JavaScript is disabled
Our website requires JavaScript to function properly. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser settings before proceeding.
Messages
950
Reactions
927
I was in vacation in Colorado for 10 days and upon getting back from the vacation, I found out that a thief stole the catalytic converter from my 2000 Honda CRV. I live in Seattle (Queen Anne near the Space Needle) in a large apartment complex. My car was parked in our inclosed garage. The estimates that I am getting for catalytic converter replacement here in Seattle are $2,500-$3,000. Since the car is old and has 172K miles (it has great service history and still drives great), I do not want to spend the quoted price. I was wondering if any of you is a mechanic near Seattle (within 20 miles) that would be able to replace the catalytic converter and O2 sensor (bastards cut the converter and O2 sensor is gone too) for a reasonable price? I would pay cash. I do not need genuine Honda converters and parts. All I care is that the car can run well as before. My model of Honda CRV requires the catalytic converter to be welded. If you could help me, please send me a PM. If you got a towing truck, that would even be better. I would pay for the car to be towed to you. Unfortunately, if you are too far from Seattle, towing cost might be too prohibitive for me.

Cheers,

Dan
 
I was in vacation in Colorado for 10 days and upon getting back from the vacation, I found out that a thief stole the catalytic converter from my 2000 Honda CRV. I live in Seattle (Queen Anne near the Space Needle) in a large apartment complex. My car was parked in our inclosed garage. The estimates that I am getting for catalytic converter replacement here in Seattle are $2,500-$3,000. Since the car is old and has 172K miles (it has great service history and still drives great), I do not want to spend the quoted price. I was wondering if any of you is a mechanic near Seattle (within 20 miles) that would be able to replace the catalytic converter and O2 sensor (bastards cut the converter and O2 sensor is gone too) for a reasonable price? I would pay cash. I do not need genuine Honda converters and parts. All I care is that the car can run well as before. My model of Honda CRV requires the catalytic converter to be welded. If you could help me, please send me a PM. If you got a towing truck, that would even be better. I would pay for the car to be towed to you. Unfortunately, if you are too far from Seattle, towing cost might be too prohibitive for me.

Cheers,

Dan
If no one gets to you by PM I have seen "generic" CAT's sold on places like Amazon. No idea how this all works but would check into it.
 
I had a generic one installed by Meineke on my old Toyota pickup about 3 years ago for $200.
I saw those, so I am trying to find someone to do the job. All the places here in Seattle that quoted me are saying they only install genuine parts. Just for catalytic converted part they quoted $1,500 to $1,800 (this is just price of the part without labor) and for O2 sensor part $500. My problem is that towing is very expensive and if I tow my car too far, towing might end eating any price difference.
 
I saw those, so I am trying to find someone to do the job. All the places here in Seattle that quoted me are saying they only install genuine parts. Just for catalytic converted part they quoted $1,500 to $1,800 (this is just price of the part without labor) and for O2 sensor part $500. My problem is that towing is very expensive and if I tow my car too far, towing might end eating any price difference.
I'd call meineke and drive it there as-is.
 
It is too risky to drive the car. Exhaust might collapse. See picture.

image000000(1).jpg
 
I saw those, so I am trying to find someone to do the job. All the places here in Seattle that quoted me are saying they only install genuine parts. Just for catalytic converted part they quoted $1,500 to $1,800 (this is just price of the part without labor) and for O2 sensor part $500. My problem is that towing is very expensive and if I tow my car too far, towing might end eating any price difference.
I would buy AAA coverage if you can't find mobile mechanic.
 
Actually, I will tow the car when I find the place that will fix it for a reasonable price as far as the place is within 20 miles.
 
I would start with looking for independent shops around you. As long as the vehicle will run with a generic CAT one of them I would think would have no problem installing it. Often seems the chain places have those "policies" about only the OEM or whatever.
 
Sorry brother! I weld, live a few miles away, and work on vehicles. But I also have a 9-5, wife, 2 kids, and a remodel to keep me busy. If I was in your shoes, I wouldn't fix it, here is what I would do:
Look for some sort of flexible metal clamp on exhaust adapter. Clamp it to your engine side of the cut (at least it looks like a good cut). Get a length of steel tubing of similar diameter and thickness from "Online Metals," they have a warehouse within a long walk from you as well, and you can pickup most items there. Get a second clamp to the one that you put on the front, and clamp in your new pipe on the muffler side. This should support most of the weight, and transfer the gases out the muffler. You will still have an engine light, and it might run slightly off (because its programmed to run with the cat), but you won't hurt anything. WA state also no longer requires vehicle emissions. If it runs funky go to a "tuner shop" and they can reprogram your ECU to run better without the cat. You will get better mpg and a HP increase. You can buy these tuner chips online, but ive never done it myself.

If you do need to adapt metal, get a cheap angle grinder from Harbor Freight with some cutting discs, a grinder disc, and eye/hand protection.

And if you are trying to support weight, a "pop-riveter" and "Stainless steel saftey wire" can open up your mounting options.

Overall it should be under $140 for the parts and tools. Maybe a few hundred for an ecu tune should you desire. I would read up on "cat delete" for your vehicle as thats essentially what that would be.

I learned how to fix stuff by getting offended by overpriced mechanics, and doing it myself. No offense, but budget fixes and driving your Honda as long as possible will help you out financially in the long run. Fixed is fixed, put that $ towards something you care more about than a car.

The exhaust tube will likely rust, but if you are ultra frugal, paint it with high temp bbq paint. Otherwise it will be good for long enough, probably longer than your engine.

But if you can find a long enough sectionz sonething like this might work by itself: https://shop.advanceautoparts.com/p...-id-540250/5602483-p?c3ch=PLA&c3nid=5602483-P
 
Last Edited:
I'd call meineke and drive it there as-is.
That is a bad idea. It could easily catch the vehicle on fire.

Also, if you drive it as-is it will throw a DTC fault code in the ECU (check engine light). To erase the fault code is not always that easy. If Emission Monitors get tripped, it could cost more money. You might need an emissions qualified mechanic to erase the code.

I am a previously California certified Vehicle Emission Inspection mechanic. The toughest emissions regulations in the U.S.

I would do the repair for a fraction of your quote, but I now live in Portland.

Also. The Law prohibits the installation of a used converter.

I looked up prices on amazon for you and you are very lucky because you can buy a new cat & O2 sensor for less than $150.00 You just need to find someone with a few mechanic's tools & a MIG welder.
Those were really dumb crooks to target such an inexpensive converter.
 
Last Edited:
That is a bad idea. It could easily catch the vehicle on fire.
Negative. Catalytic converters essentially "super heat" to burn off non burt matter from your exhaust fumes resulting in less pollutants (cleaner burn). So the thing that gets ultra hot just got chopped off. That little 4 banger fuel injected engine isn't going to be spittin 6 foot flames down the exhaust pipe. If that was a 454 v-8 with 4 barrel carb, thats a different story. I would drive with the window down for fresh air though. Fear of fixing vehicles is what pays most mechanics bills. I vote cheap fix, a 6 pack of beer, and two new guns!

Harrison.JPG
 
Negative. Catalytic converters essentially "super heat" to burn off non burt matter from your exhaust fumes resulting in less pollutants (cleaner burn). So the thing that gets ultra hot just got chopped off. That little 4 banger fuel injected engine isn't going to be spittin 6 foot flames down the exhaust pipe. If that was a 454 v-8 with 4 barrel carb, thats a different story. I would drive with the window down for fresh air though. Fear of fixing vehicles is what pays most mechanics bills. I vote cheap fix, a 6 pack of beer, and two new guns!

View attachment 1201275
I respectfully disagree. The exhaust coming out that pipe can cause a fire. I have seen it many times.
 
The link to the flexible pipe looks great. The site sells it in 6ft lengths too. Looks like it would be simple to run pipe to the back of the vehicle with that stuff. The pic does not show the entire underside but I have to guess there is still the "other end" of the system still there. That flex stuff looks like it might just put the whole thing back together cheap and simple. If it throws a code who cares. We no longer have inspections for it here. So if they can make the engine run fine after I would call that perfect. At the rate CAT's are being stolen here this kind of fix should be a new market. Hell of a lot of people are not going to be willing to pay out the kind of money shops want to put it all back to OEM, especially on an older vehicle.
 
Thank you all for your advice. Unfortunately, I live in a large apartment building and I have no way to do any serious work on my car. Our parking lots are so small. Good news is that it looks a couple of places might do the job for under $1,200 to $1,500, and that would be perfect with me. I am now working on towing the car from the last garage that I towed it for the estimate (I run out of free towing through my car insurance since yesterday I towed the car to 3 garages) to one of these places. Now I am waiting for these places to let me know the turn around time.
 
Thank you all for your advice. Unfortunately, I live in a large apartment building and I have no way to do any serious work on my car. Our parking lots are so small. Good news is that it looks a couple of places might do the job for under $1,200 to $1,500, and that would be perfect with me. I am now working on towing the car from the last garage that I towed it for the estimate (I run out of free towing through my car insurance since yesterday I towed the car to 3 garages) to one of these places. Now I am waiting for these places to let me know the turn around time.
I'd be careful on the insurance towing. I got towed once around 30 years ago, $1500, and when my agent saw it years later was surprised they didn't drop me.
 
Not trying to be rude, but you are overthinking it. Get some flexi pipe, two clamps, find a big parking lot, and connect the two sections. If your nervous about catching fire, stop every so often and spray her down with water. Your $20 and an hour away from a solved problem.

You are guarenteed to pay $2000 ish of a shop fixes it, and you tow it. Your car isnt worth terribly more than that, hence the budget job.
 
Last Edited:
Thank you all for the advice. The car is already in a shop and will be fixed for just about $1,000, and towing was free.
I know I could had done it myself if I tried, but I just came back from a vacation and have a huge work load at my full time daily job, so I just do not have much time for the next 2-3 weeks. I am just lucky that my apartment is 1.2 miles from my lab, so I can walk to and from work until my car get fixed. I should have it back by Friday.
 

Upcoming Events

Tillamook Gun & Knife Show
Tillamook, OR
"The Original" Kalispell Gun Show
Kalispell, MT
Teen Rifle 1 Class
Springfield, OR
Kids Firearm Safety 2 Class
Springfield, OR

New Resource Reviews

New Classified Ads

Back Top