Acura MDX Catalytic Converter Scrap Price – How Much Can You Get?

The Acura MDX might be the best vehicle you've ever owned, but it still comes with a portion of flaws and problems. Any car that has a catalytic converter in the exhaust system will eventually get on your nerves and need some replacement option. Acura MDX is not an exception, but can you sell an old cat when it's clogged and broken? Let's see.

Today, we'll tell you about the scrap price of the cat converter you can find in your Acura MDX and will also show you how exactly you can sell this part. Unfortunately, so many MDX owners just lose their money and sell their old cats to resellers and middlemen. This happens because they don't know the average price and they can't figure out how much they could get from other companies.

Here's what we will discuss today:

• Acura MDX cat converter location and types.
• How much should an Acura catalytic converter cost when broken?
• What are the best ways to sell an Acura catalytic converter?
• Are Acura MDX models prone to cat converter theft?

Let's get started!

Where is the Acura cat converter located in your car?

First of all, we should say that the MDX has been with us since 2000. And Honda has already changed four generations of the SUV. It means that Acura MDX has had a lot of engine types and this is important for understanding the types and location of their catalytic converters.

Anyway, all generations had big engines - from 3.0 to 3.7 liters, all engines are exquisitely V6. It means that all engines have two exhaust manifolds with pre-cats integrated into them in later models. And also one or two main catalytic converters are there in the exhaust system. So, a lot to sell actually!

Here's what you should know about Acura MDX cat converters:

• the pre-cats are usually located near exhaust manifolds, they are not so big and they don't cost a lot of money;
• main catalytic converters are located near the muffler and they are bigger - these are the cats that may bring you some money;
• these are actually OEM Honda catalytic converters and they have all the pros and cons of Honda cats;
• these converters are not always marked with serial numbers and also logos - this is what Honda is well-known for;
• it may be hard to distinguish between OEM and aftermarket converters in your MDX because of the above-written fact;
• all OEM converters are big and heavy, they contain some platinum and palladium as well as a little rhodium.

So, these cats may cost a lot of money because they have some precious metals inside. The metal cover of the converter hides the ceramic honeycomb which serves as the home for all those precious metals. It doesn't mean that anyone can take those metals out and sell them. Unfortunately, this is not possible for a person without special equipment.

Also, you should bear in mind that Acura MDX catalytic converters should be in good condition to be sold at good prices. It means that if you have a dirty and rusty cat in your hands, it will be a good idea to clean it a little so that a specialist could understand what kind of cat they are looking at.

How much should an Acura MDX catalytic converter cost?

The price of a cat converter is hard to predict because a lot of factors can change it. For example, once the situation in the precious metals market changes, recycling companies will need to adjust and offer less money for cat converters.

Here are some factors you should consider when selling your MDX catalytic converter:

• precious metal prices on the market - they are very volatile and they can change every day;
• the condition of the cat - sometimes, it's the most important factor you cannot influence;
• the demand for palladium, platinum, and rhodium that are found in your cat converter;
• the company that buys your old cat - sometimes this factor is the most important.

Well, here are a lot of factors that you can't change and only one of them is actually dependent on your choices.

Actually, we can say that a main catalytic converter taken from any generation of the Acura MDX should cost anywhere between $190 and $330 depending on the condition. But be careful when relying on these prices because they are only accurate as of September 2022. After some time, they will not be precise anymore.

So, you can change only one factor - the buyer of your converter. And here's what you can choose:

• scrapyards - a very popular but quite bad option because they never pay decent money only offering up to half of the actual price;
• eBay - it's a good option if your MDX converter still works well and can assist in passing the fog test, but not for a broken or clogged converter;
• middlemen and resellers - these are a little better than scrapyards, but still, you should avoid resellers because you will just lose your potential revenue;
• recycling companies - this is the best option you can get because such companies offer optimal prices and they even pay for shipping.

How to get up-to-date prices and sell the cat converter?

Now, we'll discuss how exactly you can sell your Acura MDX catalytic converter. To get the top estimated price of $330 (currently), you should only rely on recycling companies. These are businesses that have the equipment for extracting precious metals out of converters. This means they are the last destination of any broken or clogged cat converter.

The question is will it be you or some reseller who will earn the money that recycling companies pay? You may be surprised but selling your OEM Acura MDX catalytic converter to a recycling company is much easier than to a scrapyard.

Here's how you can do that:

• first of all, you will need to have the converter cut off the vehicle;
• then clean it and see if it is in good condition, after that you should take pictures of the cat;
• when you have those pictures, just find some websites that belong to recycling companies;
• those websites offer opportunities to quote online and this is exactly what you will want to do;
• the best idea is to find at least three companies and inquire about the prices in each of them;
• then, you will need to wait until those companies answer back and offer their prices;
• just compare the offered prices and sell your MDX converters to the most generous company.

Even if you will not want to sell the converter, you will have the average price to compare with all other offers you can get.

Most companies will also offer to pay for shipping. They will provide you with some guidelines on how to prepare your converter for shipping and which companies you may use to deliver the cat converter to them. Actually, it's very easy and will not take a lot of time.

Using this simple instruction, you will be able to sell nearly any catalytic converter as long as it's an OEM part. Aftermarket cats can also be sold in such a way, but the price won't be good at all.

Are Acura MDX vehicles prone to cat converter theft?

Honda catalytic converters are pretty popular among the thieves that specialize in cat converter theft. This means that your Acura will always be one of their targets. And once you forget to take care of the vehicle, thieves will be there ready to use all their skills to get the expensive part out of your vehicle.

This can cost you some money, so better avoid leaving your car in a dark street with no security at all. Also, install a good security system because the OEM one is poor, especially in older vehicles. Make sure you park your car over something that will interfere with the attempts to take the converter off the vehicle.

Acura MDX is a good SUV with a decent ride height and actually, the good clearance is one of the major features that attract thieves. They can easily accommodate themselves under the vehicle and take their time to cut off the catalytic converter after making sure it's an OEM part. So, keep this in mind and always ensure you make everything possible to avoid this problem.

Final words

If you have an Acura MDX and your catalytic converter starts malfunctioning, you should think about replacement. Also, you can sell the old converter and this will add some money to your budget to reduce the burden of payments when replacing the cat converter. The price of such a cat may be up to $330 or even more once the precious metals prices go up.

Just choose the right method of selling your catalytic converter and find the best possible price offer you can get. In this article, we provide you with everything you need to investigate the market and find the best price.