replacement catalyst
The catalytic converter is an element of the exhaust system that wears out even after several years of operation and a mileage of over 100 kilometers. km can be replaced.
You bought a 10-year-old petrol VW Passat 2.0 and were its lucky owner until the diagnostician said that you can replace the catalyst and it will cost you almost 4000 PLN. Don't break, you can fix your car for eight times cheaper.
The catalytic converter is an element of the exhaust system that wears out even after several years of operation and a mileage of over 100 kilometers. km will be replaceable, as it will not be able to purify exhaust gases to the requirements of individual European standards.
What is this catalyst for?
The catalyst would be redundant if the engine burned out completely. Then water and carbon dioxide will come out of the exhaust pipe. Unfortunately, perfect combustion never fails. 
occurs, therefore, harmful exhaust gas components such as carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons and nitrogen oxides are formed. These substances are very harmful to the environment and humans, and the task of the catalyst is to convert harmful components into harmless ones. Catalysts used in gasoline engines can be oxidation, reduction, or redox.
The oxidation catalyst converts harmful carbon monoxide and hydrocarbons into steam and water and does not reduce nitrogen oxides. On the other hand, nitrogen oxides are removed by a reduction catalyst. Currently, multifunctional (redox) catalysts, also known as triple action catalysts, are used, which simultaneously remove all three harmful components of exhaust gases. The catalyst can remove even more than 90 percent. harmful ingredients.
Damage
There are several types of catalyst damage. Some of them are clearly visible, while others can only be found on special devices.
Mechanical damage is very easy to see and diagnose, because. the catalyst is a very delicate element (ceramic insert). It often happens that the internal elements come off. Then when driving and when adding gas, there is a metallic noise from the engine area and the front of the floor. Such damage can occur as a result of hitting an obstacle or driving into a deep puddle with a hot exhaust system. Another type of damage that often occurs when working with gas is the melting of the catalyst core. You can guess about such a breakdown after the engine power drops, and it may even happen that due to the complete blockage of the exhaust, the engine will not be able to start.
The least dangerous for the driver, but the most dangerous for the environment, is the normal wear of the catalytic converter. Then the driver does not feel any changes in the operation of the engine, there are no acoustic signs either, and we will only learn about a breakdown during a periodic technical inspection or a scheduled road inspection, during which the composition of the exhaust gases will be checked. In the first case, we will not receive an extension of the technical inspection, and in the second case, the policeman will take our registration certificate from us and send us for a second examination, which must be replaced with a new one in order to pass.
What to buy?
When choosing a new catalyst, we have several options to choose from. The easiest, most convenient and most expensive is a visit to an authorized service station. But there, a catalyst for a 10-year-old car can cost up to half the cost of the car. It is not the dealer that should be blamed for this, but the manufacturer, who imposes such high prices. Another smarter and much cheaper solution is to create a so-called fake. Very often the manufacturer of the catalyst is the same, and the prices will be up to 70 percent. below. Unfortunately, there are fakes only for the most popular models. So what should the owners of, for example, American, Japanese or very unusual cars do? It turns out that they can also count on cheap catalysts, because they have universal catalysts at their disposal, the price of which is very democratic. And the low price is due to the great versatility, since they are produced not for a specific car model, but for a specific engine size. For the smallest engines up to 1,6 liters, you can already buy a catalyst for PLN 370. For larger ones, from 1,6 to 1,9 liters, for PLN 440 or PLN 550 - from 2,0 to 3,0 liters. Of course, more labor must be added to this amount, which will include cutting out the old and welding the new into it. place of the catalyst. Such an operation can cost from PLN 100 to 300, depending on the location of the catalyst and the complexity of the work. But it will still be cheaper than buying the original catalyst.
Tuning?
Many engine tuners remove the catalytic converter to get a few extra horses of power. It is illegal to act. An engine without a catalytic converter is more harmful than the same unit, designed to work without this device. Also, removing the catalytic converter and installing a pipe or muffler in its place may have the opposite effect, i.e. to a drop in performance because the flow of exhaust gases will be disturbed.
Car model | Catalyst price in ASO (PLN) | Replacement price (PLN) | Universal catalyst price (PLN) |
Fiat Bravo 1.4 | 2743 | 1030 | 370 |
Fiat Seicento 1.1 | 1620 | 630 | 370 |
Honda Civic 1.4 '99 | 2500 | a lack of | 370 |
Opel Astra i 1.4 | 1900 | 1000 | 370 |
Volkswagen Passat 2.0 '96 | 3700 | 1500 | 550 |
Volkswagen Golf III 1.4 | 2200 | 600 | 370 |
Volkswagen Polo 1.0 '00 | 2100 | 1400 | 370 |
