
    #14 qmanqman, Oct 4, 2021
  15. megatron

    megatron Junior Member

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    Yeah, I reported it to Port of Seattle Police. This happened to me at Seatac Airport. I parked in airport parking garage for a 4 day business trip and came back to a missing cat. Worse thing is nothing they can do... and they just sent me a police report.
     
    #15 megatron, Oct 4, 2021
    Flowbee likes this.
  16. megatron

    megatron Junior Member

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    I'm sure they use a jack... but the Prius is so light that I think one hydraulic jack on the side can lift the entire side of the car at once.
     
    #16 megatron, Oct 4, 2021
  17. Flowbee

    Flowbee Junior Member

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    Alarm done..



    Now thinking of doing the paint/etch and a physical barrier. Might cave in and get a $75 plate off eBay
     
    #17 Flowbee, Oct 5, 2021
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