BMW 328i Catalytic Converter Scrap Price – Can You Get More Money?

The 3-Series Sedan has been quite a popular car from BMW in the American market. People love it for its wonderful comfort, sporty design, and good look, and also for great performance, in most modifications. The BMW 328i came with numerous types of engines including a V6 at first and also an L4 turbocharged N20 after generation changes.

The legendary model is iconic, but it doesn't mean it will not break and require maintenance. The BMW model is cool in terms of performance, but when it comes to maintenance, the owner will have to cry over their money. Today, we'll tell you how to sell the BMW 328i cat converter scrap and how much it should cost. Also, we'll tell you if it's expensive to replace the converter in this car.

Here's what we are going to talk about:

1. BMW 328i catalytic converter - where is it located?
2. What type of cat is used in the 328i?
3. How much should an OEM BMW cat cost?
4. Where to sell a cat from your BMW 328i?
5. How much is it to replace a converter in a BMW?

Let's get started!

What kind of converters are installed in the 328i?

BMW loved using big and expensive converters. But the 328i was the name that denoted a couple of types of 3-Series sedans. At first, it meant the 3-Series with a 6-cylinder engine having 2.8 liters of displacement. After that, the new generation brought a 4-cylinder turbocharged engine to the 3-Series, and the 328i code was used for this motor.

The V6 engine has more catalytic converters. It has two pre-cats instead of a single pre-cat in a 4-cylinder engine. But when it comes to main catalytic converters, you will be able to find assemblies with both one and two main converters in different 328i models. So, it depends on your luck and on the year of the vehicle.

Here's something you should know about the cats in the 3-Series 328i:

• these catalytic converters are made in Germany if they are OEM, they are pretty expensive and contain a lot of precious metals;
• the cat converters for a 328i are big, even pre-cats are quite heavy and can be easily sold as scrap parts for recycling;
• also, the pre-cats are placed near the exhaust manifold while main converters are situated under the vehicle, near the muffler;
• depending on the type of assembly, the 328i may have one big main converter or a couple of smaller cats in the system;
• these cats are very efficient but once they fail to do their job, you'll need to replace them to pass the fog test;
• the BMW cat converters are pretty durable, they can last for more than a decade and go about 150,000 miles which is not bad for a converter.

So, now you can get under your car and see if the cat converter is still there and what condition it is in. Unfortunately, absolutely broken converters with holes in them can't be sold at good prices. Also, catalytic converters should be OEM to get a good price for them.

A lot of BMW 328i vehicles have already had their OEM converters replaced. Some owners preferred original BMW parts when replacing the cats while the majority still preferred more affordable aftermarket options. If you have this option, you aren't likely to sell it at a good price.

How much can you get for a BMW 328i cat converter?

The short answer: the 328i catalytic converter scrap costs about $230 for the main cat and $60 to $90 for each of the pre-cats.

The scrap price of the broken or clogged cat is not a stable thing. It can change every day and it can even change during one day depending on what company you contact. Some businesses buy cat converters cheaply to then resell them and make a profit. These are not the best options for selling your BMW OEM converter.

But some other companies still may offer good prices. And they may change their price offers on the go. But their offers will still be much better than those of smaller companies and private buyers.

Before they offer you any certain price, these guys will check the following:

• the serial number on the catalytic converter - this is the number that helps them understand the amount of precious metals available in the cat;
• the size and weight of the cat - this will also help them see if the converter is original and it contains the main ceramic part inside;
• after that, specialists will check the condition of the converter - this is one of the major factors that can influence the price;
• the next step is to see the current prices for the precious metals and to count how much they can earn after they recycle this catalytic converter;
• in the last step, they send you a certain price offer and you may agree with it or just find another company to sell the cat to.

But do all the companies work like that? You may have had a different experience in selling your catalytic converter from an old car. You probably just came to the local scrapyard and asked them how much they could give you for the part. The answer was humiliating - something like three or four times less than you expected.

Before we continue, you should get to know if you have the original or aftermarket cat in your car. Also, you should check whether the cat is in good condition or not. The best action here would be to take pictures of the converter in order to send these pics to specialists and let them estimate the price.

Here's how you can sell your BMW 328i catalytic converter

BMW converters are always more expensive than the cats from other vehicles. But you should find a company or a person who will be glad to pay the full price. Most of the converter buyers on the market are just resellers and middlemen. They want to earn money using your catalytic converter.

But you would want to earn that money by yourself, right? For this, you need to find some recycling companies. We won't recommend any, just google and find them on your own to avoid blaming us for advertising some businesses.

Here's what you should do next:

• take pictures of your catalytic converter and see if you can read the serial number on one of these pictures;
• go to websites of the recycling companies you've found online before;
• find ways to quote on these websites, you can quote using the pictures of the cat;
• after that, wait for a while until all the companies send you their offers and see the prices;
• compare the offers and choose the one that pays more for the 328i catalytic converter.

This is one of the easiest ways of selling your BMW catalytic converter fast and at a good price. Also, you'll be able to choose between different offers. Even if you have a bad recycling company on your list, you'll have other offers that will help you avoid being tricked. That's why this method is always the most lucrative for sellers.

Before selling the catalytic converter, you'll need to cut it off the vehicle and cut the pipes. Prepare it for shipping just as the chosen recycling company recommends to do it. If you have any problems or questions, you can always contact the company that is buying the cat and ask whatever you need.

Replacing cat converters in a 3-Series - expensive?

Unfortunately, you can only drive without your catalytic converter up until the next fog test. In most states, it's illegal to delete cats from vehicles, so you'll need to come up with some way to replace the part.

This may be pretty expensive because the original cat converter assembly for a 328i may cost up to $3,500 (the entire set).

Also, include labor costs and you'll see that you are going to give away over $4K for replacing cats in a car that probably doesn't cost that much. Here's what you can do to avoid that:

1. Find aftermarket cats. Aftermarket converters are most likely less efficient, but they are much cheaper. The decent assembly may cost about $500 or even less.
2. Find some decent used converters. Sometimes, scrapyards and private sellers offer used cats that are still in normal condition. But this is still a big risk.
3. Clean and reuse your converter. Sometimes, it's possible to still use the broken cat for passing fog tests. But deleting it every time after the ecology check is not convenient, anyway.

Final words

The BMW 328i has never been a cheap car. We don't only mean its price on the market, but we also mean its maintenance costs. But one good thing is that you can sell the catalytic converter used in this vehicle and get quite good money. Sometimes, the scrap price of the 328i cat converter is going to be the same as the price of a new aftermarket cat, so you won't have to spend a lot on replacement.