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  #1  
Old 06-02-2011, 01:26 PM
300CD bot with 14K miles
 
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Value of Catalytic Converter

I imported a gray market MB a while back, and I had to pass California emissions. So a cataytic converter was welded on.

After I passed, I had a mechanic take it off and remember him wanting it and I said I wanted it because I thought it was valuable.

So cleaning out my garage, I found it, unused. Anybody know if these are valuable and what they go for. ????

The car was a like a 1984-87 380SEL sedan. Foreign model.


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  #2  
Old 06-02-2011, 01:37 PM
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  #3  
Old 06-02-2011, 02:01 PM
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I scrapped an old converter and pre cats for a 87 300e and got $75 bucks
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  #4  
Old 06-02-2011, 02:08 PM
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Mine is unused. I think it is worth more to put on a gray market car than scrap.

yeah i look at some websites. Selling some, but says not legal in California. Mine is a Californian.

Thank you.
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  #5  
Old 06-02-2011, 02:09 PM
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Caution is advised. The auto dismantlers here are forbidden by law to sell catalytic converters and I don't know if the law is nation-wide or California only and if it applies to individuals also. You don't want to accidentally walk into some sheriff's sting operation and have the local DA decide to make an example out of you. Given the value of the precious metals in the cat, there has to be someone in your area who will take the thing off of your hands, just be careful who you talk to about it.

At the moment there is a wave of catalytic converter theft here in northern California. Thieves saw them off of cars and trucks right on the street; apparently they have found someone who will not ask questions when they bring in the goods. The thieves especially like Toyota pickups because it's easy to crawl under them, being high off of the road, and the cat is easy to get to.

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Old 06-02-2011, 03:15 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Jeremy5848 View Post
Caution is advised. The auto dismantlers here are forbidden by law to sell catalytic converters and I don't know if the law is nation-wide or California only and if it applies to individuals also. You don't want to accidentally walk into some sheriff's sting operation and have the local DA decide to make an example out of you. Given the value of the precious metals in the cat, there has to be someone in your area who will take the thing off of your hands, just be careful who you talk to about it.

At the moment there is a wave of catalytic converter theft here in northern California. Thieves saw them off of cars and trucks right on the street; apparently they have found someone who will not ask questions when they bring in the goods. The thieves especially like Toyota pickups because it's easy to crawl under them, being high off of the road, and the cat is easy to get to.

Jeremy
I think Toyotas also have a higher content of platinum, so they are more valuable. A few years back, I heard of two that were sawn off in the companies parking lot.
Tom
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  #7  
Old 06-02-2011, 05:14 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Jeremy5848 View Post
Caution is advised. The auto dismantlers here are forbidden by law to sell catalytic converters and I don't know if the law is nation-wide or California only and if it applies to individuals also.
It is my understanding that it is against federal law in both the U.S. and Canada to sell used emissions control devices for vehicles.

EDIT: to sell for reinstall into another vehicle

Doesn't mean it doesn't happen....
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Last edited by Zacharias; 06-06-2011 at 05:25 PM. Reason: Clarification
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  #8  
Old 06-02-2011, 06:53 PM
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FYI

Diesel engines do NOT use catalytic converters.

Trap Oxidizer, LINKS thread
http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/showthread.php?t=229522

http://papers.sae.org/831713

http://papers.sae.org/890400/

http://papers.sae.org/850015/

http://subscriptions.sae.org/content/910137/

http://papers.sae.org/910137/
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  #9  
Old 06-02-2011, 08:50 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Zacharias View Post
It is my understanding that it is against federal law in both the U.S. and Canada to sell used emissions control devices for vehicles.

Doesn't mean it doesn't happen....
It's illegal to sell them for reuse, but not for recycling in alberta...
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  #10  
Old 06-02-2011, 10:48 PM
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Originally Posted by amosfella View Post
It's illegal to sell them for reuse, but not for recycling in alberta...
Same here. When I worked at a junkyard, I recall hearing a manager say we got about $100 per cat on average. We sold them to some outfit that extracted the precious metals.
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  #11  
Old 06-02-2011, 10:57 PM
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Originally Posted by Skippy View Post
Same here. When I worked at a junkyard, I recall hearing a manager say we got about $100 per cat on average. We sold them to some outfit that extracted the precious metals.
I've done some extracting on a hobby level...
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  #12  
Old 06-04-2011, 11:18 PM
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I've done some extracting on a hobby level...

How hard is that to do?
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  #13  
Old 06-05-2011, 12:08 AM
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depends of what you call hard....
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  #14  
Old 06-05-2011, 11:05 AM
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So there you have it... these things are worth about $10/lb in a world of $1500/oz gold prices.

My muffler guy would not hollow out the "catoxidizer" (or whatever you want to call it) leaving it in place, but he would remove it completely. Says doesn't want his guys breathing the particles resulting from debris of reaming the unit.

The price of the 20 min job of replacing it with a section of straight pipe was $35. Which barely seemed to cover costs, so I know he is piling these things up to help pay. But I'm glad he's passing the savings on to the car owner.
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  #15  
Old 06-05-2011, 12:34 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Jeremy5848 View Post
Caution is advised. ...

At the moment there is a wave of catalytic converter theft here in northern California. ....

Jeremy
Where in the Bay area?

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