I learned something about Prius catalytic converters today...

Ok that’s why a G2 OEM cat costs $1700 and the cat I bought off Amazon was $129 it’s because of gas prices and moronic laws.

 

You're going to need to brush up on this. I've sold several for $1150+ each to a recycler. He stated he clears about a k on each one. How big of a + or minus that has, idk and didn't ask. None of my business. Different catalytic converter models have different % makeup of internals. The Gen2 Prius is amazingly high in that %. They don't care if it is a P0420 cat, they don't care if it's full of oil and carbon. They verify the model numbers on the case, verify the internals are intact and put money in your hand.
Cat converters are like seeing a gold ring in the sand on the beach, could be a big ol' 24K ring or it can be a fake gold plated ring, all kinds of designs are out there. The Prius model just happens to be that big ol' 24k monster ring.

Let me clarify the second sentence....He stated he clears about a k on each set of GD3/EA6 converters.

 

Catalytic Converter Scrap Prices - Check Prices Online With Pictures

 

Because the internet always tells the full story... I guess that 10 grand in my paypal account from GD3 and EA6 converters is my imagination. I'll have to let that recycler know he's losing his az on these. But I think I'll wait until after I swap the 2008 cats this weekend.

If anyone wants to send me a set of GD3/EA6 cats, I'd be happy to mash them and take the honeycomb remnants to a local gold buyer I've dealt with before. He has a pretty cool spectrum analyzer that should be able to document the exact composition.

Oops, I just got the reply from the text message I sent to your link.
Current offer....Serial No. GD3 is $688*
Current offer....Serial No. EA6 is $425*
*Only if cat is completely full (honeycomb inside) & is OEM. Quote is good for 7 business days.

I guess that sums it up…...

 

Cat thefts exploded in the UK before they did in California. Does that mean the UK has more moronic laws than California?

 

I'm not familiar with their laws in particular.
However (comma!) I AM familiar with the laws in MY state.

If it is true that I can get $1000 for a Prius cat from a recycler then I'm going to have a talk with a certain company that may or may not operate these vehicles in a service fleet.
I'm thinking that I can replace the oem cats in our Priuses with aftermarket units for about $200.
Where I live...."passing a VET" means driving by an animal hospital.....

 

I've never heard THAT much. And don't mix up recyclers with re-use / resellers.

 

Thieves are dumb and some are DUMB! On one stolen cat I replaced the thieves left the GD3 in place and cut out just the EA6.

 

Take a good look at the EPA regs. It might be a violation to remove a working OEM cat and replace it with an aftermarket. Same goes for putting a used OEM cat in for replacement of a stolen cat. Do your own research and come to your own conclusions.

Too bad the thieves are not being held liable for the EPA fines.

 

@TMR-JWAP is absolutely correct. Hybrid cats are worth much more than standard cars. They have much more in precious metals because the engine doesn't stay running and the heat of the catalyst substrate constantly warming and cooling, so more precious metals are needed for the catalytic reaction to occur at all conditions and keep the air clean. That's also why measuring the temp at the front and the rear of the cat, expecting the rear to be hotter, is not a test for a Prius to show how well the cat is working. It just doesn't work that way. The front of the cat will spend a great deal of time hotter than the tail end of the cat during operation due to the engine not running all the time. Even monitoring the downstream O2 is very different from normal cars since it will go to close to zero during non engine on conditions. I'll bet the Toyota engineers had a fun time with that algorithm.

As of today a gram of rhodium is $715 USD (over $20,000 an ounce) and the 2nd Gen Prius from what I've read has 2 grams. It also has higher amounts of platinum and palladium, which are also expensive ($1095/oz and $2408/oz respectively), but pale in comparison to rhodium. So yeah... worth a lot

 

Sold mine on eBay for $$1350 guy in Mass.

After replacing it with a $129 cat which runs
fine and eBay fees cleared a little over $1000. People in carb states are desperate.
$1800 OEM cats are back ordered,

 

It's my understanding of EPA regs as well. I guess that enforcement of those rules ain't high on the priority list, at least for individuals. Now for shops, esp in carb states would be much more likely to be caught and fined, depending on the offense; ($10k-25k+ per offense) and could be shut down with possibility of criminal charges.

Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.

 

Smart.
Nobody has ever said that G2 cats are not in demand....including me.
There's a reason WHY this is so, and my fecal detector informs me that it's not the street price for obsurium....or whatever rare material that's available in G2 cats by the pound.

That's what they say about immigration too, which is why I sorta dig a commonsensical path to citizenship.
People with green cards are less likely to paste shingles onto roofs for $15/hr under the table...and actually pay SS taxes.

You can MAKE all of the laws you want.....but you cannot repeal the law of supply and demand.

 

Your fecal detector is in need of calibration. To think this isn't about the price of rhodium and the value that can be extracted from G2 cats is silly. It's ALL about the money that can be made. I'm sure you realize that rhodium is the most expensive precious metal. If the profit wasn't real, G2 cats wouldn't be so much in demand. Here's a link so you don't have to search:

Precious Metals - World's Top 10

 

I think rhodium was $4000 an ounce when this all started

 

Saturday, January 16th at 3am spot price=$21,500/ounce. How crazy is that....

Rhodium Price Chart: Check Live & Historical Rhodium Spot Prices

 

It has reached $16,000 an ounce.

Throw in a dishonest recycler or 2 or 10 and you have a huge market for stolen cats not to mention the people in carb states with a $2800+
bill for an oem cat install since most do not even carry collision on there car like me It is a big problem soon to be a huge problem as the police don't give a shit.

Rhodium price rockets to all-time high - MINING.COM

 

So, the oem cat I have sitting in my garage is worth something?!
I'm getting ready to move so if anyone wants to make me an offer, let me know.

 

Worth a lot.

 

Sell it before you move, especially if you're one of the very VERY few people that are moving out of your state.
People I know behind the tinsel curtain inform me that a "no questions asked" G2 cat will wholesale for about $250 and yours would not create another customer.

I was talking to one of our town's metal recyclers about this very thread recently.
I'm in the telephone biz, and we have a "relationship" with them since copper theft used to be a thing. I'm also venturing into the exiting and rewarding hobby of metal casting.

For "some" reason, cat sales just aren't a thing here yet, despite there being a large number of G2s locally.(after they smog-out from VET states they move South to retire.)
There are also a very large number of raised trucks hereabouts that you could yank the cats out of without even having to use a jack.
It's just not much of a thing here yet.