Catalytic Convertor
 

RE: Catalytic Convertor Update

Well my mechanic is worth his weight in Gold!! He took down the left cat. which had the weld cracked all the way around. He meticulously reweld the crack for a mere $400 and a $50 tip. The right Cat had no cracks. The STEALER/DEALER originally said both sides were cracked and they wanted $2500 to replace them. Now no more resonating and puttering at 2300RPMs. I am happy.

:D

Did he have to remove the cat because the crack was unreachable? And have you had any Check Engine Lights due to the work. I had mine rewelded in place for $20 and should have tipped. I have had some O2 sensor malfunctions, but no noticable problems with performance.

Greg

Yes he had to take it down to reach all the crack. The Cat. was cracked all the way around. I am not having any check engine lights, no sensor problems. The trucks running ok. She even seem to have more pep.:D

Aftermarket CAT replacement...
 

Here's a site that sells the 98-99 Catalytic Converter (I don't whether they will fit the 00 and higher models) for a reasonable price..

http://www.autopartsauthority.com/ca...320~parts.html

this is fyi...just in case someone needs to replace them..

It has been mandated (at least in Illinois but I thought the entire US) that Catalytic convertors have an 8 year, 80k mile warranty. The dealer should've replaced them for free.

I removed mine myself and had it professionally TIG welded. It was MIG welded which is a lower quality weld. Here are the threads describing the process.

http://www.mercedesshop.com/shopforu...threadid=92804

http://www.mercedesshop.com/shopforu...threadid=93192

http://www.mercedesshop.com/shopforu...threadid=92964

00ML430 Bulldog I presume your mechanic charged you $400 total for labor and welding. Your post states "He meticulously reweld the crack for a mere $400 " My welder only charged me $30 to re-weld mine. If your mechanic charged you $400. that's probably about right if he knew what he was doing as far as removing the exhaust. For me it took a much, much longer time to remove the unit since I'd never done one before and do no work on cars for a living. However, putting it back was a snap since I then knew how to do it.

Like "gstigler" stated on warranty: Had mine replaced free of charge under warranty at the dealer. '99 ML 320 with 61k miles.