I Can Recommend A Great Place If You Need An Exhaust
by listoff, February 2, 2007
Hello everyone - I had a great experience this past week and I would like to share, as it may help someone here. Here is the short history. I got a CEL and went to the Toyota dealership who told me it was a bad cat and the entire exhaust needed replacing for $1,060 US. I took it to my trusted local mechanic whose second opinion agreed with the dealership and said his part was $1,300 (installed I assume)! So, I began the research to do this cheaper on my own.
After searching numerous companies for price and parts, I found Discount Converters LTD. out of Texas. They sold me a system that was a perfect direct replacement for my 2003 LE at a fraction of the cost! All the parts are new and fit perfectly! Of course, the muffler is NOT included, as you can see by the picture on their site, but the original muffler was fine anyway.
I did the swap in a few hours in my garage. The hardest part was getting the old bolts back in (Toyota uses some weird spring loaded bolts that are difficult to get on the downpipe at first). The new system is in two pieces (horseshoe clam in the middle) and bolted right to the downpipe in front and the flange to the muffler in the rear. They're a legit company and the sales and engineering departments are incredibly nice - I spoke to Fred and Mark who answered all my questions and helped me out when I called them.
The best part? The whole system cost me less than $350 (including shipping from Texas to Pennsylvania!). It comes with everything you need (gasket, clamp, instructions, flanges, and warranty/EPA paperwork) except bolts - you have to reuse the ones that come off the car, but they were in fine condition. I forget what the warranty specs are at the moment, but I think it's on their web site somewhere.
I don't want to sound like a commercial for these guys and I have no investment in them, but they're good and I wanted to share my good experience with all of you as a thanks for everyone's past help with my car issues in hopes it helps someone out! I would not hesitate to use these guys in the future for any of my exhaust needs.
Take care,
Mike
I wonder if your car will have trouble passing emission now.
I wonder if your car will have trouble passing emission now.
Unless the replacement cat is equally crappy or simply not there (which is unlikely from the sound of it), why?
Bikeman982
If it works for him and passes emissions, then he got a great deal.
He saved a lot of money by doing the work himself and also saved a lot on the parts.
It just goes to show that you can find good deals by doing some searching and by a DIY job.
I had the system replaced because I was moving from Maryland to Pennsylvania. With the ECM giving a code for a bad cat, I had to replace it to pass the emissions test. Clearing the code in the past resulted in the CEL coming back on almost immediately, so there definitely was a problem (car has > 100,000 miles). I replaced the system, cleared the computer code, drove it for a while, and took it for inspection. It passed with flying colors. Needless to say, I'm a happy camper! :-) And $1,000 more in my pocket!
Bikeman982
I had the system replaced because I was moving from Maryland to Pennsylvania. With the ECM giving a code for a bad cat, I had to replace it to pass the emissions test. Clearing the code in the past resulted in the CEL coming back on almost immediately, so there definitely was a problem (car has > 100,000 miles). I replaced the system, cleared the computer code, drove it for a while, and took it for inspection. It passed with flying colors. Needless to say, I'm a happy camper! :-) And $1,000 more in my pocket!
Was it a test for Maryland, or Pennsylvania?
Holy Smokes! That is a hell of a deal - thanks for the heads up listoff
For $350 and the amount of stuff they give you (cat, mid pipe, resonator, hangers, flanges, etc.) can't beat that with a stick, especially for OEM fitment. I'd say those price range would be a steal with aftermarket parts.
Let us know how it turns out - if it passes and holds up pretty well, then that will be another vendor I add to my list.
Bikeman982
Since it passed emission testing, it will be nice to see how long it lasts and how it affects operation conditions and performance, as well as fuel efficiency.
Keep us posted.
Thanks for the info on these cheap cats. I live in a high road salt area and when my system rusts out I'll take your advice. Thanks
I've been thinking about going for aftermarket catalytic converters, one that improves both power and fuel efficiency while still staying legal. Anyone got some rough estimates on how much it could improve my Corolla's performance?
I couldn't find any systems that were "high pefromance" for the LE. I think I saw a Magnaflow or a Borla for the S and XRS models. I don't know what the difference is, but I figured I'd be safe rather than sorry. But, it sounds like you have a '98, so companies may have different systems for you (mine's an 03).
Since I installed mine, I do have to say second gear (automatic) pulls a little harder higher in the revs. Not enough to be excited about though. My gas mileage has stayed exactly the same since before the replacement. 30-33 mpg range. I'm a little hot on the accelerator, so I'm guessing I could be getting more on the highway.
I'd be interested in seeing if anyone knows of any high performance cats and what the gains would be as well.
anyone know if the cat on the prizm is the same as the corolla? their website doesn't list prizm in a close year to mine (01).. I know the exhaust is possibly slightly different on the prizm, as it calls for different torque values on the heat shielding.
anyone know if the cat on the prizm is the same as the corolla? their website doesn't list prizm in a close year to mine (01).. I know the exhaust is possibly slightly different on the prizm, as it calls for different torque values on the heat shielding.
no, its the same. made at the same plant on the same lines as the corolla and by the same workers.
