Imagine for a moment you are going to buy a used car. As you approach the car you are taken in by its outward appearance. Right away you notice that the paint is glossy, in fact as you get real close you can see your reflection. Well needless to say you like what you see! You have to have this car, the outside looks so good you reason that the previous owner must have taken good care of the engine as well. So instead of opening up the hood or taking it for a test drive you make an offer and soon you are driving away in what you think is a quality used car.

I’m sure you know where I’m heading with this. Upon a more thorough inspection you realize it needs brakes, the oil is sludge on the dipstick, and while you were busy looking at your reflection in the paint you failed to notice the steel belts coming out of the tires. You soon realize that you have been scammed. Now I’m sure you would agree that you are partially to blame for this bad purchase. You should have taken more time to inspect what it is that you were purchasing. But make no mistake here. The seller knew exactly what he was doing, he lured you into his trap and you took the bait. He is unethical and morally wrong but you on the other hand were thoroughly deceived.

And so it is with some catalytic converters. Specifically I want to talk about the ones from Europe, as well as the people who try to sell them. On the outside they may look very similar to the ones here in the U.S.A. but on the inside they are worth about as much as the steel casing holding it together. The reason for this low quality content is that certain countries in Europe have much lower emission standards than we have here. This results in low precious metal content. While these “look a like” converters are not “fake converters” they can fool you at first glance because they “look like” converters you know but are loaded differently. So Take a closer look. Literally. If something looks odd or out of place it most likely is. Also if you are being offered a large quantity of the same converter, something may be amiss.

Believe me, these sellers know what they are doing, and they are experts on making you feel comfortable with what you are buying – they want it to be your decision. They will even throw in some high quality converters to give you the illusion of everything being OK. Do not fall for it. Protect yourself. There is help out there. Here at PAC we have several pictures of these low grade European converters. We have people who have been in the industry for over 30 years, do not hesitate to contact us if you feel you are about to be taken advantage of. We will share whatever we can to make sure the honest converter buyer does not take a loss. And we would encourage you to do the same for us.

Keep in mind if these sharks fail to get me they will go after new blood. Or if they fail to get you, then they are coming for me. We are in this together, let’s beat them together.

What to look for:

(1) Some have unfamiliar markings although looking similar to some common US converters

(2) Will see a lot of import in mix especially Toyota, Mercedes etc.

(3) Will have units you recognize mixed with many unfamiliar units

(4) Most always come from a broker who claims to have a lot more where that came from.

(5) If you do not know what something is do not buy it without a certified assay (Do not accept the sellers assay under any circumstances)

Above are a few examples of “BAD Converters”