Time for a new CAT?
Posted: Tue Oct 06, 2026 4:36 am
I've been chasing an exhaust leak in my '07 Base Vibe, with 233K miles, for a couple of years. I found the flange at the joint with the manifold was badly corroded, and the only way to reasonably fix that was to replace the pipe with the two CATs back to the resonator. Instead, I tried repairing the flange with exhaust cement, with limited success. The last couple of drives, I could hear some exhaust noise from under the hood when the engine is cold. Then yesterday it threw a P0420 code.
So now it's time to just replace the CATs and take care of that leak at the same time. I was surprised at the low cost, starting from under $100, about $200 from Rock Auto, for a non-CARB part. This sounds too good to be true, but if it lasts another couple of years (I drive about 5K miles/year), it'll be worth it to me. I don't expect to resell the car, and I've never heard of a CAT inspection in Colorado. I can do the work myself quickly and easily.
Anyone have a bad experience with a low cost, non-CARB CAT? I will pay for the better of the cheap stuff, if that makes any sense.
So now it's time to just replace the CATs and take care of that leak at the same time. I was surprised at the low cost, starting from under $100, about $200 from Rock Auto, for a non-CARB part. This sounds too good to be true, but if it lasts another couple of years (I drive about 5K miles/year), it'll be worth it to me. I don't expect to resell the car, and I've never heard of a CAT inspection in Colorado. I can do the work myself quickly and easily.
Anyone have a bad experience with a low cost, non-CARB CAT? I will pay for the better of the cheap stuff, if that makes any sense.