BMW 7-Series Catalytic Converter Scrap Price - Anything Special?

If you own a BMW 7-Series, you should be proud of your vehicle. It's quite a good and comfortable car even if it's not that new. But older vehicles always have more problems than new ones. One of the common issues for any car older than 10 years and with high mileage on it is the issue with the catalytic converter.

Today, we'll tell you how much money you can get if you decide to sell your BMW 7-Series catalytic converter. We'll also tell you how exactly you can sell it. In most cases, this is going to be quite simple, but you still need to know some tricks and secrets so that you weren't tricked out of money by unfair buyers. We'll cover everything you need to know to succeed.

Here's what we'll be talking about:

• Where are the cat converters located in your BMW 7-Series?
• How long will OEM BMW cats survive?
• What's the average price for your clogged or broken cats from the 7-Series?
• How exactly can you sell a BMW converter at a good price?
• Will you need a replacement catalytic converter?

Let's get started!

Location and type of the BMW 7-Series catalytic converter

Not all catalytic converters are valuable. You will need to locate the cats you have in your BMW 7-Series before you understand if they cost some money. So, the first thing you should know is that your Bimmer most likely has not a single catalytic converter. Some cats are installed right near the engine and then there is another one or even two cats in the exhaust pipe.

The system of emission control in your 7-Series is quite efficient. The vehicle is luxury, so it offers the best technologies you can find. At least, they were the best when the vehicle was engineered. And this leads to a lot of converters because this helps to treat emission gasses with more efficiency.

So, here's what you should know about converters in the 7-Series:

• the pre-cats are installed near the exhaust manifold, the number depends on the engine type, usually, it's one or two small pre-cats;
• the main converter is usually located near the muffler and is integrated into the exhaust pipe, it's bigger than pre-cats;
• all OEM cats have serial numbers on them, so you can understand easily if you have an OEM or an aftermarket part;
• catalytic converters are integrated into the system and you won't see any welding lines near them, if you see welding, they are not OEM;
• these converters contain platinum, palladium, and even a little rhodium which makes them pretty valuable;
• these cats are very durable and reliable, they are made of thick metals that are protected against corrosion.

Well, now you know a little more about catalytic converters in your BMW 7-Series. This will help you locate them and even find out if they are OEM or not. This is the key question when it comes to selling old converters. Aftermarket cats are not valuable at all and they can be really bad in terms of quality and contents. Some of them just don't contain any precious metals.

Your task is to make sure you have OEM BMW converters and perfectly know how to sell them. While we answered the first part of this question, the second part is yet to be answered.

How long will the OEM Bimmer converter live?

The durability of the catalytic converter in your BMW 7-Series is above average. The original main converter can live up to 150,000 miles or even longer. Pre-cats are also durable and can live as long as the vehicle lives. But sometimes they break down or get clogged just because of overheating or physical damage.

Aftermarket converters are even worse in terms of durability. Some cats may only live 30,000 miles or 2 years and then they need replacement again. The key question is the quality of metals and other materials used in manufacturing these cats.

We believe the OEM cat in your 7-Series may live over 200K miles if the vehicle is maintained properly and driven carefully. But still, we saw many Bimmer owners who had to replace their converters as soon as at 50,000 miles.

We are here not to talk about the reasons for the premature converter death in your BMW. But about how to sell those cats at better prices.

What should be the price for a scrap catalytic converter from the 7-Series?

Now, we come up with the most interesting part of the article - how much should a 7-Series catalytic converter cost? First of all, we should tell you that an aftermarket cat will cost about $30 when broken or clogged. Buyers hate paying more for these converters because they usually don't contain any precious metals in a decent amount.

But if your 7-Series still has an OEM converter, you can sell it for more money. The average price of a pre-cat should be about $60 while the main catalytic converter from the Bimmer will cost $220 or even more. The price is not stable and it may change rapidly due to some important factors.

Here are the factors that influence the price:

• the market of precious metals - prices go up and down and this is the key factor that you should consider;
• the condition of the 7-Series cat - it's not always good after all those years of use, so it can differ from one car to another;
• the year of your BMW 7-Series and the type of engine which determine the type of converter used by the company for the vehicle;
• the buyer that you choose - a lot of buyers will want to pay you for the cat, but not all of them will pay decent money.

As you see, some factors can change the price of your catalytic converter. It means you should keep an eye on all those factors. But how can you change the market prices for precious metals or other important factors that we've listed above? Actually, the only thing you can change is the choice of the buyer.

Let's figure out how exactly you can sell your BMW 7-Series catalytic converter and get more money than average.

Selling your cat - how to choose the buyer?

One of the most important things you will have in your mind when choosing a buyer for your catalytic converter is the price. But it's not the only thing to care about. You should also think about shipping, legal purchase, etc. So, selling your cat converter to your neighbor who illegally trades scrap parts is not legal - these parts can't be sold for cash, by the way.

We have researched and found out which buyers you can rely on when selling a scrap catalytic converter.

Here are the possible buyers:

• scrapyards - these are probably the most obvious companies that you think about when you want to sell a BMW 7-Series converter, but they are not the best ones;
• resellers - these are private buyers that offer you cash right there and then, they can even pay more than scrapyards, but they are still not the best options and not really legal ones;
• exhaust shops and mechanics - they can buy out the old converters, but again, the money you will get there is not that good;
• eBay - this is a great option if your BMW catalytic converter still works, in such a way you can find another 7-Series owner who will be glad to pay over average;
• recycling companies - this is something you should tend to if you want a legal sale and more money for the old scrap cat.

So, to sell your BMW 7-Series catalytic converter to a recycling company, you will need to take a couple of pictures of the cat. Then find the website of such a company and send them pics. Also, you may want to find some websites at once to check which recycling company will pay you more money.

After comparison, you'll be able to choose the best option. One of the good tricks: always choose the company that pays for shipping.

Will you need a replacement converter?

You will not need a replacement converter for the BMW 7-Series in one case only: you want to scrap your vehicle or sell it as a salvage car. If you still want to drive the BMW on American roads, you will need the cat converter. Otherwise, the next fog test will send your vehicle to the repair station with amazingly big bills. And you'll also need to pay a fine.

So, the replacement cat converter should be there if you want to continue driving. It will be checked not only by the fog test itself but also visually when cops will be examining the car during the emission test.

Final words

One important thing you should now know is that every BMW has a catalytic converter that can be sold. Also, you know who to sell it to so that you could get more money. One more important thing - you understand which cat may cost more money. And you won't make that common mistake and sell your car to a scrapyard. Just find a more generous buyer like a recycling company.