2004 Catalytic Converter - Help Choosing

My mechanic priced me out an aftermarket catalytic converter for $495 (walker). It's for my 2004 Tacoma Pre-Runner.

Couple of questions to the Tacoma community:
1. Anyone have any experience - good and bad - with this type of aftermarket cat?

2. I've seen Walker brand cats at autozone for just under $200, so I'm assuming he's marking up the price on me. Sound right?

3. Some of the aftermarket cats are "bolt on" - again, anyone have any experience with this type of cat?

4. Dealer wants about $1,000 for an OEM cat...is it worth going this route?

Thanks in advance for any help with this topic.
Ken

 

cheapest one you can find. they all do the same thing with the same stuff.

 

when my oem cat got stolen, i went with a hi-flow cat from magnaflow. i think i paid about $60-70 and had my brother welded on. it's been about 6-7 months now. we'll see how long it'll last.

 

SCS Perform:
Did it stop the CEL from popping back up?

 

yes. after the initial install, the CEL came on for the rear sensor(over 200k on it). i don't know if it was b/c of age or b/c i ran without a cat for about a month, but after putting in a new denso sensor, it's been fine since.

 

I have the Magnaflow direct fit cats in my '03 v-6 for over 3 years and 80K miles now and no CEL.

And the stealership installed them for me!

 

Call Napa/Walker and ask them about which ones they have and see if your mechanic is bumping the price up, I mean alot of shops do this but its how much which determines if they are a good and honest shop. Other than that I'd buy the cheapest one, I'm guessing the bolt-on has clamps with it and just bolt into place assuming you have nice cut ends to be flush with the clamps and new cat.

 

Not all cats are created equal. The reason so many of the suppliers can sell for so much lower is that they use a lesser grade of platinum. The platinum is what makes cats so expensive. While I won't discount any of the specific ones around, I have seen in my history a lot of aftermarket cats fail emission tests. That being said, I have also seen several people who have said they had no problems with them.

 

This is very true. OEM is always the best route and far as durability and longevity goes, but it comes at a premium. I'm crossing my fingers and hoping my magnaflows will last a few years.

 

Good Lord, please PM the link for that video!