Jeep Cherokee Catalytic Converter Scrap Price Factors You Should Know

If you own a Jeep Cherokee or a Jeep Grand Cherokee, sooner or later you will face the problem of a clogged catalytic converter. This part is actually quite reliable and long-lasting in Jeep vehicles, but it will not go over 150 000 miles. Sometimes, Jeep owners have to replace it even sooner - around 100 000 miles.

A Jeep Cherokee catalytic converter is a precious thing and you should not throw it away in any case. This converter can be sold for decent money. Be careful with the buyer you choose for selling your cat converter. Some buyers will try to persuade you that your converter is just a piece of scrap metal and you should sell it for $10 or something.

Today, we'll tell you more about the following:

1. What is the scrap value of an old converter from Jeep Cherokee?
2. How to distinguish between OEM and aftermarket Jeep Cherokee converters?
3. How to sell your converter legally and with no risks?
4. Can you get more money for your old converter?
5. What can reduce the scrap price of a converter?

Let's get started!

How much does your old Jeep Cherokee converter cost?

When talking about the scrap converters, we will usually speak about older Jeep Cherokees that are now usually used for off-roading. Their converters very often have "dates" with rocks and road debris and just fall off because they are old and rusty. But leaving a broken converter on the road is a very bad idea. It can earn some money for you.

The old converters contain some platinum and palladium. Also, recycling companies may get around 1 gram of rhodium from Jeep converters. These are not the best catalytic converters in the world, but they still cost some money.

Here's what will decide the final price:

1. Cat model and year. Some converters used in old Jeep vehicles initially had more precious metals than others. They will usually be sold at better prices.
2. The size and the weight of the converter. The bigger the cat converter, the more money it can bring to you.
3. OEM or aftermarket cat. Unfortunately, aftermarket converters will not cost anything. You will get $10 for the scrap cat if it's not an original Jeep converter.
4. Condition of the cat. If the converter is still in good condition, it will cost more. But if the condition of the cat is not that good, you will not be able to sell it at a good price.
5. The buyer. You can sell the converter to different buyers, and this will also decide the price. Some buyers will try to trick out the better price while others will offer a fair price at once.

Remember that rusty and shabby converters will not be expensive. The recycling companies don't want to risk their money. In a broken and rusty converter, they will not find a lot of precious metals. And this is the only factor that makes money. So they will try to buy the shabby converter as cheaply as possible to reduce their risks.

If you feel like hunting for some money, just read our today's article to the end. We'll tell you how to find a better price offer for your old catalytic converter from your Jeep Cherokee.

Do you have an OEM or an aftermarket converter?

This is the key factor when we talk about the scrap price of a cat. Aftermarket converters don't cost much. When new, they may cost about $600 or even less and they don't contain a lot of precious metals. They may not contain them at all. So the companies will tend to buy these converters just as scrap metal - you will not get more than $10 for them.

If the converter is OEM (original Jeep), it will cost a lot more than $10. The OEM converters contain precious metals so they are desired on the market.

Here's how to distinguish OEM converters:

• you will not see a welding line where the converter should be attached to the exhaust pipe;
• you will see the serial number and also Jeep logo on the converter;
• the OEM converter is usually quite big - much bigger than an aftermarket part;
• also, the OEM converters have two separate lines, so they are much heavier than the aftermarket ones.

These are the simple factors that will help you distinguish between aftermarket and an OEM converter. This is the key factor. If you have an aftermarket converter in your Jeep Cherokee, you may give up reading this article. Your cat is likely to cost around $10 and you may sell it in the nearest scrapyard without finding any better options.

But if your cat is OEM, then keep reading!

Does the Jeep Cherokee converter have a lot of precious metals?

No, it doesn't. Mainly, the recycling companies get platinum and palladium out of these cat converters. The most precious cats contain 1-2 grams of rhodium that costs over $650 per one gram. But Jeep cats contain much less rhodium. This means that the companies that recycle catalytic converters can only rely on platinum and palladium (approximately 7 grams of each).

You may count up that the companies still have big revenues because one gram of platinum is about $35 and one gram of palladium is approximately $75. But the process of taking these metals from your old converter is pretty long and expensive. It will require a lot of energy. Whatever sources of energy the company uses, it costs a lot. So the revenues are not as good as you may predict.

Actually, sometimes, the companies don't know at all if they will earn something. Because in old cats the honeycomb may be damaged. And this will reduce sharply the weight of the precious metals they can get from the converter.

How should you sell your Jeep Cherokee converter?

The most obvious option is a scrapyard. But we don't recommend dealing with them. These guys are never fair with clients, they will try to buy your converter as cheap as they can. $10 to $40 is the usual price offer you can get from them. You shouldn't agree to that at all.

Then, you may think of some guys who privately buy catalytic converters. In every city and town, you will have such guys who advertise on the internet and are ready to come to you for offering a certain price. These are middlemen, they will buy your converter cheap and then sell it at a better price. We don't recommend dealing with them, but it's a better option than a scrapyard.

Then, you may just sell your converter in a service station that repairs your vehicle. Although this option is very convenient, it will only give you approximately the same money as scrapyards. So this is good for people who don't have time to sell their old converters.

Also, you may try to advertise your converter for sale at eBay or any other website online. Use specialized forums or other communities where people can be interested in your converter. You may get good money, but there are two problems. Firstly, you don't know the fair price for the cat. Secondly, you will spend months selling the converter.

Finally, you may try and sell the converter directly to the recycling company. This is probably the best option for you. It doesn't take too much time and it gives pretty much the same money as you could get when privately selling the cat converter online.

By the way, I've also written the article about the SVC 4WD light in the Cherokee - you may want to have a look.

How to sell your Jeep Cherokee cat to a recycling company?

1. Find the companies that buy converters. You can find a lot of them online. Open their websites and read the conditions and prices.
2. Then take pictures of the converter you have for sale. Make sure they can see the serial number of the cat in those pictures.
3. Inquire about the prices. Send these pictures to the companies that will then answer your inquiries with their price offers.
4. Compare all the answers you got from these companies and choose the one that offers the best price and conditions.
5. Organize the shipping of your old converter. This will allow you to get the money as soon as the company gets the parcel.

Final words

Now you know where and how you can sell the old catalytic converter that you have taken from your Jeep Cherokee. Make sure you don't lose your money and don't sell the cat for $10 if it's an OEM cat converter. Though, if you have an aftermarket part, it doesn't cost much and can't be sold to recycling companies. They are only interested in OEM parts that contain precious metals.

We've shared our method of selling old catalytic converters so you can use it now. But whenever you use our instructions, never hurry up and always compare all the options you have. This will help you get more money and always get wonderful offers.