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CATALYTIC CONVERTER ISSUES ~~~ I need advice on what to do with my car. Please read.?
My check engine light has been on for quite some time now, and I took it into the shop. The mechanic says that it is a problem with the catalytic converter. The one thing is that there have been a number of thefts, by thieves and auto shops. I’m paranoid that If i let him work on it, I’ll end up with a mock-catalytic converter, with all of the valuable metals inside of it gone, and he will poked a few 100 in labor and more in parts. Also does every car have a unique catalytic converter, because the mechanic says mitsubishi doesnt make the part for my car (02 lancer oz), and for some reason I don’t believe him, and I know there is a place to get it.
OK, there is an easy answer for this, and that is, to get a second opinion from another repair shop.
Yes, catalytic converters are a hot commodity lately. But there isn’t really anything that is a “Mock” cat. There are New OE (Original Equipment) cats from the manufacturer that are very very spendy. And there are New Aftermarket cats that are very reasonably priced, but will only operate on your car for 2 to 3 years (probably long enough to get you to your next emissions test) and then you’ll need another one.
As for the “Uniqueness” of each car, for the most part, the catalytic converter recycling industry, which is just part of what I do, grades cats without an industry standard. But the values are such. . .
European Import – Highest Value
Asian Import
Domestic
Stainless Steel
Aftermarket – Lowest Value
Now there are internal grades of each category. For an example, your Mitsubishi Lancer would fall under “Asian Import” with a sub-category as “Low Grade”. Other categories would be “Large” “Small” and “Pre”. And inside each of those categories is “Full” or “1/2″. If a cat is hollow, it has no value.
That leads me to another point. . . If your O2 sensor is throwing a code, and your cat is to blame, it will throw another code very shortly if an improper cat is used on your car, or if it is hollowed out before he installs it. So the chance of him defrauding you in this manner is unlikely.
As for Mitsubishi stocking your part or not, I am uncertain since you didn’t name the part. If he’s talking about the cat itself, they probably do still stock it, BUT he probably knows that it’s cost prohibitive and knows an aftermarket cat is more reasonably priced.
Last. . . Just so you know, your mechanic cannot legally purchase a used catalytic converter off of any car, junk yard or elsewhere, and install it on your car. The 1988 Clean Air Act prohibits the re-use of “Used” catalytic converters. He could face $2,000 fines for doing so unless he’s licensed to sell cars and then his fines are $20,000 for each violation.
To make this easy, I’d find another shop to diagnose the problem and if it is the same diagnoses, go with the best deal, that is assuming that the car is still driveable at this time. When a cat goes bad, sometimes the car won’t drive (It’ll start, but step on the gas and it will die).
Good luck to you.
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