As title states, Toyota put a new catalytic converter in for my stolen one, but it was aftermarket and therefore $1k cheaper than OEM. I purchased Miller cat shield for $375, the whole works. I'm wondering though if it's worth it to use the shield if it's aftermarket or not. Thoughts?
So even the Toyota dealer is pimping aftermarket cats and non whatever they're called states That's interesting and it still was around a thousand bucks instead of the what is it 15 1900 or whatever This is the one piece full pipe thing that I pay $120 from the large manufacturer on eBay that is interesting Even though insurance paid for it and all that is not that's not what I'm thinking about here I'm just thinking about cost for the most part because performance is not going to change pretty much A cat is a cat as a cat You know either brick type or fine wire You have to know which one to use
If you can get your $375 back and return the shield... You can get much cheaper ones these days. I bought a brand new one for $75 a week ago and it's identical to the ones that sell for $375. This is one of the few products that's gone down in price because they're so cheap to make, which creates competitive pricing.
The original poster said the Toyota dealer was selling or pimping aftermarket cats for the gen 2 I think is what they're talking about and that would of course be in everywhere but California so my point was even the Toyota dealer is selling a cheap aftermarket knock off if you will and they're still asking close to a thousand for it so I'm guessing they're having a manufacturer like the big manufacturer on eBay make it for them to the tune of oh I would guess buying what they would buy about $85 a pop maybe a lot less and selling for close to a grand pretty good good old American deal making there
It's a supply chain issue... All OEM replacement cats are going to California where they're legally required. A friend in Seattle area who had their cat stolen got it towed to dealership and got a cheaper after market cat because OEM isn't available and total bill was about $2300, or $1500 cheaper than OEM.
Remember the cat is just one balloon. In the pipe . The cat is a round balloon that is sold to muffler shops by weight of vehicle so on one shelf at Midas are all the under 5K pound balloons that get clamped or welded in place on an under 5K pound vehicle. Everywhere but calif.. so theyres you're evidence . I did what they're doing for 248 bux total right here in NC .. and I had ideas US Toyoda would show a work around . They did
If you've got an aftermarket cat now, I wouldn't bother with a shield. Nobody steals aftermarket cats. My Prius garage has fitted a lot of aftermarket cats now - and others too and not had any interfered with. He thinks shields are a waste of money and so do I.
Maybe not an experienced thief, but a rank amateur can really do a hack job on your car. I'd at least get the cheapest shield just as a deterrent.
Perhaps they steal them less often, but they still steal them @TMR-JWAP replaced all the cats on his family's cars and had an aftermarket cat stolen.
I suppose it all depends on how stupid your local cat thief is. The cat model I install is the style that slips over the remnants of the pipe that remains in front of the resonator and uses a clamp. I've had tremendous success with them and they run from $130-$150 each depending on the vendor. After trying a couple different versions, I found a model that fits perfect every time, comes with the correct bolts/springs and a decent gasket. This model uses 2" pipe that is crimped down to 1.75" OD for the last few inches and fits very snug on the OEM pipe. Unfortunately, it comes with a 2" clamp, lol. I purchase heavy duty 1.75" clamps from O'reillys and they fit perfect. You would think that a 2" pipe and a clamp would make a thief realize the cat is no longer OEM, but there are some stupid ones out there. I've had one aftermarket cat cut out. Since then, I make sure to write all over the cats and piping that the cat is aftermarket. I also had bumper stickers made that can be used to inform thieves that an aftermarket cat has been installed. Even after the aftermarket one was cut out (they actually cut about two inches in front of the clamp), I was able to just remove the clamp and use a cutting disc to slit the remaining couple inches of the aftermarket pipe and then slide it off the OEM pipe. Tossed another aftermarket on it and off to the races again. Much easier to fix than if it had been welded.
Don’t know why the OP is having the cat changed at the dealer if it’s a aftermarket. After market cat is $125 not sure how much new O2 sensor is but muffler shop will install the cat for $100 plus whatever labor they charge for the 02 repair.
Yeah if you've got a few minutes you can get a clamp in there and clamp it in well then of course your way ahead of the $100 to seam it in with the MIG welder. Usually I just have my buddy do it at the shop simply because it's on a lift and when it's up in the air it literally takes seconds to stick the cat in hold it in place and zap it with a couple tacks and then seam it for the 60 bucks I pay it's well worth it to me and the possibility of leaks is almost nil
