autofocus111

Hello all, I'm guessing people have brought this up over the years (beat it to death probably), but I can't seem to find the relevant posts. Anyhow, I did a quick search on this unit - P/N 18160-PLM-A00 - specified for a 2004 Civic LX. On ebay there's a store selling this replacement part brand new for $100! Parts supplier bestandfox lists a direct fit unit for $219. On hondapartsnow, the genuine Honda part is priced at $518. Why is there such a huge variation in prices? I figure the ebay part is a cheap 'universal' fit that probably has very little active catalyst material and may need some mods/welding to install properly, and probably won't last very long. The bestandfox unit claims guaranteed fit (no weld or mods) and long-life.

Is the oem part really so much better built than the direct fit unit to justify the premium price?? Will all of these work properly ie. O2 sensors won't trigger a CEL code? The original unit on the car was working fine but got damaged by a road hazard and needs to be swapped out. Thanks for any advice.

toyomatt84

iTrader: (1)

Due to the fact that catalytic converter costs stem from the rarer metals used internally, using a cheaper priced unit typically ends up giving you either a non-functioning component or one that wears out incredibly fast. The cheap $100 unit on eBay, I can almost guarantee will not work for long at all (heat fracture, clogging, etc...). I've never heard of "bestandfox", and would have to invest time to actually see if its a reputable brand or just another cheap, knock-off garbage component. For my money, I'd get the Magnaflow direct-fit replacement catalytic converter/manifold. Its going to be a far superior design then the stock unit, and the cost is easily justifiable for what you get.

autofocus111

Magnaflow sounds good. I checked out their website, and there are two direct-fit replacement parts listed - #50884 (standard) and 49372 (oem grade). Interesting that they offer two different grades. Online the standard part sells for $360 and the oem-grade unit is ~$520. I guess they also recognize there's customer demand for less-expensive options. As far as the other non-oem stuff I mentioned, I figure a used original part is probably as good a bet as an ultra-cheap ebay unit. bestandfox is a reseller so hard to say if their parts are really any better.

E-Money

iTrader: (1)

You get what you pay for. A oem unit will outlast your time left with the car. My suggestion to you is buy a junkyard one in great condition.

toyomatt84

iTrader: (1)

If an OEM unit would outlast the car, he wouldn't be in this situation.

Its illegal for junkyards to sell catalytic converters, so I don't know what gave you that idea.

autofocus111

Interesting. I was not aware that junkyards were prohibited from selling used cat units. I do see used cats for sale on ebay and kijiji. The original unit was physically damaged by a road hazard. It was working fine until that. Anyway, the mechanic was able to reconnect the trailing pipe to the cat outlet so fortunately no need to replace the converter. If it does eventually break, Magnaflow exhaust seems like the way to go. Thanks.

toyomatt84

iTrader: (1)

If you have an LX, the catalytic converter is part of the exhaust manifold. You cannot buy them separately.

PGHintegra

I would just do what I did to my girlfriends car unless you care how the exhaust smells. Just order a cheap header on ebay or amazon and a 90 degree o2 simulator for the rear o2 sensor, i think i paid like $80 for both. I don't know how you feel about these cars but it really wasn't worth the money for a new cat for an old civic and the header looks much cleaner anyways.

toyomatt84

iTrader: (1)

That's illegal in most states, and if you're unfortunate to have Californian legislation... it can be a severe fine.

PGHintegra

Well where I am in PA we check the obd2 readiness monitors or srts and a visual check. Im a tech here so I do at the very least 5 a day. I literally just did my gfs civic last week and it passed the plug in obd no problem and if it passes that unless it has a hole in the exhaust or something probably 8 out of 10 techs won't care, theyll clock there time and send it because they're flat rate. Just thought I'd throw out that option to save more than a couple bucks dude.... if youre paying a shop or someone else to do all this just take it there and pay them to figure it out if you're that worried about be legal

SolAssassin

I just replaced my cracked manifold / converter with one on eBay for $91. It works great, no problems at all and my check engine light is gone and I passed emissions. Even came with the heat shields. Then I got $85 at a scrap yard for my old one. So by doing the work myself I got a new manifold / converter for under $10.

Forget about buying a used OEM they are all cracked at the top, and for good reason. They are stamped steel instead of cast iron. So going aftermarket has no real consequence. Only modification I had to do was to swap the lower bracket from the original converter, which bolts to the block. Really no trouble at all, and I did the entire thing on my back with the car up on jack stands.

prodjay10

My cat is cast iron and it cracked too. I had someone weld it which held for about a year then cracked at weld again. It wasn't that great of a weld. I'll just have it welded again later.

SolAssassin

Your OEM cat is not cast iron. It's made from stamped steel. That's why they crack. That's also why your weld didn't hold up. You're just wasting your money getting that work done over and over. Just replace it and sell your old one to a scrapyard. It's such an easy job to do.