How much does a catalytic converter cost?
The answer to this question will depend on one model of the car which has gone bad, the type of the catalytic converter? Also, the place the user is living, the workshop they will choose, and the shop one will bring the parts.
One will have to consider those facts while assuming the overall price. Mainly, the maximum part of the total cost goes into the cost of the parts. If they did not ruin the catalytic converter system, the labor cost would not be so much.
One must scan the whole article to know about the total possible cost and demonstrate cost.
Catalytic converter cost
The price of the catalytic converter is not just the price of labor, or instrument cost. If one fails to take care of the catalytic converter properly, they will add further expense to it. One may have to repair some other parts, which will cost so much than one will imagine.
Besides, if one thinks they can run the car to a few hundred mileages with the faulty converter, they are making the biggest mistake of their driving life. This will burn more fuel, and the other parts of the car will work more than average. This means the health of the car will be ruined.
As for the cost of the catalytic converter, like all the other car instruments, it will also depend on some factors. Mainly the place where one is living or will do the work. Also, the car type and the workshop one will choose.
For a car of any manufacturer and any model, one can expect the total cost in between $450 to $1800 on average. The cost can be less or more depending on the situation discussed above.
If we demonstrate the total cost, one will have to pay around $350 to $1650 for the parts to do the work. As for labor cost, depending on the workshop and the work, it can be around $100 to $150 per hour.
Changing a catalytic converter is not so much work. It is expected that the work will be finished within an hour. However, it may take more than an hour if the mess is more. That means the labor cost will be more.
Table: Catalytic Converter Cost
| Min | Max | |
| Average | $450 | $1800 |
| Parts | $350 | $1600 |
| Labor | $100 | $150 |
What is the consequence of driving a car with a faulty catalytic converter?
If the catalytic convert of a car is faulty, there is a maximum chance that the car will not start. That means one cannot drive a car. If still, the catalytic converter is doing its best with its bad health to run the car, one must stop there.
Driving a car with a bad catalytic converter can ruin the car’s overall health. The car will consume more oil than normal. Other instruments of the car will have to do extra work. The motors will not get enough energy.
Resulting, the car will lose its lifespan, and one may fall into a serious accident while driving the car.
What type of sign will the car show if the catalytic converter is dying?
If one is concerned about their car and takes good care of it, they will notice if something goes wrong. Even a silly noise will concern them. So, to know that the catalytic converter is dying, one has to notice every sound and symptom the car makes.
The symptoms are,
Bad Smell from the exhaust
If the catalytic converter is dying, one will get a bad smell from the car’s exhaust. The Smell will feel like a rotten egg. The Smell of rotten eggs came from the gasoline since gasoline contains a small amount of sulfur that smells like it.
The catalytic converter convert supposes to convert the smelly sulfide into odder-free SO2. Since it’s dead, it will not serve the work, which means the Smell is spread when one tries to run the car.
Poor Acceleration
The most common sign is the poor acceleration of the dying catalytic converter. It happens because the bad cat prevents the engine from producing enough power, mostly when one is going to take a turn or pass to another level quickly.
This is when people fall into an accident because of a bad catalytic converter. When they turn, the engine cannot give the motors enough acceleration, and the car falls into an accident.
“Check Engine Light is on” alert.
If the catalytic converter has gone, a bad one will notice the “check engine is on” alert on the car’s dashboard. That alert may not always mean a bad cat, but it does most of the time. So, without ignoring the alert, one must check the possible reason.
It shows the alert because, in the modern car, there is an oxygen sensor that can monitor the efficiency of the catalytic converter. If the sensor senses that the catalytic converter is not working at the level it is supposed to do. The sensor sends the alert to the dashboard.
Noise
The noise is not so common. Sometimes people do not even notice it. But one must know about it, and if they notice, they must take immediate action.
The catalytic converter has a honeycomb pattern inside it. Sometimes those patterns get broken because of excessive heat or damage, which makes a rattling noise when driving or starting the car.
High Fuel Consumption
If the catalytic converter is not working or even has a blockage, the airflow inside the car becomes low. In the car,they are burning more oil and producing more waste. It is related to the acceleration of the car. People tend to foot on the gas paddle more if one is not getting proper acceleration because of the catalytic converter, which burns more fuel.
These correlated to the engine injection system and caused the engine to burn more oil than average. However, higher oil consumption can be a sign of many other illnesses of the car. The catalytic converter is just one of those many.
Emission Test
The emission test is one of the mostsmog tests in the USA. Every few years, every car has to throw this test to ensure everything is okay. It will confirm that the car is burning the fuel properly and does not produce harmful gas.
The car will surely fail the emission test if the catalytic converter is bad.
Conclusion
The catalytic converter is one of the most ignorant but significant instruments that need attention. One has to take care of it and notice the symptoms if it’s gone bad or not. Because the cost is huge, they search How much a catalytic converter costs out of confusion.
Since they never imagined that a catalytic converter could cost them that much. However, proper maintenance can lessen the cost. Hopefully, the above discussion will help them understand and clear their confusion.