Re: used catalytic converters... a "NO-NO"

[joe <jee@domain.elided>]

But the fact of the matter is that they're not making anyone buy a new 
one--you have to remember that in much of this country, there still isn't 
such a thing as an annual smog check.  People in those areas will go to the 
trouble of fabricating a straight pipe to replace a plugged cat rather than 
paying $$$ for a new one.  Additionally, in those counties here in Ohio 
that do have smog checks, you get a two-year exemption if you spend $300 
"trying" to get your car to pass the test. If I'm a bumpkin trying to spend 
$300 to get my exemption, I'm not going to spend $458 on a new catalyst. 
I'm going to get an oxygen sensor, plugs, wires, cap & rotor, etc, etc, 
beat around the bush, avoid fixing the actual problem, so I can spend the 
minimum $300 and get my exemption.  But if I could get a good used catalyst 
from a late-model, low-mileage wreck in a junkyard for say, $50, maybe 
that's one of the first things I'd do, and maybe it'd actually get my car 
to pass the test, and I wouldn't have to spend $300 after all!

--On Friday, June 21, 2002 5:57 AM -0400 alfa-digest 
<owner-alfa-digest@domain.elided> wrote:


> Date: Thu, 20 Jun 2002 22:13:23 -0700
> From: Jon Pike <jhpike@domain.elided>
> Subject: re: used catalytic converters... a "NO-NO"
>
> > Are you serious?  That's ridiculous.  And easily unconstitutional, I
> > would think.  I wonder how many more people would keep their cars
> > emissions legal rather than removing a plugged-up cat if they could
> > get a good used one at a salvage yard.
> >
> > So if I were to go to the junkyard and pull a cat off say, a
> > late-model, low-mileage Mustang to try and legalize say, an '83
> > gray-market 3.5L BMW, they'd say, "No, we can't sell you that"?????
> >
> > For crying out loud, what are they hoping to accomplish??
> I agree with where you're coming from..  though if the old cat is pretty
> much shot.. your'e not accomplishing
> much..  Perhaps that's their thinking,  make 'em buy a new one, and
> hopefully we'll get 50-60K more miles of smog reduction.
>
> I wonder how many are laying around in junkyards..  vaugely remember
> something about them being recycled heavily..  they get sold to one
> company that has tens of thousands or more, in piles..  waiting to be
> recycled for all that platinum.  I also remember that the place was
> supposedly the third largest "platinum mine" on the planet,  by volume
> of metal recovered (?!?) or something like that..
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