Have an '01 2.8 with 86,000 miles. Replaced the left cat about 2 or 3K miles ago, a couple months ago... now, I'm getting a code for the right cat for the second time and, this time, I can hear it going and I've got inspection coming up next month.

The left cat I had replaced by a local shop -- parts and labor was about $1K. I bought an aftermarket cat, because the shop said the OEM part would be another couple hundred bucks. At the time, I asked if they could find and install a used cat. They said it's illegal to install a used cat. I live in Massachusetts. It didn't occur to me that this might not be true until I did a quick search of this forum just now and see used cats are available. Need suggestions, as I just can't bear to fork another $1k over right now (or ever again, for that matter).

Just to add to the rub of this whole thing -- cat converters are warrantied by Audi for 80k miles or 8 years (Audi did replace both cats on my '02 A6 Avant after months of light-resetting and then another few months waiting for the cats to arrive on special-order from Germany). On my A4, the engine light first went on for the first cat at 79K miles. Of course, the light has to go on twice and reset by an Audi dealer before they'll replace it. Sure enough, the light didn't go on again until 81 or 82K miles. Argh!

 

It's probably illegal for a shop or dealer to put used cats on (like it is here in NY) but if you install it yourself, who is to know?

 

Thanks ... that clarifies it. Alas, even though I'm masochistic when it comes to the 2nd-hand Audis, I don't have a lot of range in the DIYerselfer dept.

Any suggestions where I might buy a new cat myself, so I can at least try to get this job done for what I'd hope would be significantly less than $1k? Or, since I'm planning to sell the car, do you think I should just sell it as is and discount accordingly?

 

how much did u get charged for labor?
aftermarket cats are cheaper!
I bought my (2) magnaflow cats for $50 from a guy that sold his 2.8 before he got to put the on

 

Not sure ... have to go back and check the invoice ... can you mix and match cats? In other words, I don't know what kind they used on the left side -- does the new right cat have to match? Thanks!

 

can you tell me exactly which magnaflows they were? i am getting a cel for one of my cats and i need to pass emissions soon.

 

yeah its just a universal cat conv 53004 from Magnaflow, you can find them for about $65ea. but I wouldnt be able to tell you much more about them since I haven't put them on yet...

 

Have invoice:

front left catalytic converter: $795.25
clamp and gasket: 30.00
labor: 129.00
total (with tx): $1045.51

Did I get supremely hosed? Bottom line: I need to replace the right w/n the next few weeks and I need to do it for like a quarter the price of this.

Any advice, as to where to order a correct cat on the cheap, would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

 

Had it been my car, I'd have measured the inlet and outlet diameters and cat lengths and fit a pair of universals even from AutoZone. I wonder if you'd need two matching ones though in case an OEM like your new one flowed at a different rate than a universal. If it does it cound unbalance the engine.

 

Thanks. So it may have made sense to replace both at once? Regardless, I couldn't have gotten the mechanic to do that ... I'd have to know someone handy enough to do something like that for me on the side.

I did replace that first cat with an aftermarket. Got to figure out what it is, so I can try to source the second.

Meantime, wrote Audi USA a letter today. This work should have been done under warranty when the car was under 80K, but I got a huge run-around with code-resetting. I'm so tired of this.