MY NEW CAT DIED AFTER ONLY 5 DAYS

[NOXimoto]

Has anyone else made the idiotic mistake of buying a cheap Amazon cat. converter? C'mon you can tell me, I don't gossip! P.S.-Also replaced 02 sensors

 

[Hey Vern!]

While I don't have experience with amazon cats, i have used aftermarket brands on other vehicles. What is happening that leads you to believe it died? Codes?

 

[Severum17]

Has anyone else made the idiotic mistake of buying a cheap Amazon cat. converter? C'mon you can tell me, I don't gossip! P.S.-Also replaced 02 sensors

Some things are better off for OE. I know GM cats are big money though

 

[SteveK]

Ummm. why is that a bad thing?
If you care about the enviroment then why buy a cheap knockoff.
Good question was asked, how do you know it went bad?

 

[NOXimoto]

Ummm. why is that a bad thing?
If you care about the enviroment then why buy a cheap knockoff.
Good question was asked, how do you know it went bad?

First off, I'm new to this, I've never had any cat. problem before, I do care about the environment, but I bought a "cheap knockoff" because I'm on a fixed income and it supposedly came with a lifetime warranty! The dreaded p0420 code popped up(after 5 days) and my mechanic scanned my ECM and determined it was a bad cat. Unfortunately the warranty never covers installation costs. So I bought a Davico(comparable to Walker) cat.$220 at carparts.com, paid another $190 to install it, so far it's been ok for almost 5 months now! Probably should've consulted the Forum beforehand? I appreciate your big concern for the environment(by the way, you spelled it wrong)?

 

[SteveK]

Being ESL I can get away with a mispelled word now and then.
If I understand you did get warranty on the knockoff, good to hear. The dreaded p0420 code.
Always search the net before an expenditure. a quick search trying to answer the question, how did you know it was bad came up with this link

p0420 code - Google Search

Not saying you did not have two cats die before the third lives.

 

[NOXimoto]

While I don't have experience with amazon cats, i have used aftermarket brands on other vehicles. What is happening that leads you to believe it died? Codes?

Hey Chris, good to hear from you again, I see you bought a Nox that has the good engine! Someone replied thinking I bought the cheap cat. so I could pollute the atmosphere(must be one of those climate activists), I bought it to try to save some money! The p0420 code popped up(after 5 days), my mechanic determined it indeed was a bad cat., after paying $190 to install it! So I bought a Davico 19501 for $220 at carparts.com, paid again to install it almost 5 months ago, no codes yet, KNOCK ON WOOD! Just trying to do a good deed and warn folks before they buy a cheap cat., it might work in some, didn't in mine!

 

[SteveK]

Does J stand for Jerk?
I have never changed a cat and never have plans to do so.

 

[NOXimoto]

Does J stand for Jerk?
I have never changed a cat and never have plans to do so.

Does ESL stand for EVER SO LAME?????

 

[Hey Vern!]

Hey Chris, good to hear from you again, I see you bought a Nox that has the good engine! Someone replied thinking I bought the cheap cat. so I could pollute the atmosphere(must be one of those climate activists), I bought it to try to save some money! The p0420 code popped up(after 5 days), my mechanic determined it indeed was a bad cat., after paying $190 to install it! So I bought a Davico 19501 for $220 at carparts.com, paid again to install it almost 5 months ago, no codes yet, KNOCK ON WOOD! Just trying to do a good deed and warn folks before they buy a cheap cat., it might work in some, didn't in mine!

Hi Mr. Wick! I appreciate the warning you are offering. With the way things are you need to save $$ where you can. I am glad to hear that you have the problem resolved. I've had good and bad luck with parts on Amazon, so I am always interested to hear what worked and what didn't. Take care!

 

[Severum17]

First off, I'm new to this, I've never had any cat. problem before, I do care about the environment, but I bought a "cheap knockoff" because I'm on a fixed income and it supposedly came with a lifetime warranty! The dreaded p0420 code popped up(after 5 days) and my mechanic scanned my ECM and determined it was a bad cat. Unfortunately the warranty never covers installation costs. So I bought a Davico(comparable to Walker) cat.$220 at carparts.com, paid another $190 to install it, so far it's been ok for almost 5 months now! Probably should've consulted the Forum beforehand? I appreciate your big concern for the environment(by the way, you spelled it wrong)?

Just curious, is the converter integral with the exhaust manifold? Is there more than one converter? Some vehicles have more than one converter and I have never looked at my Equinox and hope I never have to. Retired GM parts guy here, I know those cats are big money and just wondering what the price difference was between the aftermarket and original equipment. Not being critical here. $$$$ are why there are so many converter thefts. I have seen some van converters that were over $1500.00 each

 

[NOXimoto]

To answer Severum 17's question, they are separate. I guess I should've explained all the gory details of my dead cat from the beginning. My exhaust manifold was cracked,(which is another common problem with this engine) according to my CarFax, it was replaced at 90k,it now has 130k. After replacing the manifold my mechanic told me my cat ,(CarFax stated that this was also replaced at 60k)was supposedly melted,(may have been BS), no PO420 codes ever came up. So after taking advice from someone at a parts salvage yard, I went and bought a cheap amazon cat. ($120),instead of paying over $600 at a local parts store. I did do a little online research and read reviews before purchasing and came to the conclusion that they do work most of the time. The PO420 code popped up after only 5 days, tried replacing upstream and downstream 02 sensors to no avail. I posted this thread just to find out if any other members have ever had any luck with the cheap cats or any similar situation. I did remedy the problem as posted above, it may have been the fault of an inept, greedy mechanic, but It definitely was a big pain in my A$$!!!

 

[Uluz2a6]

How much oil does your vehicle consume? If it's very high amount, that will eat cat/cons. Walker is the only aftermarket brand that will last for any decent amount of time on an engine with excessive oil burning. Most oil is synthetic now, so doesn't really smoke, just clogs up the cat/con in an endless cycle.