Catalytic Converter Replacement at our Frostproof shop

We watch what both oxygen sensors are actually doing while the engine runs, instead of trusting the code. A healthy converter makes the downstream sensor go relatively flat while the upstream one keeps switching. If that pattern is there, the converter is doing its job and we go looking somewhere else.

Occasionally. If the honeycomb is intact and just fouled from a condition we've since fixed, a cleaning is worth trying and we'll tell you the odds honestly. If it's rattling, melted, or plugged, no chemical or cleaning process is bringing it back and we won't take your money to try.

The coating inside contains platinum, palladium and rhodium, and those metals are priced like the commodities they are. That's also exactly why they get stolen. It's the single most expensive component on most exhaust systems, which is the whole reason we diagnose carefully before condemning one.

Some vehicles get targeted far more than others, usually the ones sitting high enough to slide under. For those we can install a shield or cable guard, and it's a lot cheaper when we do it during another repair while the car is already up. Parking where the underside isn't easy to reach helps too.

Only if the converter was the real cause. If a leak, a misfire, or an oil burning issue is what set the code, the light comes back on a new converter, sometimes within a week. That's why we chase the cause first and replace the part second.