GM Catalytic Converter Scrap Price – New and Old Cats Comparison

General Motors works hard in the American market and creates wonderful vehicles for American buyers. Chevy, GMC, Cadillac, and many other wonderful car brands are governed by GM. If you own a General Motors vehicle, you may have thought about catalytic converters. Can you sell them at a good price? Can you replace them without spending a fortune on that?

Today, we are going to speak about General Motors catalytic converters' scrap prices. Those are just some simple cats that contain some precious metals inside. They are usually bought by scrapyards and different companies that recycle these cats or resell them to other businesses. We have to point out some important features so that you knew everything about GM cats.

Here's what we are going to talk about:

1. GM cat converters - what type are they and why are they so precious?
2. How much can you get for a scrap GM catalytic converter?
3. Who will buy these catalytic converters from a GM car?
4. How much is it to replace a cat converter in a General Motors vehicle?

Let's get started!

What type of catalytic converters do GM cars use?

The type and size of the catalytic converter in a General Motors vehicle depend much on the year. As the company developed, it changed the technologies of ecological equipment, introduced new types of catalytic converters, and also presented new types of assemblies with different components in the exhaust system.

Now, nearly all of these components can be sold because they contain precious metals. Usually, you can find rhodium, platinum, and palladium inside a catalytic converter. Unfortunately, rhodium is only presented in the quantity of 1-2 grams, but it still can make the biggest part of revenue when the cat is recycled.

Here are some facts about GM catalytic converters:

• these cats may be of any size and this depends much on the engine type, in recent years, cats tend to be smaller;
• the size and weight are important, they are usually the main criteria when companies estimate the price of a certain cat;
• nearly all GM converters will have a logo on them - this will be a logo of the brand (Chevy, GMC, etc.);
• also, the OEM catalytic converters from a GM car will have serial numbers on them, this is an important part of the unit;
• every GM cat has a ceramic element inside that resembles a honeycomb, this is the main part of the converter;
• all OEM converters form the united part with the pipes, so when you buy a new cat, you buy it with pipes (if it's still an OEM part).

So, why are we so specific about the OEM parts? Because this is the most important feature that will make your catalytic converter cost some money. Do you have an aftermarket cat that was installed in your vehicle some years ago instead of the OEM one? Well, some bad news here: you will not make much money.

Aftermarket catalytic converters will usually cost about $20 or $25 and for selling them you don't need to know any secrets. Just go to a local scrapyard and get your money. But if you have an original GM catalytic converter in your hands, you can get much more. Let's see what the prices are.

How much should a broken GM converter cost?

We say 'broken' because we understand that nobody will sell a working element. But after it's clogged or damaged, you can sell it and get some money to buy a new one.

The short answer: a big GM catalytic converter should cost $250, on average. While a small cat should have a scrap price of $110. Unfortunately, these cats may also be much less expensive. It depends on a lot of factors you should know.

We've tried hard and gathered a couple of factors that may change the price of your General Motors catalytic converters. Here are some of them:

1. Current prices for platinum, palladium, and rhodium. They vary from day to day, and sometimes the difference may be just insane.
2. The catalytic converter condition. A broken part with a broken ceramic element will probably cost $20 or something like that. Companies don't want to risk their money.
3. The type and size of a catalytic converter. Usually, larger cats are more expensive, but sometimes it's not the main factor. The serial number will be the important feature.
4. The number of cats available for purchase. The demand is always wonderful because recycling companies need new cats to work with. But the offer sometimes goes up and companies need to lower prices to buy out all cats they are offered.
5. The company you choose for selling your old catalytic converters. You may choose a private buyer or a scrapyard. We'll talk later about this.

So, sometimes the prices just don't depend on you. One day rhodium may fall in price and you will have to sell your GM catalytic converter much cheaper. Also, this will mean that in the nearest future, buyers will be very careful with offering higher prices because they take risks.

Getting more money for your catalytic converter is not that hard. You just need to find the company that will pay you more money and won't cheat with the price. But how to do that? Let's discuss!

How to find a better price offer for your GM cat?

Finding a really good price for the catalytic converter is not hard at all. We can tell you that people usually sell their old cats to scrapyards, but it's one of the biggest mistakes. You shouldn't go to a local scrapyard, maybe just to understand their price offer. But selling your converter to them it's a bad option.

Also, people sometimes sell their cats to mechanics and exhaust shops. Don't do that. It means you will just lose your money. The same we can say about selling catalytic converters to middlemen and resellers. These guys offer convenient service, but their prices aren't very good.

Here's how you should sell your cat:

• take pictures of the converter from different angles and take the picture of the serial number plate;
• go online and google for recycling companies that buy out catalytic converters from private sellers;
• usually, these companies have their own websites and they offer wonderful prices for your catalytic converters;
• all you need to do is to quote - they will get back to you once they decide how much they can pay;
• these companies understand that they compete with each other, so their offers are usually wonderful;
• you can compare prices offered by different companies and find the best option for you.

After you get all the offers, just look at the prices and choose the best one. Make sure that these companies offer free shipping because sometimes, shipping is really expensive. After that, you may just ship your converter and get your money shortly after that.

It's important to understand that prices may vary. Every day these companies may change their price offers. So, the offers are only true when you get them. After a week, you will need to quote once again.

How much is it to replace a catalytic converter in a GM car?

General Motors vehicles are practical and not very expensive to maintain. But when it comes to a new catalytic converter, you will need to know how to replace it. You will basically have a couple of possible options.

Here are the most obvious ones:

1. A new OEM catalytic converter. This is a popular way to replace the old cat if you want durability and no problems with cats at all. The price of a single cat may be $900 to $1,800.
2. A used OEM catalytic converter. You can go to eBay and find some GM converters for sale. A single cat will cost up to $500 but you never know if it works properly and how long it is going to work.
3. A new aftermarket catalytic converter. This is also a popular solution. Such cats need some welding when installed, they are not so durable. But they may cost $200 to $500 for a new catalytic converter.

Also, you should include labor in your calculations. The price of labor should be anywhere between $50 and $200 for the installation of a single catalytic converter. It depends on whether you need to weld them or just bolt them on.

Anyway, catalytic converter replacement will not be very cheap. So, it's important to find a proper company that will buy your old and broken catalytic converter at a better price.

Final words

A catalytic converter in your GM cat costs some money. You can sell it to a recycling company or choose any other way of selling a broken cat. Unfortunately, this will not compensate for the expenses you have when replacing the catalytic converter. But at least you are able to get some money back.

Also, bear in mind that only some companies will offer you good prices, so inquire in different companies about the prices.