Cordial Greetings,

Does anybody have any experience with aftermarket cats? On my '02, I need to replace the right side converter and am considering a replacement from Davico or Eastern Catalytic:






Rock Auto also carries them, slightly cheaper, but with higher shipping. From either vendor, I'm looking at approximately $230. About 5 years ago, I had to have both cats replaced, and the best deal I could find locally was approximately $1500 installed, or $750 each. The Jag dealer wanted $3k, a local Jag specialist wanted $2k. The best deal I found was at Midas, and they held up just fine until a recent misfire episode cooked one:

https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/s...al-cat-143685/

I am concerned about the huge price disparity, though. At the time, I remember the poor manager at Midas having a heck of a time finding replacements. He ended up subbing them out to a local outfit that rebuilt the existing ones. Were these aftermarket units not available then? Or is the quality/ reliability so low that Midas wouldn't install them?

As an honorary Scotsman, I'm thinking of installing them myself. Any thoughts? Run screaming? I'm not sure any exhaust shop would want to install parts I bring them, which is why I'm leaning towards trying it myself.

 

If they match, what is the problem. Some of the Jag dealers are very proud of how much they can mark up a job.

 

Just be certain the local jurisdiction allows aftermarket catalytic converters as many states have adopted CARB emissions standards.

 

Some potential issues:

1) The fit: I wouldn't have many options if a bend wasn't correct. I'm sure I could make slight tweaks, but that would be about it. I know I could return the part for a refund, but by that point I'd have already done all that work to remove the existing one. In other words, I wouldn't know about problems with the fit until too late.

2) The joint at the aft end could be an issue. Looks to be some sort of slip joint with a fancy clamp. This could be a booger if the new piece doesn't match the old one almost perfectly.

3) Performance: I'd hate to spend all that time and money only to find out the new converter doesn't work very well or last very long.

I'm willing to gamble $230 plus my effort versus $750 at a shop. I'm just hoping to hear from anybody who's gone down this path already and what they learned.

 

You could look under the car, take a photo and compare. I did notice some of the Amazon catalytic converters were not carb compliant. The one you are quoting is carb compliant. It should be relatively easy to change if you can get the car in the air.