Honda Odyssey Catalytic Converter Scrap Price. Big Car – Big Money?

Honda Odyssey is a mid-sized minivan or MPV which has been extremely popular all over the world. American buyers also love this vehicle. The car has been in production since 1994 and it has already changed five generations and is about to get the sixth gen. It's a marvelous car in terms of comfort, longevity, and also maintenance costs. But still, it has some common problems you need to know about.

One of the problems is the catalytic converter failure. Anywhere between 120 000 and 150 000 miles you may feel that the vehicle loses its power and accelerates slowly. You may also see the check engine light on the dashboard. This will apparently mean that you need to replace the catalytic converter. Today, we'll tell you how to sell the old converter and get some compensation for your big expenses.

Here's what we are going to discuss today:

1. The types of catalytic converters in Odysseys and their contents.
2. Average scrap prices of a Honda Odyssey catalytic converter.
3. Different ways to sell your old and malfunctioning Odyssey converter.
4. How much is it to replace the failing converter in your Honda MPV?

Let's get started!

What kinds of converters are used in Honda Odyssey?

The types and the number of cat converters used in a vehicle depend on the engine. Even within one generation, different modifications of the Odyssey could have different types of cats. Usually, modern Odysseys use one big Honda converter, just like other Honda vehicles. But different generations had from 1 to 3 cat converters of different types.

If your vehicle has two or three cats, they will be cheaper. But if the minivan has one big cat converter, it will be sold at a better price. Though, you will need to find a person or a company who will buy the cat.

Here's what each cat converter in Honda Odyssey may contain:

• platinum (around $35/gram) - depending on the size of the cat, it can contain up to 7 grams of platinum, but smaller converters contain 2-3 grams;
• palladium (around $75/gram) - each cat converter made by Honda contains 2 to 7 grams of palladium;
• rhodium (over $600/gram) - over 1 gram of rhodium can be taken from a Honda converter, but you will have to use special equipment to get this metal.

The overall weight of the precious metals in your Honda Odyssey catalytic converter depends much on the engine type, the number of converters in the vehicle, the model year of the vehicle, etc. Also, the condition of the cat may change the amount of precious materials you can get out of the cat.

We mean that if a cat is broken, it has some holes in its body, and if the ceramic element inside the converter is damaged, you will not get a lot of money for such a cat. Recycling companies will only be interested in converters that look good. Rust is not a big issue, almost all used cat converters are rusty.

How much does a scrap cat from Honda Odyssey cost?

It's not that easy to tell you the certain price because it may vary. It depends on so many factors that we can't even provide you with a table showing the year-engine-price tendency. We can say that the price of a small catalytic converter (the one that comes in a system of two or three cats) is from $50 to $125. While the price of a big Honda Odyssey converter is from $120 to $200.

It doesn't mean that any scrapyard will buy such a converter from you. To sell your cat at a really good price, you will need to make sure that all of the factors given below are true:

• the converter is not damaged (it may only be rusty);
• the cat is original (OEM), not an aftermarket part;
• the converter is full and heavy - it has the ceramic filter part inside;
• the cat converter is sold to a recycling company, not to a middleman.

So, the price depends on many factors and you can control one of them - the company that you sell your converter to. Other factors you can only check.

Pay attention to the origin of your converter. If the cat is aftermarket, it costs around $10 or $20. But it may be hard to check whether a Honda converter is original or aftermarket. The problem is that Honda often doesn't mark its converters. They don't have a Honda logo or a serial number on them. So, you will probably need to ask a specialist to know if your cat converter is actually OEM and it costs some money.

Want to know more about cat converter prices? Read the article we-ve written for you.

Where to sell your Honda Odyssey catalytic converter?

You will have a couple of options and only one of them is actually worth your time. So, the possible options are scrapyards, car shops, repair stations, car exhaust shops, different middlemen, and even eBay. We don't recommend these methods because they have two problems: the price will not be that good, and also you will have to spend some time selling the cat.

We insist that you should sell the catalytic converter from your Honda Odyssey to a company that recycles catalytic converters. Actually, all scrapyards and middlemen will do the same and will earn money on your cat.

Here's how you can sell the Honda Odyssey converter to a recycling company:

1. First, google and find some companies that recycle catalytic converters or just recycle waste and buy cat converters from private owners.
2. Then, take pictures of the converter that you have already taken off the vehicle. Take some pictures that show the condition of the cat.
3. After that, quote for the price using the websites of the companies you have already found. Send as many quotes as you can.
4. In one or two days, these companies will answer you and will offer a certain price for your catalytic converter.
5. Finally, you may choose the cat converter and speak to a manager to clear some procedures on how to sell the cat.

You should understand that all scrapyards, mechanics, shop owners, etc. who will buy your cat will just do the same - they will ask different recycling companies and will know which company gives more money for the cat. Why should you let them earn the money you can easily earn by yourself?

We believe that selling your catalytic converter to a recycling company is the best option. Not only because you will get more money, but also because you will send your cat converter to a big and official company that recycles all the materials and prevents any damage to the ecology.

How much is it to replace a cat converter in the Odyssey?

Honda cat converters are not cheap at all. If you need to buy one, you should find some ways to save your funds. For example, if your vehicle has two or three cats, each new OEM converter will cost you around $700-$1000 which is extremely expensive. If you have one big cat in the exhaust system, this part will cost you approximately $1500.

You will have some other options to pay less, but very often these options aren't as good as they seem to be at first.

The most popular decisions are the following:

1. Used cat converters. It may seem like a good idea, but eventually, you don't know how long these converters can go. They can fail in 2000 miles, and no one will give you money back.
2. Cheap aftermarket converters. These cats may look good, but they have one common problem: they are not good enough to pass the fog test. And why do you need a converter that still makes your car illegal on the roads?
3. Used repaired converters. They may cost half the price of the new Honda OEM converters, but they are a little better than just used cats from eBay. We still don't recommend them because you never know their potential longevity and if they have actually been repaired.
4. Expensive aftermarket parts. The last option is the aftermarket cats made by well-known companies. They are pretty good and they only have one disadvantage compared to OEM cats - they have a shorter lifespan.

If you don't want to spend a fortune on a new OEM converter for your Honda Odyssey, the only sensible decision is to buy a good aftermarket cat that is twice cheaper. But it won't live as long as the OEM converter.

Final words

The problem of selling your cat converter is actually important for a Honda Odyssey owner. We know some guys who were tricked by scrapyards. They were told that the converters were aftermarket and cost only $10, but these guys had original cat converters. You should get more information and try different methods of selling your old cat converter. This way, you will get more money and will have to spend less for the new cat that will get your minivan back to life.