alright. so. Im new to the forums. I just joined so that I could get some advice. I need a new catalytic converter because my cat is clogged and hindering my performance and torque (or at least that is what Bumbera told me after i told them "im losing hp and torque, please look at my car"). i went to Bumbera Performance assoc and they said $700 for parts and labor. so i figured "alright. no. I need a rate more in my range, ill try to fix it myself.". let me throw in that I am a college student paying my own way through school and on a college budget. so i contacted O'reily's auto parts and got the right match for my car and found i could get an un-wielded magnaflow cat for $87 but i cant wield stuff so i found that the pre-wielded cat was $200 but now i see how hard it is to get under there and saw off bolts and stuff. so i called around asking for labor quotes on removing and replacing the old cat with the new cat that i would buy myself. i found that i could have it done for around $300 total. (after buythe part and there labor) which was great, but everywhere ive called so far say they will do it, but they do NOT recommend it at all because the after market cats may be nice and cheap but often dont work, work for a very short time, or cause more problems than they fix and also that a clogged cat is actually a rare problem. so my question is...
Does a clogged catalytic converter cause loss of performance or could it be something completely different? what is the probability that my cat is actually clogged? Am I being ripped off? Is it true that after market catalytic converters are not worth the price? Should i just get this done the right way? Are there any cheap, after market converters that are reliable? What is about the right price range to remove and replace a genuine cat?
Long story short, I'm losing performance and torque, Bumbera Performance Associates have told me that I need a new catalytic converter because my current one is clogged, I need a the most inexpensive yet reliable and long-lasting solution possible. Please help.
Thanks,
TheDoctor15
P.S. Just living with low performance, horse power and torque is NOT an option. I'm poor but not that poor.
