Where to score a new cat?

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Rayyy

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So, my beloved Yukon has been stolen 3 times, and broken into easily over 50 times (I've learned to replace my own glass!)

However, the last time I recovered her after a theft, the check engine light was on... Its a catalytic converter code. And for a while, I could hear what sounded like something bouncing around in a tin can (inside one of the cats) at idle. I assumed that the honeycomb has broken down in the cat, and so that cat is shot. I don't now if its even related to the thefts, perhaps just coincidental timing, and the cat finally failed (at 159k miles).

My question is... Does anyone know where to score a used CA cat? I really would prefer to avoid paying $4100 for a pair of new ones,, and I realized that most people sell them to recyclers to cash out on the precious metals inside.
 

OR VietVet

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Have you checked at a salvage yard? May be tuff if the salvage yards are scraping the cats asap for the $$$. Where did you get the price of $4100?


https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo.php?pk=2599096&cc=1373105&pt=5836&jsn=921.....left front of cat

https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo.php?pk=131693&cc=1373105&pt=5836&jsn=922....right front of cat

There is another seal or gasket at the back of the y-pipe where the front inlet pipe attaches but I cannot find it.

If you post the last 8 digits of your VIN, @915_Tahoe can give you a Genuine GM part number for it and cross that if need be.

If you have some tools, and mechanical know how, the cat system replacement is not that bad and where you live, you may not have salt on the ground and have little to no rust to deal with. Where in Northern Ca. do you live? You will have to pay shipping at RA but there are 5% discount codes available to use for the parts cost. The discount may be enough to pay most of the shipping. Maybe your quoted price includes 4 new oxygen sensors, but even then, that is way high.
 
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swathdiver

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So, my beloved Yukon has been stolen 3 times, and broken into easily over 50 times (I've learned to replace my own glass!)
Why? Why do you put up with that?

Don't know about used cats, when mine went I replaced them with Magnaflow. My car has CA emissions as it was delivered to PA but I replaced them with Federal cats without issue now for near 5 years.
 

Tonyv__

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Why? Why do you put up with that?

Don't know about used cats, when mine went I replaced them with Magnaflow. My car has CA emissions as it was delivered to PA but I replaced them with Federal cats without issue now for near 5 years.
Sounds bizarre but what options does he really have?

I remember when I was living in Philly my Camry was targeted 3 times in 1 year because of the sound system I had in it. I had 2 other cars at the time and they were never touched. It got to the point where I had to rent a garage 5 mins away, so if I wanted to drive my Camry I had to drive my truck over to the garage and get my car out to cruise around. Let’s be real. It was a 2005 Toyota Camry…… I ended up trading it for an Acura RSX soon after. It was an unbelievably reliable car but it had a bullseye on it and I had no choice but to get rid of it
 

OR VietVet

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Sounds bizarre but what options does he really have?

I remember when I was living in Philly my Camry was targeted 3 times in 1 year because of the sound system I had in it. I had 2 other cars at the time and they were never touched. It got to the point where I had to rent a garage 5 mins away, so if I wanted to drive my Camry I had to drive my truck over to the garage and get my car out to cruise around. Let’s be real. It was a 2005 Toyota Camry…… I ended up trading it for an Acura RSX soon after. It was an unbelievably reliable car but it had a bullseye on it and I had no choice but to get rid of it
What options? Move the eff away from that hell hole. Sorry, but I have never been tied to any place hard enough I couldn't look elsewhere. I don't like living in Eugene, Oregon either. I never ever go downtown where the miscreant gutter dwellers are and live in an upscale neighborhood where we all watch out for each other. Plus, I am not afraid to clear leather when needed.
 

Tonyv__

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What options? Move the eff away from that hell hole. Sorry, but I have never been tied to any place hard enough I couldn't look elsewhere. I don't like living in Eugene, Oregon either. I never ever go downtown where the miscreant gutter dwellers are and live in an upscale neighborhood where we all watch out for each other. Plus, I am not afraid to clear leather when needed.
Lol I guess there are options. But many less now than ever. Rent or homeownership has skyrocketed

At the time of my situation, my rent was $500 in 2012. Dirt cheap. I was 21. I couldn’t afford to go anywhere else lol. Getting rid of the car did seem to settle things. not my ideal resolution, but like I stated earlier I wasn’t in love with the car
 

OR VietVet

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Lol I guess there are options. But many less now than ever. Rent or homeownership has skyrocketed

At the time of my situation, my rent was $500 in 2012. Dirt cheap. I was 21. I couldn’t afford to go anywhere else lol. Getting rid of the car did seem to settle things. not my ideal resolution, but like I stated earlier I wasn’t in love with the car
My girl has an out that I am pushing hard to move to. A place called Port Susan, about 60 miles north of Seattle. It is campground owned by an Indian tribe that the tribe will take back over in 2053. I will be 100 by then, if I live that long. The lots are inexpensive and you are allowed to live there 6 months at a time but if you have 2 lots, you can live on them 6 months each, at a time. The lot fee for each, when living on them, is $300. Counting all fees for electric, water, trash, and sewer, is approximately $600 a month to live there. You can set up a large trailer on each lot or move the trailer every 6 months. You can add on to the trailer with a room or two and even have a deck and a storage shed on the lot. You can also build a metal port over the trailer for protection. On the grounds there is security at each of the two gates, a post office, a store and restaurant, a pool, indoor and outdoor, a community center and a lake. There is a church as well. There is also storage at the park too. The property ownership is locked in till 2053. By that time I will not be around or care. A medium size city is 9 miles down the road. I want to get the hell away from here and go there asap and slowly but surely, I am getting my girl to lean my way and buy another lot and get a new trailer and start living there.

We have a trip planned soon to go to that property, get the latest list of lots for sale and drive all over the facility and look. We could get another lot close to existing lot or away from it on the other side of the grounds. Or, we could get lots that are side by side already and sell her single lot. You can also get lots that have the trailers on them with different stages of the building process, if any. I see people walking all over the place when we are there or out in golf carts. There are what they call convenience buildings all over as well. they have toilets and sinks and showers in them. Not just one of each but multiples of them.
 
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Rayyy

Rayyy

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Why? Why do you put up with that?

Don't know about used cats, when mine went I replaced them with Magnaflow. My car has CA emissions as it was delivered to PA but I replaced them with Federal cats without issue now for near 5 years.

Indeed, I’ve thought about moving, but currently tied to the city due to work and real estate. The neighborhood I live in is very nice (in the day time), mostly families, students, etc., just at night is when the property crime gets rampant.

The city needs the addicts and criminals to justify spending on social assistance programs, and spends 90% of $1 billion annually on salaries for these programs, which in turn results in income tax revenue for the city. It’s a dirty game. It won’t be getting better.

Good to hear about the Magnaflow, 5yrs is a decent run as I’ve heard they have much less metals inside than OEM, and have heard they typically crap out in like 2yrs.
 

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MassHoe04

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I got Flowmaster cats for my 05 Jeep through Summit Racing. Fit perfect, bends were nice and smooth (mandrel bent), welds were excellent. Ran that for 3 years until I sold the Jeep. No issues.

Some of the others available had those "wrinkles" on the bends and sloppy welds.

But holy cow!! Have you seen prices lately?!
I paid $650 for the Jeep collector pipes with "pre-cats" plus the main cat before the muffler.
I see the same part now $1,089 +tax = $1,157!!!

Glad I don't need one now!
 

swathdiver

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Indeed, I’ve thought about moving, but currently tied to the city due to work and real estate. The neighborhood I live in is very nice (in the day time), mostly families, students, etc., just at night is when the property crime gets rampant.

The city needs the addicts and criminals to justify spending on social assistance programs, and spends 90% of $1 billion annually on salaries for these programs, which in turn results in income tax revenue for the city. It’s a dirty game. It won’t be getting better.

Good to hear about the Magnaflow, 5yrs is a decent run as I’ve heard they have much less metals inside than OEM, and have heard they typically crap out in like 2yrs.
When confronted with situations like that in the past, I voted with my feet and left those corrupt locales. I bet if you found work somewhere else at the same pay, you'd still realize in essence a raise due to lower taxation and living expenses. I feel for ya.
 

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