Ford Escape Catalytic Converter Scrap Price. SUV’s Cat – Big And Expensive?

We all know Ford Escape. This is an extremely popular SUV that is known as Escape in the US and as Kuga in Europe. According to investigations, over 300,000 Escapes are sold in America yearly. This shows that the vehicle is extremely popular - over 800 cars are bought daily in the US only. So, we decided to look at a very specific side of this vehicle.

Ford Escape has been in America since 2001. It has changed four generations with the latest one being presented in 2020. And now it's just a standard compact SUV that is based on traditional technologies and market needs. It used to be an off-road vehicle with wonderful capabilities and big engines, but now it's just a crossover. And we want to pay attention to its catalytic converter.

Here's what we'll discuss today:

1. What kind of a converter can you find in different generations of the Escape?
2. How much is the scrap cat taken from a Ford Escape?
3. How much is the new cat to replace the failing one?
4. Ways to sell your Ford Escape cat converter at a better price.

Let's get started!

Converters and pre-cats in Ford Escape

Depending on the year and engine, Ford Escape can have one, two, or three catalytic converters. In most cars, you will find one mid-sized cat. It's a simple Ford catalytic converter that is not very valuable and it still can be sold to a recycling company for some money. It doesn't mean that you can't get any compensation if your Ford OEM converter fails.

In most cases, you will need to replace the catalytic converter in your Ford Escape at 110,000-150,000 miles. Sometimes, the cat will fail even sooner. After it starts malfunctioning, the only sensible option is to replace it.

Here's how to understand that you have an original Ford converter:

• it should have a Ford logo on it - sometimes, it's covered with rust, though;
• the cat should also have a serial number on its body, again, remember about the rust;
• the converter is quite heavy, which means that it's full of ceramic filtration elements;
• original cats usually come as an integrated part of an exhaust pipe;
• you will not see any welding lines and tracks near the converter.

Only OEM converters made by Ford are actually valuable as scrap parts. If you have an aftermarket converter, you will not sell it at a good price. Their optimal price is around $10. But the original ones can be many times more expensive.

We should say that Ford cat converters don't get a lot of rust and they can be cleaned to see the serial number. If your cat is all rusty and has holes in it, most likely, it's an aftermarket part. Unfortunately, only original parts cost a lot because they contain some precious materials that can be recycled and reused once again.

How much is a Ford Escape scrap catalytic converter?

We should say that the average price for the Ford Escape catalytic converter will differ from $100 to $250 depending on the year, engine model, and also the condition of the cat.

The price of the converter is defined by many factors and some of them don't depend on you. For example, the old 3-liter-engine converters are not big, but you have a couple of them there. So, you will earn more money. The modern 2.5-liter Escapes have one mid-sized converter which is more expensive but it's only one part.

Here's what you should know about the scrap converter price:

• broken and damaged converters will not be bought at a high price;
• aftermarket converters are not bought by many recycling companies and they only cost $10-$30;
• the size and model year of the converter are important, so you need to know the serial number;
• all the precious metals are gathered in the ceramic honeycomb, so it has to be inside the cat;
• prices will also vary according to the market prices for precious metals.

A Ford Escape converter will contain 3-7 grams of platinum, 3-5 grams of palladium, and up to 2 grams of rhodium. These precious metals can be taken from a cat during the professional recycling process. These metals are extremely expensive, especially rhodium. But not all money will be the company's revenue. A lot of money is spent organizing the recycling process.

So, you may have two cats and one pre-cat or one cat and one pre-cat in your Ford Escape. Unfortunately, pre-cats don't sell for good money, they don't contain any precious materials. But the cats may be sold from $100 to $250. This price is only possible when you know how to sell your Ford Escape converter.

How much is it to replace the old converter with a new one?

Ford Escape is not a very cheap car to maintain. Although it's pretty popular, finding parts is sometimes a big problem. Especially, if we are talking about the exhaust system that has been changed and modified dozens of times. But thanks to your VIN code, you can still find all the parts you need.

And you'll be amazed to see that the cheapest new converters for your Ford Escape are just $200 or something. Be careful with those cheap cats - they aren't efficient in cleaning the gasses, so they won't let your car pass the fog test. Also, these cats will die very soon.

Then, there is a better option of aftermarket cats that cost around $600. These cats are better but they are still not very long-lasting. They will only last for 20,000-40,000 miles probably.

The last good option is an OEM converter. The assembly will cost from $1500 to $2600 which is extremely expensive. But these cats will work for 100,000 miles or even more.

Add $200-$300 for labor and you will have the final price for the catalytic converter replacement for your Ford Escape. It's an expensive part, but you will still need to come up with some option to replace it in order to drive your SUV with no problems.

Where to sell the Escape catalytic converter?

You will have some options and each of them will offer you certain prices for your scrap converter. The price we've given you above will only be true for one of these options. Want to know how to sell your scrap converter from a Ford Escape at a bigger price? Look at the list that we've prepared for you.

Here are some ways you can sell your cat:

1. eBay ads. Advertise your converter for sale and sell it to a private buyer. But bear in mind that you will need to wait for a long time.
2. Scrapyards. Local scrapyards will offer you $50 and this will not be a good price offer. It's a quick and simple way to sell the cat but we don't recommend using it.
3. Your mechanic. People who repair exhaust systems can also buy converters. The price offers will depend on the person, but usually, the prices are the same as in scrapyards.
4. Middlemen. You can find some ads on social media where people offer to buy out your old cat converters. This is a better chance than just selling your cat to a scrapyard because this way you can get some more money.
5. Recycling companies. We think it's the best way because you can sell your scrap converter at a good price and do it quickly without any problems.

Selling your converter to a recycling company starts with taking pictures of the cat. Then you should find websites of the companies that buy out cat converters. Send them pictures and inquire about the price. You will get some price offers and will be able to make a certain decision.

These recycling companies are your best friends when you want to sell the scrap cat. But again, some of them will not offer a good price. You will need to quote from different companies to have a choice.

It doesn't make any sense to hunt for a better price for precious metals on the market because you can wait for months and not get what you want. The market is unpredictable. So, just take what you are given, but check if someone wants to give you more money.

Final words

We are pretty sure that you don't need that old catalytic converter. And it contains some really rare and precious metals worth over $1000. Of course, no one will give you so much money because the recycling companies need to invest a lot in the process of recycling. But you can get up to $250 for some types of cats that were installed in the Ford Escape.

Just find the company that will be ready to pay you more money and do it quickly. Recycling companies are now hunting for used cats, so they will be glad to send you a good offer. You will still need to find a couple of options to just compare the offers you may get.