RX400h non original catalytic converter advice needed

[Topcatz13]

Hi All,

My cat got stolen for the second time lol. First time i replaced it via insurance and also got a metal protection sheet fitted to deter a second happening. Needless to say it didn't help much as they just cut through it and got the cat,

The insurance company marked it as total loss and I retained the car. Looking to fix it  as the car is great and only has 87k miles with no issues in the past 2 years since I bought it, but thinking to go non original as i am hoping it wont get stolen again. Also is a 2006 model that will get a cat D i assume so doesn't seem a good investment to put back again original when is probably cost half of the sell value of the car.

My question is : any reason you guys know for not going this route? will it pass the MOT with a non original? Any advice on what cat should I look for?  (i have to re do the MOT and send them proof of repairs also so my insurance does not get cancelled)

any advice on a garage in SW18 area that can fit one and get the MOT done after that is open in this troubled times?

thank you in advance.

Sorin

[007M]

Here this is a long thread which may help. Sorry to hear these scumbags got your car for a second time 😞

i have a Yaris hybrid which the cat cannot be gotten to as it's at the manifold. I was for a period considering getting an auris or Lexus ct200 hybrid, but they get cats stolen as it's mid section. So I will have to stay put with a small car for now. 

[Delphius1]

The cat under the car is the second cat in the exhaust stream as the car also has cats in each of the two exhaust manifolds. The oxygen sensors are either side of the first cat(s) and the engine management only monitors the efficiency of that cat. The second cat is just there to mop up emissions and running without it won't affect the engine management.

If it's happening on a regular basis and the thieves seem determined enough and have enough time to cut through a steel sheet to get to your cat, maybe get some flanges welded onto what's left of the exhaust.

Then you can get a cat and a decat pipe to fit between the flanges so you can easily swap between the two. You can run with the decat normally and if the thieves take a look under the car they will see a decat and leave you alone. You can get generic cats with a flange at each end. All you need is to get one and the flanges to match your exhaust diameter. Then you get someone to weld the flanges to the exhaust on the car to suit the cat and then weld up a decat.

Generally speaking, most cars with two cats will pass the emissions at MOT time with just the one cat, but technically you need all the cats in line in the exhaust. Reading the letter of the MOT tests the tester has to look for the existence of the correct number of cats. But if you find an MOT tester that isn't a stickler for the letter of the test and is happy to pass a car that passes emissions....

If you do need the cat fitted for MOT time you can just bolt the cat in for a day, get the car tested and then swap back to a decat pipe for the other 364 days of the year. 😁

 

[06_400_h_se]

I passed my MOT without any cat at the back-end. There are various views on this, but as far as I am concerned, the third cat is just going to get stolen every week, so I just welded a straight pipe in. The manifold cats do the bulk of the work and MOT emissions aren't tested on hybrids anyway. I'd happily fit another cat, but what's the point?

[Keeling54]

Hybrids don't get emissions tested, the MOT man will just look to make sure the exhaust hasn't been changed from original and still has a Cat below the drivers seat. I have read on some forums straight through pipes passing, I guess it depends on your local tester. 

I got an after market Cat from the Catman in Southampton, https://www.catman.co.uk/?gclid=Cj0KCQjwnv71BRCOARIsAIkxW9H-Y7q-z40mVDK-gozMz_Xg4iJzvFUHaSQKKawHVOAiAd6SYEe9cysaAt81EALw_wcB

You'll need the exhaust flange welded to it but it's pretty easy to fit. 

I aslo got a straight through pipe from him just in case the second one gets nicked.