[Planethill]

Hey all,

My sons 2004 C230 is throwing the bad cat code. It's original, so I am surprised it has lasted this long! Looking at replacements, they run the gamut. From the OEM for stupid money, to the respected Magnaflow for around $500.

He was saving up for the Magnaflow when we saw this (LINK):

Anyone have experience with this Canadian replacement? At this cars age, he isn't worried about much except passing emissions. It won't be his "forever" car, so as long as it works....

 

[Planethill]

Update: My son bought the above eBay Cat and we installed it over the weekend. It was straight forward and he is now CEL free!

Part Review: From the welds, this is obviously a hand-made part. Some enterprising Canadian has replicated the original MB design with off the shelf pipe, and simply welded them all together. The angle of his eBay photos is intentional so it isn't too obvious. If you are looking for shiny, perfect welds, chrome finish, etc, this is not for you! With this Cat, you will not be opening the hood, pointing and bragging "Just look at that beautiful Manifold & Cat!" While solid, there was weld "splatter" everywhere.

BUT! It does do what it is intended to do. It is air tight and moves the exhaust from engine to tailpipe as it should. It has a new Catalytic Converter (albeit a smaller one than stock), complete with pre/post threads for oxygen sensors. All the holes lines up perfectly, and the gasket did as well. The angles were also spot-on and the tailpipe was in the perfect position. One negative is that the original has an extra third flange at the rear to attach to a hanger mount. This one does not have that flange, so it is only supported by the tailpipe and engine. Not a perfect scenario. Due to the fact that the manifold is fabricated out of pipe and not cast, it is about half the weight of the original, so it might not be a problem. It certainly feels solid!

All in all, I think it's a fantastic deal. If you just need a new Catalytic Converter so you can pass emissions, sell/trade, or don't care about the aesthetics, this is the one for you!

I will grab some pics later.

Installation: One thing I did not know as it isn't clear in the EPC, is that on his C230 the manifold bolts are actually double-ended studs. We realized this when taking the badly rusted nuts off, and instead of breaking the nut loose from the bolt, the entire stud came out of the block! Had I known this in advance, I would have bought eight new ones. They all did come out easily. Since MB was closed, we just reused them and they all torqued down nicely in their rusted nut state. The torque is light anyway (21nm) so it wasn't too concerning and a pretty simple operation.

 

[KevinH2000]

I would like to see your photos. My check engine light illuminated and the code stored in the system is 201D-001 (P0420) catalytic converter effect insufficient. I cleared the code, but it came back on.

 

[Planethill]

I would like to see your photos. My check engine light illuminated and the code stored in the system is 201D-001 (P0420) catalytic converter effect insufficient. I cleared the code, but it came back on.

P0420 is the same code we were getting. Old, tired, expired Catalytic Converter code.

Here are some pics of the unit installed. Not pretty, but 100% functional.

The Manifold:

Looking down towards the Cat (we hadn't hooked up the tailpipe yet).

This is the difference in the pipe flange:

 

[cowboyt]

This looks like a sweet option for real-world, driveable results, OP. Thanks!

 

[KevinH2000]

Thanks for posting the photo. If I have a problem with my catalytic converter it is nice to have an inexpensive repair option.