Need a new catalytic converter.....how much!?!?! eeeeeek!

Demontec

Demontec

Demontec

Associate
Joined
3 Feb 2003
Posts
435
Hey guys,

Have just had a major service carried out on a recently purchased 2.0 Golf GTI Mk4. I have had an emmission warning light on for a month or so which was checked out at the time it came on and the conclusion was that it needed a new Cat. But was advised that as perofmrance wasn't impacted then this could wait.

The performance of the car is not affected at all and during the service today it has passed its MOT and so the emmssions are within a legal level. I had the warning light switched off when I first had it looked at it came back on after a week or so so the problem still seems to be there.

The garage who did the service has today quoted me £700 for an official VW cat fitted or £450 for a non-vw part which still seems expensive to me.

What would you guys do? Either ignore it as its within legal limits - the issue here being any other emmission errors that occur will not be looked at due to the fault light already being on constantly or get a new cat fitted.

If a new cat should be fitted, does anyone have any recommendations about what make to go for? I have looked at euro car parts who have a cat for it for £180 inc VAT, fitting would set me back £80 - 90 so still a lot less than the £450 quoted by the garage.

Am I ok to go with a non-vw cat? I am nipping down quik fit for a quote after work but anticapte them being closer to the garage mark or even more expensive.

Any advice on this would be greatly received.
 
Just ring around all the local chain garages for parts + labour and just labour. You'll probably get a massive range of prices so just go with whoever or barter with your preferred. I got £80 off a new alternator yesterday just because another chain garage were doing it cheaper. You'd be silly to accept the first quote.
 
If the car drives fine and it has just passed its Mot so emmissions are fine then I would ignore it. It Could just be a sensor giving a false reading.
 
Demontec said:
Its a 53 plate (Mk4) so doesn't have one.

I am half tempted to just ignore it as it doesn't affect the cars performance nor affect the ability to get an MOT.
Click to expand...

I see no reason to replace it tbh the car drives fine and it passes the emissions test. It sounds more like a dodgy Oxy sensor rather than the cat itself as it drives fine and has passed an emmisons test...
 
Demontec said:
Yea, that was what I was concluding. What is an Oxy sensor? Are these easy to replace so I can get the light to stay off?
Click to expand...

They are easy enough to replace, they can be a bit off a pain to get undone sometimes but a good pre-lubbing can do the trick..:D... The downside is they can be quite costly not sure how much for your car I would guess at arround £60. It might be worth having a check over the wiring and plug first as they can get damaged. It could also be worth removing the sensor and giving it a good clean as they can get bunged up with carbon..
 
Last edited:
the eurocarparts one will be fine, get it done
Click to expand...

This and do it yourself - they're a peice of pee to replace esp on a simple 4 pot.

The LH cat on my 2.9 Cosworth was a bit of a pain but just labour intesnive in a restricted space rather than difficult.
 
Personally i would ignore and monitor fuel consumption. Save the money, make the car force the money from you rather than lavishing money on it pointlessly.
 
I would check the sensors, unplug them and spray some contact cleaner in the connections and connect them back up.

A new cat fitted shouldnt cost you any more than £150

I had a 200cell sports cat fitted for £140, this was brand new including parts and labour.

I wouldnt ignore this problem, the light is on for a reason and the car could be adjusting fueling to compensate and could cause damage in the long term.

Check out this place
http://www.sportcats.co.uk/index.php?osCsid=3d268cdf48065fb3793062f638c823d1
 
Last edited:
Burnsy2023 said:
That's highly dependant on the vehicle. My Volvo isn't that cheap for a Cat.
Click to expand...

I am talking about just the cat here, no pipework etc as he doesnt need that, cut the old one out, weld the new one in. This price would be pretty similar for most cars unless they have a strange exhaust setup which would usually only be found on sports cars etc.

I dont really know volvos at all, what is odd about yours and what sort of price were you quoted?
 
Mine are fast coming up to expiring on the s-class (looking pretty manky now, 100k old), the cheapest place i have seen for replacements is ECP @ £520 for non OEM "non type approved" ones (whatever that means). With the labour thats well over half way to being a 4 figure job. Well in excess of that 4 figure mark for proper parts i would imagine.

Wish i could manage it for £150 :p
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom