What a surprise. I found a re-builder while on an Ozarks fly-fishing trip in Crane, MO who has 70+ Prius's on his lot. I stopped to see what his traction battery inventory was (I have 240K on the odometer and 14 years). I have a service code for catalytic converter so he checked that out and said he could replace it with a spec compliant unit AND give me $200 cash. I had him do it on the spot and couldn't happier. He said to drive my car until the red triangle popped up and then he would rebuild the traction battery for $600. I am checking references on that but in the meantime, go get yourself a new certified converter and make $200. We caught some McCloud trout and my wife was happy with her half of the money even though I was late for dinner. Almost unbelievable.
Sounds tasty. Please report back here when or if this new Catalytic Converter throws a code (DTC P0420) or just outright fails.
Not at all. You have an installed and working aftermarket catalytic converter, which hopefully won't logged another DTC P0420 any time soon. Most non OEM cats aren't designed to last for 10+ years like the OEM, but if you don't have an emissions requirement, then it doesn't matter in the short term (years). I had only asked so that collectively we would have a data point on longevity for that particular product or manufacture. Maybe if I had asked what the make (Walker, Eastern, Bosal, etc) and the model # (prius fitment, or generic) for the catalytic converter was, that it would've instilled more sincerity in my reply. Do you know what brand catalytic converter was installed?
All the prices sound reasonable, but paying you for your cat seems suspicious... If he's willing to pay for it, there's nothing wrong with your cat... Dirty engines that need cleaning and a tune up are a common cause of P0420 error code... Best to eliminate those issues before you start working on sensors and exhaust.
The seller covered the cost of the replacement probably with the sale of the OEM cat to a recycler due to the high cost of the precious metals therein.
Actually, I don't. Bad due diligence on my part and the installer has gone to Sturgis for a week so I can't find out. Thanks for clarifying your comment. I had misinterpreted your meaning. At the first indication of a problem I will post but I do not expect an issue.
Nice! So once he returns from Sturgis, you're gonna get paid to help him support the cat theft crime ring as well as take your chances with him bringing back Covid... How does any of that sound like someone you want to do business with?
the rebuilder paid more for the oem cat than the cost of the replacement. not surprising at all, outside of california, (and maybe a few other states?) oem cats are not required. he can sell the oem to a metal recycler for good money, and rebate the customer. it's a win-win
Nonsense! He isn’t supporting catalytic converters theft, he’s fighting it! The OEM cats are mostly valuable in California, because of their emissions laws. The more non-stolen OEM cats we bring to market, the more we compete against the stolen ones. Supply and demand means every legitimate cat brings prices down and makes theft less profitable.
The aftermarket cats are likely to have a quantity of precious metals in them. Since the recycler has no way of verifying how much, they will pay only the lowest price for them.
He gave you $200 for it because the palladium in it is at $2000 an ounce right now. Not sure how much palladium is in our G2 cats but enough to make it worth the thieves while to steal it. He's not buying it to sell in Ca he knows where to lay that cat off or how to salvage the palladium himself. At that price all our G2's are targets. For many posters on this site that cat is worth more than there car. Stop Catalytic Converter Theft On Toyota Prius With This New Protective Shield | Torque News
This is a no-brainer for a shop. I would gladly keep an inventory of aftermarket direct fit converter assemblies and swap them for people that needed it. If the guy invests $300-350 for a decent quality assembly with a 3-5 year warranty, gives the owner $200, he has about 550 into it. Last time I looked, the OEM converter set is going for 800-900 on ebay for precious metal salvage. The owner gets a new converter and the mechanic turns a bit of profit for his effort, after losing 14% to ebay and paypal fees. Everyone walks away happy. I'd do this all day long.
I did it and have no regrets. I don't care how much the installer made. He's innovative and opportunistic but that's business. I'm happy.
