Cheap ebay catalytic converters what's the score

[PostHeads123]

I had the catalytic converter nicked of my dump run car a 2002 A3 1.8t. Quotes from 2 diff garages range from £457 to £650, but I see these cheap ones on ebay £101 to £137 https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/291764326737, are they OK to use? I'm probably going to scrap it next year anyway but if I can get it back on road for £250 I will do it.

[knk]

Where do you think they may have come from?

Although you are probably not buying your own stolen cat back, you may well be supporting and continuing the cycle of thefts.

[PostHeads123]

knk said:

Where do you think they may have come from?

Although you are probably not buying your own stolen cat back, you may well be supporting and continuing the cycle of thefts.

The ebay one I linked to are new.

[Scrump]

That link doesn’t work.
I understand that the cheap cats are likely to have a very short life, no direct experience though.

[Chris32345]

PostHeads123 said:

I had the catalytic converter nicked of my dump run car a 2002 A3 1.8t. Quotes from 2 diff garages range from £457 to £650, but I see these cheap ones on ebay £101 to £137 https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/291764326737, are they OK to use? I'm probably going to scrap it next year anyway but if I can get it back on road for £250 I will do it.

Have they damaged the lamba sensors in anyway because that will add a good chunk to the bill

[LimSlip]

They are cheap because they use a minimal amount of the precious metals required. They generally work but tend to have short lives.

[paintman]

Probably OK to get you through an MOT but may not get you through next years.
IME with a cheapie Pug 306 one & the opinion of the tester I've used for years. FWIW the pattern was half the size of the genuine.

[stevemcs]

The cheap ones last around 2 years and usually struggle to go through the first MOT.

[PostHeads123]

I'm just going to order a cheapo one off eBay as neighbour who replaced there nicked cat just had it nicked again last night and they only had it fitted on Wednesday.

[CoolHands]

Loads are being nicked round here. Nw london

[PostHeads123]

CoolHands said:

Loads are being nicked round here. Nw london

Yeah thats my area, I'm not going to risk putting a oem cat on only for them to nick it again, would rather risk a cheapo one.

[M4cruiser]

No personal experience but a friend has twice had to replace the cheap one again, it just gets through the mot it's needed for, then one year later it's no good.

[CoolHands]

PostHeads123 said:

CoolHands said:

Loads are being nicked round here. Nw london

Yeah thats my area, I'm not going to risk putting a oem cat on only for them to nick it again, would rather risk a cheapo one.

I keep seeing posts from locals on facebook including couple of recent videos. There are defo little gangs going round doing this more-or-less full time. So much so I’m now worried about my boring nissan note! I might start parking on the drive rather than the street.

[tapkaJohnD]

The Scrap Metal Dealers Act 2013 made cash sales of scrap illegal, only via bank details, to stop thieves selling roof lead and railway copper to the scrappers. So who is dealing in 'scrap' catalysers? The value is in the precious metals therein, but you'd need a pretty advanced smelter workshop to get that out. So either being sold on eBay to mugs who have gad their cats knicked, or sent abroad for smelting.

One for HM Customs .&^ Excise, I think, but they are tearing out their hair about Brexit, so this is something else to blame that for!

[CoolHands]

Yeah probably containers full going off abroad

[Justin S]

tapkaJohnD said:

The Scrap Metal Dealers Act 2013 made cash sales of scrap illegal, only via bank details, to stop thieves selling roof lead and railway copper to the scrappers. So who is dealing in 'scrap' catalysers? The value is in the precious metals therein, but you'd need a pretty advanced smelter workshop to get that out. So either being sold on eBay to mugs who have gad their cats knicked, or sent abroad for smelting.

One for HM Customs .&^ Excise, I think, but they are tearing out their hair about Brexit, so this is something else to blame that for!

The scrappy nearest to me was caught red handed with cut up bronze plaques from war memorials. Like a lot of dubious scrappies wouldnt give two hoots where it came from, as long as it made them money.