Mitsubishi Outlander Catalytic Converter Scrap Price – Expensive Unit?

The Outlander is one of the most intriguing Japanese SUVs. The vehicle is pretty popular in the US. Currently, the model sells around 40,000 vehicles a year in America, the same number in Europe, and over 50,000 units yearly in China. Also, the Outlander is popular in Australia and many other countries. But today we aren't going to talk a lot about its sales or specs.

Today, we are talking about the catalytic converter scrap price for the Mitsubishi Outlander. We are concentrating on the second and the third generations because the newest fourth generation of the vehicle is not going to have cat converter problems within the nearest years. So, how much can you get for the cat converter that doesn't work properly? Let's find out!

We'll discuss the following things:

• Mitsubishi Outlander cat converter - where it is located?
• How much will different buyers pay for a converter from your SUV?
• How to sell a catalytic converter directly to a recycling company?
• Replacement cats for your Mitsubishi Outlander.

Let's get started!

Types and location of the cat converters in your Mitsubishi SUV

The first, second, and third generation Outlanders can still be met on the roads of the US. They are very durable, pretty comfortable, and economical in terms of both fuel consumption and maintenance costs. Most of these vehicles can easily go over 300,000 miles, but most of their cats will only be able to do 150,000 miles or even less, so replacement is inevitable.

The cat converter may go bad because of physical damage or just because of its age and mileage. Most cats die when they overheat or just when the inner ceramic honeycomb is deteriorated and destroyed or clogged. You will feel sluggishness, bad acceleration, and stalling, you will also see a check engine light and other common symptoms if the cat converter is done.

Here's what you should know about the Mitsubishi Outlander cats:

• most of these vehicles have pre-cats and main cats in the assembly, pre-cats are smaller in size and obviously less expensive;
• pre-cats are located near exhaust manifolds - in V6 engines there are a minimum of two pre-cats, one cat for each manifold;
• main catalytic converters are located further in the exhaust system, closer to the muffler, they are big barrels with heat protection that are hard to overlook;
• OEM Mitsubishi cats have serial numbers and logos on their bodies, but very old converters may be too rusty for you to locate those numbers;
• these cats contain ceramic honeycombs and on these parts, you will find some precious metals like platinum, palladium, and also rhodium;
• that's why recycling companies want to buy these converters to get the metals and sell them to businesses.

The old catalytic converter business is not that easy and companies need to have a lot of equipment, specialists, licensing, and other features to work officially. Also, to get the precious metals out of the converter and clean them they need to pay a lot of money for energy sources. This explains why your Outlander cat converter can't cost $1000, for example.

To sell the cat, you will need to take it off your vehicle. It's not hard for a professional, but it can be a daunting task for you. Also, you can damage the cat and make its price much lower. So, the best solution is to have things sorted in one of the trusted shops.

How much will different companies pay for the Outlander cat converter?

Well, you can't predict the price until you try and ask these companies. First of all, prices change rapidly because of different reasons. Secondly, different companies will obviously offer various prices according to their policies.

But still, we can say that as of 2022, the average price for the clogged or broken cat converter from a Mitsubishi Outlander should be about $220 for the main cat and $60 to $80 for any of the pre-cats.

This may not seem a lot, but this is an average price and chances are you can sell your cat converter at a better price just by waiting when the price for palladium goes up.

Here are some notes to consider on different buyers:

• Scrapyards- the most popular and probably the worst buyers you can think of because they will only pay you half of what your converter should cost - up to $125 for the main cat currently.
• Exhaust shops- a mechanic in an exhaust shop may offer you a $100 discount if you agree to give them the old converter. We don't recommend this but if you don't have any time to sell it by yourself, you may consider this option.
• Private buyers on eBay- they will most probably pay you more than any other buyer if the converter is still able to work and pass fog tests. Otherwise, this is a bad method.
• Resellers and middlemen- these guys will offer you up to $200 for the main cat from your Outlander. They are quick and friendly but we only recommend them if you don't have any time for other methods.
• Recycling companies- this is the best way to sell your old catalytic converter. Recycling companies offer up to $280 for the Mitsubishi Outlander catalytic converter and this is the best price you can find for a scrap cat.

So, you will still need to remember that prices vary a lot and depend on different factors. For example, the prices for precious metals, the condition of your cat, and also the serial number on the cat converter can change the price significantly.

The best way to learn the current price is to ask one of the companies that buy these converters. But how can you do that?

How to sell the cat to a recycling company or inquire about the price?

Your Mitsubishi Outlander catalytic converter should be sold at a good price. For this, you should go to recycling companies because they pay more money than any other buyers. But how exactly can you sell this converter to a recycling company without spending too much time on this?

Here's how:

• take the converter off the vehicle or better have it taken off at an exhaust shop;
• clean it a little and take pictures of the converter to show its condition and serial number;
• go online and find at least three websites of different recycling companies dealing with car cats;
• send them pictures of the cat and also a short description;
• wait until they send you their price offers and compare them to choose the best one.

Now you know the average price of the cat you are having in your hands. Even if you don't want to sell the converter at this price, you will have something to take as a starting price for your further searches.

By the way, most recycling companies will pay for shipping and this will save you another hundred dollars or so. Be careful when you choose the company to sell your cat to. Not in every US state the scrap cat selling is legal.

How much is the replacement cat converter for your Outlander?

The question is what you should do after you actually sell your catalytic converter. And here you have two options. You can continue driving without a cat converter up until your next fog test. But bear in mind that it's not legal at all and you will still need to weld in some pipe instead of the cat which will also cost you some money.

So, the wiser decision is to buy a replacement catalytic converter. Here, you will have three main options:

• Used OEM converter. This is the cheapest option, but in most cases, used converters from Mitsubishi Outlanders are not very long-lasting and can fail very soon after you buy them.
• New aftermarket cats. In this case, you get a new catalytic converter but its efficiency and quality depend on the price. Cheaper units will only leave a year or two while more expensive ones can survive as long as the OEM cat.
• New OEM converters. Almost no owners choose this option because it takes a lot of money out of their pockets. A single main cat converter for the Outlander will cost at least $1,500.

Don't forget that you should have some more money for labor. Unfortunately, exhaust shop workers won't agree to work for free.

Final words

If you have a broken or clogged catalytic converter from your Mitsubishi Outlander, you should check if it's OEM. Aftermarket cats will never sell at a good price, so remember this. Also, you should take care of the cat, clean it, and take pictures to inquire about the price. After that, you can sell your cat and get up to $280.

Remember that the prices may change, so all estimates that you read in this article may not be true in a month or a year. You should use the above-given step-by-step instruction to inquire about the current price at recycling companies.