Hey guys, just had the mechanic tell me I need the cat replaced on my 97 a4 2.8l...what is the best way to go about this? Buy one online and have someone weld it in? Is there one anybody can recommend? Just need some more guidance...Really appreciate any help, Thanks

 

DUDE same thing happened to me this week! it sux!

buy a universal cat for your car:

1997-1999 Audi A4 Catalytic Converter - Exhaust - Eastern Catalytic, Left 97-99 A4 Catalytic Converter - 7413-05171282 - PartsGeek

$58.00 cant beat that, your mechanic is going to give you some bs about having to get one through the dealer i assume, and hes wrong. buy the part and get it welded because its not the direct fit bolt in ones and im pretty sure your 97 already has it welded in!

what was his resoning behind telling you to replace it? was it making the marble in the tin noise?

 

o ya and the welding shouldnt be any more than 70 depending on where you live it should only cost like 50 but some welders charge a lot more, if they quote you anything more than that tell them no i only have 60 bucks and walk out. There going to bs you "oh well its two hours work" bs its 5 mins work 30 mins top assuming he has one arm!

 

He just told me that it wasn't the heat shield making the rattling noise and that it was the inside...anyways I trust the guy he's a personal friend of mine. And yeah for 60 bucks you definitely can't beat that price, but here's a dumb question...are there 2 catalytic converters on this car? Because on the link you posted it says "left" which im assuming means there are two? Or am I just mistaken? I only saw one when I looked under the car...Thanks for the reply by the way, its much appreciated.

 

im not sure on the specifics on your car, but im 70% sure yours is supposed to have two, if you can post a pic of the underside of your car i can tell you if its just a small cat you cant really see or if the guy before removed the cat (which is illegal) and replaced it with a test pipe (also illegal unless your just racing it)
or if your car was only made with one. The specs online say that there are two. Mine has two and ive used the one that says "left" for both. But ya if its the rattling marble in the tin noise it needs to be replaced, dont drive it a lot either until you get this fixed you can end up screwing up your car depending on how bad its pluged. universal cats will work for you dont let anyone tell you different, remember all it is, is a metal tube with a bunch of screens in it, nothing to complicated about it, i think the only thing that matters is size.