Volkswagen Beetle Catalytic Converter Scrap Price – How To Sell It?

Volkswagen Beetle is a vehicle that was bought by pure lovers of German cars. They love unconventional vehicles and want to stand out in the crowd. But it doesn't cancel the factor that these are still cars and they can have mechanical problems. Especially, regarding the units that have a limited life expectancy like catalytic converters, for example.

However beautiful your car looks, it will still emit a lot of harmful gasses and the task of a catalytic converter is to clean them a little. The cat converter gets clogged and fails at 100,000 miles or even sooner depending on the way you use your vehicle. Today, we'll be speaking about Volkswagen Beetle catalytic converters, their scrap prices, and also about the ways to sell them.

Here are some of the important topics for today:

1. VW Beetle catalytic converter types and location.
2. How much should an original converter from a Beetle cost?
3. An aftermarket Beetle cat converter scrap price - why so low?
4. What can change the price of your cat converter?
5. Where to sell your VW Beetle's original catalytic converter?

Let's get started!

What are the types of Beetle catalytic converters?

You can traditionally find a catalytic converter (or the sets of them) under your vehicle. Just look between the exhaust manifold (the place where the exhaust pipe connects with the engine) and the muffler (the biggest unit in the exhaust pipe). Usually, the cat converters are not so big but heavy.

They usually have a shape of a barrel. Also, they may have a certain heat screen around them to avoid heating other elements. But it's not a necessary part. Cat converters or so-called pre-cats may also be located in the engine compartment right after the exhaust manifold.

Here are some things you should know about the Beetle cats:

• original Volkswagen catalytic converters are known to have a serial number and a VW logo on them;
• they are integrated into the exhaust pipe and they usually don't have any welding lines around them;
• the original converters are made of thick metal and they are protected from rust, so they are not rusty, in most cases;
• different engines in the VW Beetle have different types of cat converters, this may define their initial price;
• some engines have two converters, but usually, a Beetle engine should have one catalytic converter in the system;
• all catalytic converters are equipped with an oxygen sensor that controls the way they work.

You shouldn't think that VW Beetle cat converters are all very cheap. Some of them may contain a lot of precious metals and be very wanted on the market. But the price depends on many factors, not only on the type of the catalytic converter. We'll discuss it later in the article.

So, to sell your catalytic converter, you should cut it out first. If you buy an original cat, then it comes with a piece of the exhaust pipe and you will not need to weld anything. But if you want to install an aftermarket part, you will probably need to weld it and save your original exhaust pipe.

How much should an original VW Beetle cat converter cost?

When you are going to sell a catalytic converter, you should now approximate prices. Otherwise, a scrapyard worker can trick you and convince you to sell the converter for $20. The scrapyard will then sell it at a much higher price. By the way, scrapyards are never good places to sell your cat converter, we know some better ways.

The scrap price of a Beetle catalytic converter should be between $90 and $220. Here's what recycling companies find inside these parts:

• up to 7 grams of platinum - $35 a gram;
• up to 5 grams of palladium - $75 a gram;
• up to 1.5 grams of rhodium - $600 a gram.

Now we see your anger - why do they earn over $1500 with your converter but they only pay you up to $200?

Because the cat converter is not that easy to recycle. All these precious metals are presented in the form of a very thin film that is applied to the ceramic honeycomb which acts as a filter. These metals should be melted and this needs a lot of heat energy.

Also, recycling companies have other expenses like license payments, rent, salaries, taxes, etc. So, they don't earn $1300 just by recycling your VW converter.

By the way, the new original VW Beetle cat converter will cost about $2000 and sometimes even more.

What about the aftermarket Beetle cat converter scrap price?

Recycling companies usually don't buy aftermarket catalytic converters from private sellers. They may buy if you have dozens of them and then the shipping costs will make sense.

The usual price for an aftermarket catalytic converter is $20-$30 but some scrapyards will not even give you $10. Why are they so cheap?

Well, these converters don't contain any rhodium. And they may contain 1-2 grams of palladium and platinum. This will not allow a recycling company to earn a lot of money working with these converters.

Important price factors for your Beetle catalytic converter

The price, of course, depends on the size and type of the converter. We can say that the bigger the engine displacement, the more precious metals you will find in the converter. But it doesn't always mean that small engines have cheap cat converters.

There are other factors that also change the price of your Beetle catalytic converter and may play an even more important role than the type and size.

Here are some of the most important factors:

• the serial number which helps recycling companies check quickly the certain amount of precious materials;
• condition of the cat - some rusty and very old converters look damaged and they will only be bought with a big discount;
• prices for the precious metals - they may vary day by day and you can wait until the prices are better than now;
• the way you sell your catalytic converters - sometimes, this is the most important factor to consider.

Well, you can't control the market prices for precious metals and also the condition of your catalytic converter. But you can control the way you sell the cat. And once it's a good buyer, you immediately get better prices.

Now, we are going to provide you with detailed instructions on how to sell a VW Beetle catalytic converter at a better price.

Who should you sell your old converter to?

This is an important step and many Americans lose their money because they just don't know how to get a better price. They go to scrapyards and sell their original VW cats for $50 or something like that. You should know that you can get at least twice more than the local scrapyard offers.

One thing you need to do is to avoid all those middlemen, private buyers, and other guys who just want to buy your converter at a low price and then resell it at a better price.

Here is the way to sell your Beetle cat:

1. Take pictures of your converter to send them to specialists.
2. Make sure you have the serial number of the cat and all details about your vehicle.
3. Find websites of the companies that buy catalytic converters for recycling.
4. Use these websites to quote. You can send pictures and get price offers in some hours.
5. After they send you offers, compare them and choose the best price.
6. Pay attention to small things like whether the company pays for shipping.
7. Finalize the deal and get the money for your old converter.

It all sounds difficult until you try. Just one or two hours will be enough for selling your cat converter at a much better price. This is not a secret way to sell an old cat, but still, not many Americans use it.

Also, remember that you should find a lot of companies. This way, you will have the possibility to compare more offers and get the best price for your cat.

Selling your old Beetle cat converter to a recycling company is not only the most lucrative but also the most ecological way. They will recycle the cat and will not throw away any remaining materials.

Final words

A lot of people lose their money when they try to sell the old catalytic converters from their Volkswagen Beetles. They should be careful with choosing a buyer and they should know that a lot of companies want to buy their converters. You can choose other ways than selling your cat converter to a recycling company. But this way is the most comfortable.

The price of a Beetle catalytic converter is from $90 to $220 depending on the type of the cat. But the final price offer will be given to you once you send the pictures and the information to recycling companies.