The price of a catalyst doesn’t always depend on the car brand. Sometimes engineers install inexpensive converters in the exhaust system of premium vehicles and vice versa. You can easily find both cheap and pricey catalysts for your car model. The cost mostly depends on the characteristics, condition, overall amount of precious metals, and the manufacturer of a particular catalyst.
Pricing Variables of a Catalytic Converter
It is important for any driver to understand clearly, what determines the cost of a catalyst. The higher standard, the higher price, and more precious metals are contained in the device. Nowadays, the highest concentration is typical for Japanese and German models.
The price is determined by the following factors:
- the market for which a particular model was designed;
- car brand;
- car class;
- engine capacity;
- fuel type (gas or diesel).
If you are going to buy a used catalytic converter, look for any signs of wear and tear. Remember, that a converter in damaged condition can damage your engine. Besides, the metal coating burns out over time, and the converter becomes useless.
How to Pay Less for a Catalyst
Catalysts are an integral part of your vehicle. In many countries using a car without one is prohibited, but technically an automobile can be operated in this way. That is why many car owners tend to remove a catalyst in order to save money, but this is not the most optimal decision. Remember, that your vehicle emits toxic compounds and will fail the next technical inspection.
But there are some ways to pay less for a catalytic converter. First of all, it is always better to look for car parts and any other stuff on the Internet rather than visit offline stores. How many good car parts shops do you know in your city or town? A global network provides you a chance not to be limited. For example, visit autocatalystmarket.com/us/en. This website is popular with drivers caring for their vehicles. Here you can easily find a good catalyst for an affordable price.
There are two major types of catalysts: bolt-on and universal. The price of the second one is lower, so if you need to save more money for replacing the converter, you should choose this variant. In addition, it is easier to install a universal catalyst, as it has no pipes and flanges of bolt-on parts. From the functional point of view, there is no difference.
It is not always needed to replace the whole node, sometimes it is enough just to buy a new internal element for your old catalyst. Consult a car mechanic on whether such a replacement is relevant in your case.
Image by Ryan McGuire from Pixabay
