Audi A4 Catalytic Converter Scrap Price - Can You Get Good Value?

Audi cars are so popular that they are sold in nearly every country in the world. These are luxury vehicles that are more expensive than average cars on the market. But when you are looking at cat converters from Audi cars, you will find out that they are the same as in cheaper Volkswagen vehicles because these cars actually share engines and technologies.

Today, we'll tell you how much should an Audi A4 catalytic converter cost when it's already broken or clogged. It turns out you can sell this cat and get good money for it. Of course, the eventual price depends on numerous factors but after reading this article, you'll be able to get the best possible price for the old cat converter from your A4.

Here's what we'll be talking about:

• Some facts about Audi A4 cat converters - location, size, etc.
• How much should an old Audi A4 catalytic converter cost?
• How can you sell the converter? Options and buyers
• Replacement cat converters for Audi A4 - options and prices.

Let's get started!

Things you should know about the Audi A4 catalytic converters

When it comes to the replacement of cat converters, we start thinking about the quantity of these parts in our vehicles. And it appears that most modern vehicles have more than one cat. Even if it's just a 4-cylinder engine, it will have a minimum of two cats. It's good for the environment but usually very bad for your pocket if you know what we mean.

Audi A4 mostly has a 4-cylinder turbocharged engine with only 2 liters of displacement in modern versions. But in the history of this model, dozens of different engines were presented. You could find L4 and V6 engines of different displacement and power. Some of them have more valuable cats than others, but the average price will not be very high.

Here's what you will need to know about these cats:

• most vehicles have pre-cats and main catalytic converters - main cats are much more valuable but pre-cats can also be sold;
• main converters are located in the exhaust system, near the muffler while pre-cats are integrated into the exhaust manifold;
• OEM Audi cats will have Audi or Volkswagen logo on them, also they will have the serial number on their bodies;
• aftermarket cats that have already been installed by you or by someone else are not valuable and should be sold for $20 to $40 only;
• inside a VAG cat, you'll find a ceramic honeycomb that has some precious metals inside it - mainly platinum and palladium;
• these cats can be recycled and the precious metals are extracted during recycling and are then sold to businesses.

All Audi A4 vehicles come equipped with catalytic converters. But in different generations, the company used different engines and various types of converters. It means you will need to investigate the type of cat you have for some adventurous scrapyard workers didn't trick you out of money.

It's important to take the cat off the vehicle correctly without damaging it. The best way is to go to an exhaust shop and have it taken off and then replaced. Of course, it will cost you some money, but if you do it by yourself, you'll need to have some welding and technical skills as well as an appropriate place for doing this.

How much will an old Audi A4 catalytic converter cost?

The price will vary depending on many factors. We can say for sure that the main catalytic converter from your Audi A4 should cost between $130 and $220. The eventual price can be only counted when you know the serial number. Also, we can't say a precise price because prices are changing. Within the last year, we've seen sharp changes that influenced the price and made it twice higher or lower quickly.

Also, the prices will depend on some factors that you will not be able to change, like the following ones:

• the prices for precious metals, especially platinum, palladium, and rhodium;
• the number of old cat converters available on the market for recycling companies;
• the condition of the cat - broken Audi A4 catalytic converters may still be intact physically, but sometimes the ceramic honeycomb is affected and this will change the price;
• the way you sell the converter and the buyer who pays money.

Now, you can't influence nearly any of these factors but the buyer. Choosing a company that will buy your converter from the Audi A4 is a responsible task and you should know how to do it. Once you fail to find the best buyer, you will just lose your money.

Unfortunately, you can't take those metals from your converter and sell them to some company. This process requires a really expensive set of equipment and a lot of heat energy to melt those metals out of the ceramic part. So, special furnaces are unlikely to be there in your garage, right? If you could get those metals out, you could get up to $1200 for them from a single Audi A4 main catalytic converter.

Who will buy your A4 catalytic converter?

Well, you have some choices here. We wouldn't consider most of these choices, but for your knowledge, we should list all of them. If you thought that finding someone who would want to buy your catalytic converter is too hard, you should change your mind. A lot of companies and private buyers are ready to give you some money. The question is how much they are ready to give for an Audi A4 catalytic converter.

And here we have some suggestions:

• Scrapyards. Those are companies that buy old broken cars, salvaged vehicles, parts, etc. They can buy your cat converter for about half of its real price. So, for the Audi A4 catalytic converter, they are likely to give you a maximum of $80 or $100. That's bad.
• Exhaust shops. When you are repairing your vehicle and installing a new cat converter, a mechanic in your exhaust shop may offer you to buy out the old cat. It's very convenient, but the price is going to be more or less the same as in a scrapyard.
• eBay. One more option for those whose Audi A4 converters still work and can pass a fog test. You can sell it for more than $200 to private buyers who want some cheap option to pass the fog test and keep driving their A4.
• Middlemen. Resellers are private buyers who buy your cats and then sell them to other companies to earn money. These guys will come to you and buy your cat which is convenient. But the price will be only a little higher than with scrapyards or exhaust shops.
• Recycling companies. Also, scrap catalytic converters may be bought by recycling companies that recycle these cats and then sell metals to businesses. You can sell your Audi A4 old cat directly to these companies and get the maximum possible price.

We recommend the last option. Recycling companies are legal and they ensure your cat is recycled properly with no harm to the environment. Also, these businesses offer you the best prices. Usually, they even pay for shipping.

To sell a cat to a recycling company, send pictures of the cat to several companies and get price offers from them. Then, you'll be able to decide which offer is the most lucrative for you.

How much is a replacement cat for your Audi A4?

No matter what generation we are talking about, cats for your Audi sedan are not cheap. Again, if you need to buy a replacement cat, you will have a couple of options:

• new OEM converters will cost up to $1,800 and this is extremely expensive for a used vehicle;
• used OEM cats are much cheaper and can be bought for $200-$400 but they are not sold with a warranty, so you never know how long they will go;
• new aftermarket cats are not a bad alternative - you can buy one for $200-$600 depending on the quality and they will go up to 7 years of 50,000 miles if you are lucky enough.

Cat converters are not eternal parts of your vehicle. In an Audi A4, this is the first expensive part that is going to be broken. And you will have to find some substitution if you still want to drive your Audi A4 or sell it to someone else.

Final words

Now you know that a cat converter from your Audi A4 can be sold and you can get some money. Of course, you will spend this money on a new cat and labor, not on a glass of beer in a pub, but still, why should you just lose your money and put a big rusty and useless part in your garage? You should find a recycling company that is going to pay you more money than other businesses and just sell it!