Hi everyone and thanks for your help.
I have a 2011 Honda CRV 2wd with 88k miles on it.
I keep it in the garage and have all the scheduled maintenance done at Honda.
today, the check engine light came on so I took it to Honda.
They are quoting me $3,115 to replace it:

Labor $450
Converter $2328
gasket $17
flexible gasket $80
plus tax

does this sound right?

If these parts are so expensive I asked what the core deposit would be and they said that’s included.

should I get the part myself and take it to a non-Honda mechanic?

is this common for a 9 year old, well maintained car?

thanks for any help!

 

That is about the right price for a factory catalytic converter. Lots of VERY expensive rare elements in there. Rhodium being the driving factor right now at $20k per ounce!

You could go aftermarket but they don't tend to last as well.

But before you go shelling out for a cat get the engine health inspected. Burning oil or miss fires will burn up a cat in a hurry.

 

That's a dealer price but i would go to an exhaust shop and get a quote. Honda dosen't make catalytic converters; they are made by exhaust part manufacturers and sold to honda and then to you. Just to fill you in, I spent over 13 years working for Honda so I have a pretty good idea of the parts supply chain. As such, they are about $200 to $400 at an exhaust shop plus install; depends on the application. Rock auto has a great selection and they are a bolt in item .These are C.A.R.B. compliant and EPA/federal compliant, not junk.

 

A word about product quality ..
OEM warranty time on emission controls is ruled by federal mandate, but only as installed during vehicle manufacturing. Yours will have expired after 5 or 7-8 years, depending on which state your in. ( Canada is 8 years 130000km on emmisions)

... Walker stuff is 5 years/50000 miles on structure and performance for CARB states and 5 years and 50000 on structure and unlimited years but 25000miles on performance for non CARB states. Walker is an OEM manufacturer. Don't be fooled by dealer parts speak. The replacement catalytic converter the dealer will sell you will be 12 months or 12,000 miles only Honda parts warranty. Not a good deal for $2300.00.

Although there are cheap, inferior parts, a quality catalyst will be as good as OEM because they already make them.
https://www.walkerexhaust.com/warranty.html


https://www.rockauto.com/en/catalog/...converter,5808

 

Also, about the code, I'm guessing that the code that they pulled out of it was that the converter is operating under its threshold of efficiency ( less 9x% ) This generally happens if the converter is unable to reduce hydrocarbons, which may be caused from being contaminated or blocked partially (many reasons this could have come to be) .
There is a pre ( in front of) and a post (downstream, or behind the catalysts) heated Oxygen sensor (HO2S) which measures the oxygen content of the exhaust stream. If it detects that there is not a huge % percent drop in emmisions ( bad air in needs to be good air out), the MIL is on(malfunction indicator lamp, or the check engine light as its known) In your case , there is the possibility that you're consuming oil. The reason I say this is the 2011 CRVs had a known problem with oil consumption which was the result of piston rings and or pistons and there is a service bulletin for this. If your consumption of oil is high enough, the repair will involve putting new pistons in the engine with new piston rings or just putting new piston rings in; just depends on what they find. So I guess my question is is have you had any issues with having to add oil between oil changes.
Now, that being said that might not be the only thing that could cause your converter to fail. But a converter that is "showing" it's operating below threshold of efficiency generally has a reduced exhaust flow through it.
But, have a read of the link below, it explains things very well. There may not be an issue at all. Read the comments after the article. There may be an answer in there.

O2 Sensors & Catalytic Converter Diagnostics | Car OBD Diagnostics, ECU Chip Tuning & Auto Repair Support

 

Here is more info written by a techs

About Catalytic Converters & O2 Sensors | Car OBD Diagnostics, ECU Chip Tuning & Auto Repair Support

OBD II Drive Cycles | Car OBD Diagnostics, ECU Chip Tuning & Auto Repair Support