Auto part guy saying that cat convertor he sells won’t fit my prius since my prius built in Japan?

Link to the part, or part number?

 

Get this one.

That's the one this guy used in this video,

 

Any Prius car you’re likely to encounter in the United States was made in Japan. (The Prius cars built in China and Thailand wouldn’t meet U.S. import regulations, and as I understand it, were sold only in those markets.)

If the “Lake [A]rrowhead” in @Ian Simons's profile is the one in California, the only alternatives I know of that comply with CARB regulations, and thus could be assured of passing a Smog Check inspection, are the Toyota original and Magnaflow’s “California Grade” aftermarket part, both discussed in my December posting.

 

The picture you show is the original Toyota exhaust system on the right (with two catalytic converters at the front end) next to an aftermarket "universal" converter. I assume that the owner of that prius was having the OE cats removed and replaced with the AM unit.

If you live in CA or any other place that has similar emissions regs, then doing that kind of replacement will not pass inspection.

Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.

 

For second-generation Prius cars that require CARB-approved catalytic converters, Magnaflow has two “California Grade” options: you can buy a complete exhaust pipe assembly (5631752, $2,950), which has both converters and is ready to bolt into place, just like Toyota’s original part, or you can buy the front (5631306, $1,981) and rear (5671305, $590) converters separately and weld them to your own pipes and flanges. Magnaflow describes those converters as “Universal,” but they are approved only for Prius models.

The latter option is attractive if only one of the two converters needs replacement. It’s also good for muffler shops, which would prefer to cut, bend, and weld as necessary, rather than keep large, awkwardly-shaped assemblies in stock for many different models.

That’s true, if you mean a replacement with an aftermarket converter without CARB approval. As long as both the front and rear catalytic converters are CARB-approved parts and properly installed, neither CARB nor a Smog Check inspector has any reason to care whether the exhaust pipe assembly was made in Magnaflow’s factory or by a local muffler shop.

 

Of course. Take a pic of whats left, give up on the single universal Magnaflow.

 

NO!

 

Is Lake Arrowhead in California? You can buy on a budget that won't trigger CEL light, but in California you're more concerned with passing smog Carb inspection, even if it doesn't trigger check engine light.