Did you know the average age of cars on the road in America is now 12.1 years? Americans are no longer interested in buying new ones as soon as they can. They now prefer to keep their automobiles on the road as long as possible.
While doing so drops your eventual trade-in value, a long-running car is how you get the most out of your investment. Doing so means you’ll have to replace parts, like the catalytic converter, and those repairs can be expensive.
The catalytic converter is one of the most vital parts of your car. Do you what it does? Read on to learn more and how to drop the price of replacement.
What Is a Catalytic Converter?
Your car’s catalytic converter is part of its emissions system. The converter attaches to the vehicle’s exhaust manifold before the mid-pipes, resonator, and muffler.
Catalytic converters were required on all US road-worthy vehicles starting in 1975. The goal of these environmental requirements is to cut greenhouse gas emissions.
How Does a Catalytic Converter Work?
The catalytic converter serves as the primary cleaning part of your car’s exhaust system. Your vehicle uses fuel made from hydrocarbons. Though some of these burn off during the combustion process, many get released into the air as a byproduct.
These released hydrocarbons cause ozone damage and health issues. The catalytic converter, when heated to 600°F, takes those hydrocarbons and transforms them into less harmful compounds through the use of rare-earth metals.
For example, the oxidation catalyst uses platinum and palladium to convert CO1 (carbon monoxide) into less harmful CO2 (carbon dioxide) by adding oxygen molecules to the compound.
Catalytic Converter Price
If you have an older car, you may wonder what the catalytic converter cost will be should you need to replace it. Because these parts are made with rare-earth metals, they are often the most expensive. Depending on the make and model, a brand new converter can cost up to $1,200.
That price is for the part alone. The labor cost of replacement also runs into the thousands. There are ways to reduce the part cost and prolong the life of your catalytic converter.
Read more here about the costs involved with replacement.
Scrap Parts
There are cars in salvage yards all across America with functioning catalytic converters attached. Depending on the make and model, you can pull one of these converters at a reduced price and use it as a replacement.
Unfortunately, some cars require a specific converter. Make sure to talk with your mechanic before you purchase an after-market or scrap converter.
Catalytic Converter Cleaner
The average converter’s lifespan is around 100,000 miles, though you can make them last longer through proper maintenance. Fuel additives help keep your converter clean. High-octane gasoline is an option as many of the harmful hydrocarbons your converter works to clean are not present.
You can also prolong the life of your converter by running hard accelerations from time to time, ensuring your converter gets to the proper temperature for functioning.
A Catalytic Converter Isn’t Cheap!
That doesn’t mean you have to drop thousands of dollars on replacement or repair. The proper maintenance will keep your catalytic converter working.
If you need a new one, don’t panic. In many cases, a scrapped or used converter will help reduce the cost of this costly repair.
Do you need more automotive advice? Make sure to check out the rest of our page.
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