the other day i was talking to a guy driving a 06 rx with i think he said 120,000 on it about. He said he just had to replace both cat converters to the tune of $1500!!!! because his cel came on and thats what it pointed to. All i can say is ouch!!! I dont have 1500 to spend!!! so if i ever get to this point; is there any alternative to getting it done cheaper!!! if not Im gonna be screwed to say the least if it happens to me. Im keeping my fingers crossed that it doesnt happen anytime soon. So whats the story behind this?

 

120K is low for the cat to go out but he may had engine problems like oil burning, coolant contamination that would destroy the cat. An exhaust leak / crack manifold hat can set off the code too. If that were my car I would just install a anti-fouler plug to stop the code unless the cat was plugged solid.

 

Based on my experience with CEL, it's rarely the Cats. Most likely bad O2 sensor, air intake issues, or even bad quality gas or moisture in the fuel line.

The cat is nothing more than metal tube with honeycomb metal structure inside that catalyzes exhaust coming from the engine.

There's no moving part to break. I'd work on ruling out all other causes first before replacing the cats.

 

 

We currently offer a few different replacement cats for the RX that are an affordable, smog legal alternative to buying new OE units. There are both universal weld-on styles and direct bolt-on styles available. If you have any questions about them, please let us know!