Hey all,
Got my car checked out by Audi the other day for a repeated CEL. The verdict is I need to get a new Catalytic converter (not surprised since I'm nearly at 100k miles). I JUST got my car smogged (I live in CA) two weeks ago so I'm not worried about passing emissions any time soon.

A new converter from Audi is about $600. After searching online a little I found a few sites that sell them between $100-$300 but warn that they're not CA legal. Anyone in CA know what my options are here? I don't want to buy one from the stealership and if possible I wouldn't mind getting one that performs better than the stock one anyway.

http://www.autopartswarehouse.com/se...294965182+9189

Will these sites sell to addresses in CA? Has anyone replaced a cat with an aftermarket one? I don't want to throw any more codes and I dont want my OBD II to go F-ing nuts again. Some of the cat's listed say not legal for OBD II in CA. Does this mean our OBDs are more strict than ones in other states? I wouldn't think that a car sold in CA would have different programming than one sold in AZ or NV.

Can anyone point me to an aftermarket cat thats:
1) cheaper than the one from the dealership
2) doesn't throw CELs and is OBD II compliant
3) possibly higher flow than stock.

Thanks!

 

What is the code you are getting? Catalyst efficiency below threshold? If so this could be the cat or could be your downstream 02 sensor which if the sensor was bad could give off the above code description. You can go to Auto zone and they will plug a scanner in and let you know what codes your are getting. The dealer may not tell you b/c it's a 1200.00 part from them and everyone is hurting right now. These cats are capable of running well over 100,000 miles so I will keep my fingers crossed for you. Also if it ends up being the cat you could always check local junk yards...

 

Well originally I had a cylinder misfire and when I took it in to my uncles shop we saw the codes for cylinder three. I figured its a bad coil. One of their mechanics told me it had low compression so I thought I'd take it in to Audi for that. They confirmed that it was a coil and not a compression issue. My car had been sluggish for a few weeks and it didn't pull as hard as it used to. My boost gauge still registered at roughly the same peak so I didn't suspect any turbo problems or leaks. They told them they unbolted the cat and drove it without it on and it pulled much harder and replacing the cat choked it out.

I totally hear you with the remark about hard times. Anyone will try anything to get an extra buck these days. Same dealership wanted to charge me $75 for a coil. I ended up ordering one myself for $25. I'll keep you posted with how things turn out once I figure out what to do with the cat.

 

Here is a used one that still might be for sale. Wayyyy cheaper than new I bet:

http://www.audizine.com/classifieds/...ct=9093&cat=21

 

Thanks for the info, I'll check it out.
Anyone else have any advice for me about aftermarket cats?
Thanks again guys

 

You should look for a Labree High flow cat, more flow, no bad code, more power and for a B6 like yours, retail price is 250$.

http://www.labreemotorsports.com/products_vw.html

 

Thanks for the info sadik666. I went ahead and contacted LaBree Motorsports and got myself one of their high flow cats. I had them extend the second bank O2 sensor mount to reduce CEL events. All together it came out to $270.

The install wasn't too bad. I was going to take some pictures for a DIY but my camera died (stupid canon). Everything bolted in place perfectly and i was really impressed with the results. My old cat was completely trashed. The honeycomb had completely disintegrated and come loose. It had not only damaged one of the O2 sensors but was blocking the exhaust gasses. Once I changed it out for the high flow cat there was a HUGE difference in performance. My boost gauge showed peaks 2 pounds higher than what I was experiencing earlier. There's also a very slight difference in sound.

Long story short (after already making it a long story whats the point of saying that??) I recommend the part and the shop.

Thanks again for the pointers guys.

 

So it sounds like the dealer was surprised that the car pulled harder with no cat. DUH! What else would they expect?

 

Are you getting any CEL with the new cats? I may be facing the same issue as yours in the next few months on my A6 2.7t with over 90 k miles...