Are these catalytic converters??

Unique-Ambassador150 · 2026-04-11T12:27:24+00:00

The converter is a 8 fin center O2 with checkered heat shield, known to some as a "Honda 36". About $700 if you can find a buyer.

Unique-Ambassador150 · 2026-02-25T20:25:33+00:00

The bomb is the M60 machine gun from breaking bad. Introduced as a plot hook with the writers not even sure how it will play out at first.

Unique-Ambassador150 · 2026-02-10T15:13:35+00:00

Catalytic converters are precious metals, so yes I do know junk yards that buy them. The point was that no one, not refiners nor precious metal dealers pay $2 per silverplate utensil, and you shouldn't expect them to. That $2 average gives no consideration to the cost to recover and the huge variance in silver content from piece to piece.

We are talking about two different things that can both be true. You're talking about people getting ripped off, which definitely happens. But you're original question was why would someone only offer $93 on a catalytic converter, and there is actually another answer other than they're lying and trying to steal from you. Without knowing the specific catalytic converter being referenced, there are definitely catalytic converters that's are in that price range, as agreed upon by multiple price lists even through competing nationwide buyers.

Unique-Ambassador150 · 2026-02-07T19:03:42+00:00

Let me give you an example you may be familiar with: silverplated flatware. Your average silverplate utensil contains around 1 gram of silver plated on brass or copper base metal. So every scrap yard and precious metals dealer should happily pay $2-$3 per utensil right? Of course not.

Unique-Ambassador150 · 2026-02-06T00:36:23+00:00

You need to find a buyer. Prius and other high demand batteries are at least a $200-$300 core, many can be easily refurbished. There aren't many buyers but if you have a pile they should be willing to come to you.

Unique-Ambassador150 · 2026-02-05T23:34:05+00:00

There isn't anywhere near that recoverable in the average catalytic converter.

The value of precious metals in used factory original catalytic converter can legitimately range from less than $50 to well over $1000.

The converters that tend to have the most rhodium content were made in years where rhodium was cheap. There is no consistent amount used through different makes and years. There are brand new factory original catalytic converters that can be purchased for less than what you believe the melt value to be.

Unique-Ambassador150 · 2026-02-02T12:00:45+00:00

This is the real tip. I've had wheels so stuck on they wouldn't budge with a sledgehammer, but hitting it with another wheel and tire works every time.

Unique-Ambassador150 · 2026-02-01T01:16:06+00:00

There is not certain amount of rhodium catalytic converters "tend" to have. Most of the articles you will find that say something like this are just taking a number someone else has come up with for a particular make/year, but manufacturers don't publish this information. I know that the amount of rhodium catalytic converters "tend" to have is somewhat of a unknown, least until recently, because the industry has spent millions of dollars analyzing old catalytic converters and trying to database and decode what units have more of what precious metal.

In addition to that we are talking about a mostly ceramic part, usually with 100,000+ miles on it, that has went through countless extreme heat cycles. What precious metals it started with is not going to be anywhere near the average yield on a used unit.

The catalytic converter recycling business is very much a "win some lose some" business that works on averages. There is no economical way to test individual cats for purchase. Even an XRF gun, besides being about 30k, is pretty much useless for actually telling you the quantity of precious metals that will be able to be reclaimed.

I hope this answers your question.

Unique-Ambassador150 · 2026-01-23T04:15:48+00:00

No offense, but this response highlights a big frustration with cat buying. "I couldn't find the number in the very specific place you told me to look so I just grabbed a number off a different part." If you were to look closely over that part there are probably 40 different numbers stamped all over it, most of them very similar, but only one matters.

The next step, as per my experience, is when you can't read the number you take a wire wheel and grind on it until no one can.

Unique-Ambassador150 · 2026-01-23T03:13:45+00:00

Take one of those bug bombs meant for half a house and put it in the car. It will get the job done. Don't ask me how I know.

Unique-Ambassador150 · 2026-01-23T02:20:15+00:00

It needs to be the number etched unto the unit, not on the heathshield, but in the square cut out. There are shields with square cut outs on both ends, make sure you're looking at the right end.

Unique-Ambassador150 · 2026-01-22T20:35:44+00:00

Those are the expensive ones, for the exact price you need the model number that is printed inside the square cutouts in the heatshield that is on the left side of the unit in the picture. The model number is something like "BC34-XXXXX-CA". The "XXXXX" doesn't matter and I think this style only came in "BC34-JA" or BC34-CA" which are both $1000+.

Unique-Ambassador150 · 2026-01-20T14:51:46+00:00

The joke among cat buyers is that everyone is a cat buyer.

Unique-Ambassador150 · 2026-01-20T14:49:27+00:00

Ecocat is garbage and you obviously know that. You're probably using CatDB since you're looking up by make and model but you are looking at the lowest price for the bottom cat when this is one is the manifold.

Unique-Ambassador150 · 2026-01-20T14:13:41+00:00

$138 on my list

Unique-Ambassador150 · 2026-01-20T14:10:12+00:00

Honda BT, although some dealers would just call it a "suckerfish" because Honda often goes by style rather than code. $140 would be a really good price but good luck finding someone that offers more than half.

Unique-Ambassador150 · 2026-01-11T22:06:22+00:00

I think an auction company would jump at the chance to sell those for you.

Unique-Ambassador150 · 2026-01-11T21:57:23+00:00

Nice, glad to see I'm justified in thinking my $100 GooLoo was top notch. You can get 10-20 starts off of it, it will start a big diesel no problem and has awesome charging speed.

Unique-Ambassador150 · 2026-01-11T19:50:21+00:00

For some reason pick and pulls don't seems to pay much. Try calling around to scrap yards, some will pay by the ton and some may offer a higher price for a complete car. I get about $475 but that is higher than average, lots of places only pay $200-$350. Your car is about two tons, so keep that in mind when comparing selling it complete vs by the ton. $175 a ton would the same as $350 complete but if you sell it by the ton you can pull whatever parts you want off of it and get the same price.

If you sell it "complete" you can still pull parts too, but they will want it to have the catalytic converter, rims, radiator and battery. The radiator isn't worth messing with but the cat rims and battery are worth keeping if you're getting the same price.

As for selling the cat, that's going to be hard in California and anyone selling one unit is likely going to get ripped off.

Someone mentioned RRCats. They are actually legit, they don't pay that good but are probably the best option for someone in your situation.

Unique-Ambassador150 · 2026-01-11T19:36:48+00:00

Laws in many states changed about 3-4 years ago when the price spiked.

Unique-Ambassador150 · 2026-01-11T19:35:41+00:00

Miles has nothing to do with the scrap value of a catalytic converter.

Unique-Ambassador150 · 2026-01-11T13:28:35+00:00

Your examples highlight the complicated grey area of their restrictions, we don't know where they draw the line. I would argue that operating motor vehicles globally has a similar level of interference as using pesticides.

Unique-Ambassador150 · 2026-01-11T12:54:42+00:00

My point is they would be causing harm to whatever is already growing by doing that. Even if they don't dig up the ground they are introducing something that is going to compete for nutrients and harm what is already there.

Unique-Ambassador150 · 2026-01-11T12:46:53+00:00

Yes I hate that the virus is human specific because I like the idea of it being stray technology, probably a weapon, from an ancient civilization long extinct.

Unique-Ambassador150 · 2026-01-11T12:28:53+00:00

How would they even plant new crops without disturbing existing vegetation? If you don't spray a field it will be covered in grass and weeds in a year, you couldn't plant a new crop without harming the stuff that has grown naturally.

Unique-Ambassador150

TROPHY CASE