Has anyone had a Cat. Convertor go bad?
03-16-2005, 06:21 PM
#1
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Has anyone had a Cat. Convertor go bad?
The shop we take our cars to is saying that the cats need to be replaced on our ML that has ~130k miles on it. I think they quoted about $1k for the repair. Has anything like this happened to anyone here? Thanks.
03-16-2005, 07:27 PM
#2
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500SEC, ML430, SLK230, S600
Originally Posted by 98ML
The shop we take our cars to is saying that the cats need to be replaced on our ML that has ~130k miles on it. I think they quoted about $1k for the repair. Has anything like this happened to anyone here? Thanks.
Last edited by Wintermute; 03-16-2005 at 07:39 PM.
03-16-2005, 07:56 PM
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2010 ML550, 2010 E350 4M, 1966 Corvette Convt C2
Cats are actually a consumable item. They do wear out after the materials inside are consumed. Everyone that keeps any vehicle for a long time with lots of miles should expect that.
03-21-2005, 11:08 AM
#4
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Well, I asked a service advisor at my dealer and a customer service rep. from M-B and both said that it wouldn't be possible to get a "good will" replacement 
I was actually asking mainly to figure out if the price quoted was a fair figure or if it was too high. It seems a bit expensive for replacing 1 cat...
I was actually asking mainly to figure out if the price quoted was a fair figure or if it was too high. It seems a bit expensive for replacing 1 cat...
03-21-2005, 12:12 PM
#5
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You have more than one convertor so they should not just change to one that went bad. I had mine go bad on my SLK with only 25K miles on it. The ceramic inside broke up and was rattling around inside. If you are over the 80K limit for a replacement, go with an aftermarket set of cats for about $80 each and have them welded in. The OEM set comes with a good portion of the exhaust line on it as an assembly so it cost a lot more. I had to replace them on my 190E and my E320 after 100K and got high flow cats from Magnaflow. Labor was about $100.
03-21-2005, 12:35 PM
#6
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So it should be more like 2x80 for the cats + ~100 labor = $260? Or was it $80 for both cats? Thanks for your help, I will definitely look into this option.
03-22-2005, 10:50 PM
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The cost of the parts and the labor may vary but the price of each cat is $80 or $90 so your figures are correct. Rounding it off at $300 ant it is a lot better than $1200 at the dealership. Do a search for Magnaflow, Carsound or Dynomax catalytic converters. See if a local muffler shop carries them and installs them to save the most money.
