[ourmom1]

I heard that the catalytics for the Prius cost somewhere between $1400 and $2000. Anyone else heard this? :?: :?: :?:

 

[DanMan32]

I just started looking at various parts stores, nobody has the cat listed. Many seem to use the same search engine yielding the same results. Part description listed, no part number, no price.

 

[Godiva]

Why?

Why should it cost more? Isn't the internal combustion engine on the Prius the same as the one in the Echo? Why should a catalytic converter cost more? I had my Nissan for 11 years and my Saturn for 9. Neither needed a new catalytic converter. The Nissan needed a new 0-2 sniffer around age 8 or 9. I installed it myself.

 

[RSnyder]

The 2001-2003 Prius and Echo share the same engine block. Everything else is specific to the car it's installed in.

But more important to this topic, the Prius has more catalytic converters than the Echo. Also the Prius cats are more complex than the Echo cat.

Sorry, I don't know the price either. They appear to last at least 4.5 years/100K miles. Yeah, I know, that's only one data point. Drawing conclusions is wrong.

 

[billvon]

I heard that the catalytics for the Prius cost somewhere between $1400 and $2000. Anyone else heard this?

Yep. But even cheap catalytic converters cost upwards of $500 from the dealer. Personally I'm amazed they're even that cheap - these things contain rhodium, platinum, palladium and occasionally cerium. These are not cheap metals!

The Prius has an additional problem. Traditional three-way catalysts rely on stochiometric, or complete, combustion. There must be a careful balance maintained between free oxygen and other exhaust gases. Since the Prius often spins the engine without fuel, the catalyst will occasionally see a 20% oxygen/80% nitrogen exhaust mix (i.e. air) and that can cause problems with traditional catalysts. I'm not sure how they deal with that problem.

 

[hyperion]

Converter for a 1990 Cadillac is $145.00. The best option available for the Prius is the extended Warranty. It's really amazing it is so darn inexpensive.

 

[gschoen]

An extended warranty won't cover the cat(not additionally), it's already covered by the emission warranty, up to 15yrs/150,000 if you're a lucky one in an AT-PZEV state (I think 8yrs/100K otherwise?)

 

[galaxee]

federal base requirement is 8yr/100K for the cat. states have the option of increasing the years/mileage requirement. most don't though.

 

[hyperion]

Back to the question of the price. What if when off-roading on a camping trip you run over a rock and tear a hole in the Cat and muffler. It no longer is warranted and how much will it cost to replace?

 

[Spike]

How often do you replace a cat though?? My Camry with 235,000 miles, still had its original cat on it. Come to think of it, I don't recall ever replacing a Cat, and almost all my cars go to over 100,000 miles.

Spike

 

[DanMan32]

I replaced it on my '99 Saturn, and I should have replaced it on my '98 Sentra.

 

[Spike]

Ahhh, Dan, not the GM debate again! ;-)

Spike

I thought more about it, and I might have replaced one on my '77 Subaru DL1600 -- but that car went to hell and back -- and that was before it was in my 18 year old hands