Replacing catalytic converter on 91 Accord

[dderolph]

I need to replace the catalytic converter; it has an exhaust leak. The car has 231K miles on it.

I've called three shops to ask for quotes. There's a wide variation in pricing. The shop with the lowest quote based their quote on a "universal" converter. They did not give an exact quote; the converter cost is $119; the total cost would be between $150-$180, depending on how much pipe they needed to weld in to make the universal converter fit. They said performance and fuel economy would be the same with the universal converter as with an OEM/standard converter for this car. The converter comes with a 5yr/50K warranty. They told my an OEM/standard converter would cost between $400 -$600; he was just making a spontaneous statement, not an actual quote on this.

The next highest quote was about $250. They said nothing about the type of converter, except that there were two sizes, one 13" and one 14", and would not know for sure which size is on my car until they look at it.

The third quote was $309.

At this point, I'm inclined to take the lowest quote.

[jeffcoslacker]

Just go with the universal, as long as they are not going to be decreasing pipe diameter to make it fit. (don't want a bottleneck)

[dderolph]

Originally Posted by jeffcoslacker

Just go with the universal, as long as they are not going to be decreasing pipe diameter to make it fit. (don't want a bottleneck)

Good point. I'll ask them about that. Thanks.