Hi everyone. I have to replace my Cadillac converter on my 99 Honda accord. I’m having a hard time to deciding if I should get the cadillac converter from honda dealership that’s going to cost me $1,000 or one from auto zone that’s $303.99? Which one will last me longer in the long run?
OEM catalytic (note spelling) converters generally last about 3 times longer than aftermarket parts.
Why did someone disagree with @auto-owner ?
Even automotive textbooks clearly state that aftermarket cats don’t last as long and may generate DTCs because they don’t contain enough of the precious metals
Auto zone sells Walker direct fit catalytic convertors, for a 2.3L federal emission Accord $360.
Rock auto has the same cat. for $151 (25,000 mile performance warranty). Due to the age of the car I would go with the Walker.
I installed a Walker direct fit convertor in my 1996 Dodge 10 years/75,000 miles ago, no problems yet.
Many aftermarket converters are manufactured by the same companies that produce them for the car makers so there should not be an issue with this.
There was even a TV show about this a few years ago and while the name of the company escapes me, it was shown that they have hundreds of jigs and produced converters for both parts houses and the car manufacturers. This kind of thing is not unusual even for parts other than converters.
What might be an issue is the reason why your converter died; assuming that that the diagnosis is correct and the converter is really dead.
Converters can be killed by coolant in the combustion chambers, overheating, excessively rich running, etc, etc.
there are also plenty of less than stellar cats out there that were most definitely NOT produced by “the same companies that produce them for the car makers”
The consumer must use his judgement. If the factory cat costs a grand, it’s a good bet that a $250 aftermarket cat will not exactly be of the same quality.
I agree that there are some cheap knockoffs out there that are probably not worth the effort to install.
Just pointing out that many of the from the car maker OEM parts are produced by the same people who manufacture the aftermarket ones.
The name of the company producing both car manufacturer and aftermarket converters will flat not come to mind as this was about 2 years ago. This outfit had a small warehouse full of jigs and it was stated they provide converters for many car makers along with supplying the aftermarket.
One would assume that a brand name like Walker, etc. would provide a quality part. However, I would draw the line at buying some nameless dropshipped piece of junk from eBay… 
Might add that it wasn’t me disagreeing with auto-owner.
Some food for thought might be this.
By the time an original OEM converter fails on an aged, high miles car and is replaced with an aftermarket, could it be assumed that any short life of the AM converter is not due to shoddy parts but rather an aged, even much higher miles car which may be consuming oil, seeping coolant, or suffering a lower level of engine performance?
In a nutshell, what would happen if the converters were yanked off of a brand new car and replaced with AMs from the get-go? Would those AMs on a new car last just as long as the car manufacturer OEMs?
I’d add that if you’re replacing the cat, make sure the rest of the system is up to snuff at that time–eg. oxygen sensors, spark plugs, pretty much all wear parts. If your ‘check engine’ light is on, address any malfunction codes that are stored. Otherwise your replacement converter may have a very short life.
I have a couple of points here. First, is the plan to keep this car for 2 or 3 more years or are you going to try to get 5 years or more out of it? For 3 years or less I would go with the aftermarket unit. For longer life you will want to consider the OEM unit. This leads to my second point. While it is true that many manufacturers produce both OEM and aftermarket units, it is also true that these units are often made to different specifications. In many cases they may make three grades (or more) to accommodate OEM (highest quality), auto part stores (mid grade), and “Walmart” type stores (lowest grade). These spec differences may include size and fit tolerances, quantities of expensive materials (such as catalyst in a catalytic converter), and other things that may affect performance and/or service life. It’s tough to tell exactly what you are getting these days but OEM will always be highest quality and most auto parts stores sell decent quality stuff but you have to watch out for the bargain basement lines they sell since many are cheap, low quality Chinese parts (i.e. white box brake rotors).
be for you replace the cat make sure you address any problems wwwith the car like if the cel is on
All aftermarket catalytic converters must meet the EPA’s minimum standards for performance before they can recieve certfication from the EPA to be sold on the market. This includes the quantity of the noble metals used in the catalytic converter.
Tester
Since Honda doesn’t make cats, it’s one of the ‘aftermarket’ suppliers that makes them for Honda. If/when I need one I’ll be buying a name brand direct-fit aftermarket cat, like a Walker (after making sure there’s nothing causing the cat problem, and that it IS a cat problem, and not an oxygen sensor, etc.).
From the meca.org link:
The most cost-effective replacement converters are newly manufactured converters. These devices are manufactured by many of the same companies supplying OEM converters. Due to the lower durability requirements (25,000 to 50,000 miles in California), manufacturers are able to use lower amounts of precious metals and other materials to offer substantial cost savings to the consumer.
I’m in agreement with OK4450 on this one. I’d go with a direct-fit aftermarket converter.
By the way, thanks to auto-owner for clarifying the post for me. The post confused me. I kept wondering what a Cadillac converter was doing on a Honda.
I kept wondering what a Cadillac converter was doing on a Honda.
It’s a kit with an extra-soft suspension, vertical tail lights, and a landau top. 
All good info above, but let me add this, if you can get a catalytic converter that is approved for sale in California or any of the 7 states that have adopted California’s approvals, then it is just as good as OEM.
mentioned only in passing in some of these posts…
– WHY –
is the cat bad ?
do you think you need one ?
If you throw a cat on it without fixing the REASON it is bad…you’ll ruin the new one.
we brought one of our fleet’s trucks to an exhaust shop to have CARB approved aftermarket cats installed
The guys threw some really nice beads on there, so they can definitely weld
The cats themselves, on the other hand, looked EXTREMELY cheesey
Not as good as OEM, as far as I’m concerned. It looked like a cheap POS. In fact, it was a LOT smaller than the OEM cat.