As cat. converters as so expensive items, I just wondered if there is some gizmo available that can give a kind of good/bad indicator from the exhaust gases? I just ask this as when buying a new (used!) car there's no easy way I know of, of telling if the cat is ok.
yes there is a gizmo & all mot testing stations have one, so why not ask to have a look at the emission print out they were handed when they had the mot done, if they havnt got it and it was done within the last 3 months get a copy from the mot testing station as we have to keep print outs for 3 months before we can bin them.
check for any rattles emminating from under the vehicle when the engine is running *could* be a sign of a broken monolith.
& in the grand scale of things a quick glance at buypartsby.co.uk will tell you they're not that expensive.
Huh?
Gas analyser. Will cost you about half the cost of a new Cat for a cheap one or twice as much for a good one.
Ah ok. That's a no then. Just wondered. Buying a 2nd hand car is always a lottery to - just wanted to reduce the odds a bit :-)
The cat is a bit of a one-of I think. I mean you can see tyres, hear the engine (and lots more) and feel how the car drives - but a failed cat...
The cat is only likely to fail in one of two ways. Either it is old (or has been poisoned), in which case the car will drive OK but fail to meet emissions standards. This would be unlikely to be the case if the car was less than three years old, or has passed a recent MOT.
The other failure mode is where the internals break up and block the exhaust. Often this happens without warning, and there's not much you can do to detect the likelihood of it happening.
Many cars are scrapped with the original cat; OTOH a neighbour's Golf had one break up when the car was less than six months old.
As others have said, if you look around they needn't be too expensive. It's not something I'd loose sleep over.
Chris
Which gas analyser can be bought for a reasonable cost that is accurate enough to tell if a cat. is working? Don't say Gunson - they are far too inaccurate.
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