Pauleman90

I have a '04 rx8 with about 60k on it.

I have not done any performance upgrades yet but plan to get exhaust, intake etc.

I went to autozone b/c my check ingine light came on, it had a huge loss of acceleration and they advised me my catalytic converter had a lot of build up in it. Only way to fix it was to replace it.

The longer I wait is it going to hurt my car?

I went to the Mazda dealership and they want 2,100 for a new one w/o install.

What do u guys think about aftermarket catalytic converters such as magnaflow, flowmaster, etc.

I would like to spend about 3-6 hundred on it. Can u guys please recomend some?

Lastly will I be able to replace this myself? is it bolt on? weld?

Please any info u can give me on the subject will be much appreciated!!

Jedi54

iTrader: (7)

the longer you wait, the worse off you're going to be and could cause more damage to the vehicle's motor.

I believe the OEM cats can be purchased for about $1400. They are quite expensive due to the materials used in our particular vehicle needed to survive the higher EGT's

$300 - $600 doesn't leave you a ton of options.
RP supercat (rx7.com) is a popular choice but many (including myself) have burned through their cats rather quickly

Davesport makes a 100cpi cat but it will not pass the 'sniffer' test if that is required in your state.

My advice is to use this forum's search function and familiarize yourself a bit more with the options available to you in your given price range.
(ie; search to see what actual experiences owners may have had with name brads such as magnaflow, flowmaster, etc) If you 'search by title' , that helps narrow down your results.

bse50

Aftermarket catalyzers don't last long because of the heat we create. You should buy a very expensive one for it to last. Magnaflow, flowmaster etc are among the list of those who fail quickly. Just sayin'.
HJS' are nice but with the current exchange rate they're super expensive.
For 600$ your options are mainly 2: Buy a davesport catalyzer (Cheap, should last long enough though) and have it welded on your stock midpipe or buy a "performance" midpipe with said catalyzer already welded on it. Blackhaloracing.com offers the latter, davesport catalyzers alone can be googled
I have been through 6 different catalytic converters before settling with the one used by ReAmemiya and\or HJS products for track use but Davesport products really surprised me on NA rx8s!

EDIT: Darn Jedi beat me to it, I didn't know about your sniff tests in PA

Old Rotor

Are you pass the 8 year or 80K mile warranty. It starts when the car was first purchsed. Mine ends this month.

Renesis555

iTrader: (8)

You can find other members selling their OEM cats on here for around 3-400. I actually just recently upgraded my cat to the rx7 store's RP supercat(newer rev), and from what I've been told, the newer revision is made better and much less fail prone. Love the RP supercat and gives you a nice exhaust tone too!

Jedi54

iTrader: (7)

has it been revised again? I doubt it...
I only mention that because my last two RP supercats were the 'newer version' and they didn't last very long.
Last one made it less then 5,000 miles*





*disclaimer: I do have my car tuned so my AFR's are slightly leaner then OEM (which is pig rich) so that MIGHT have shortened the life of the cat slightly.

xexok

Definitely check on this, if you call mazda north america or maybe even a dealership they should be able to tell you if it is still under warranty for the cat or not.

Pauleman90

Thanks guys!! deffinately will look into it.

One more thing. Why do they fail? is it a problem with the vehicles engine or? if I replace it with a nice cat,will this happen again latter?

What do u think about doing straight pipe?

Just had the veh inspected about a month ago. So im good for 2 years..

xexok

The cheapest way would be to go with a midpipe with resonators(or not, but extra loud without them). You can get the agency power midpipe for 216 shipped to your door, that is the cheapest resonated midpipe around. After that your option is either buying a used cat for ~$400 on here or buying a access port and removing the midpipe cel. If you have sniffer tests where you live then the access port option is not the best choice for passing emissions. I know in nevada they only check the car by hooking up to the obdII port and seeing what cels you have.

If you end up just buying a midpipe + a used cat then you can either swap pipes every 2 years for the emission test or even just pay someone labor charges for switching your pipes.

Socr8tes

A new OEM cat is less than $1100 shipped from onlinemazdaparts.com. If you have basic mechanical skills, you can install it yourself.

JwBRsN

iTrader: (2)

Ive got a perfect stock oem cat with only a couple thousand miles on it.I've got a for sale thread on the national parts for sale.or you can pm me and ill send you pic only asking 350.00 or obo. the only rewason I changed it is because I went to a 3" exhaust with RB mid pipe. let me know.

Cezar

Well my question is I have a mazda rx8 its 04 with 95k recently I got a complete tune up they change all the fluids so my rx8 runs good! I got this car month ago.. Since my rx8 has 95k should I change the CAT? How can I know when my cat its. Bad? I'm asking because I feel my car running good.. Should I wait till something else happen with it? I hope u can help me thanks

HiFlite999

iTrader: (2)

If the previous owner kept up on plugs/coils/wire maintenance and didn't track or tune it, the cat "should" be ok. Loss of higher rpm power or the cat glowing red are typical signs of failure, the CEL might (or might not) come on. Any of these symptoms should be immediately addressed or you risk destroying the engine. For peace of mind you can remove the midpipe to manifold connection and look at the front of the cat. If there's any damage to the honeycomb, it's on its way to the grave. If that seems ok, then take the whole midpipe out and shine a light from the back end. You should be able to see through the honeycomb pattern. Any flaws, then it's dying.

Cezar

Idk how the last owner treated the car..... When I got it I get a complete tune up.. The car runs good I don't see any problem about the rpm.... When should I check the cat? After drive it? If I change the cat can i take it to a normal mechanic? Or to the dealer. Thanks c:

HiFlite999

iTrader: (2)

Uh, you don't want to be disconnecting pipes when they're 1000 degrees, so visual inspection when cold. Check for a red glow around the oxygen sensor by looking under the car at night with it idling and fully warm. Say cruise down the interstate for a few miles, pull into a rest stop and look right away.

Boeuf

iTrader: (2)

Will the HJS 100cel pass the sniffer test?

Cezar

Any cheaper way to fix the cat? A straight pipe? Any advice thanks so much guys

Edenney

This pertains to the information posted in this thread about the 8/80K warranty on the Cat., so I'm asking this question here instead of in a new thread. I also posted this same question a moment ago in another thread where someone said the warranty on the Cat is 8/80K. We'll see which gets answered first.



My RX-8 just threw the code for the Cat. last week, so I called the dealership about it and they said it was under warranty. Turns out I'd been transferred to the wrong dealership, and the one that's actually near me has really bad reviews. Still, that's where I took it since this should've been a no-brainer fix under warranty and it's near by, and they claimed the warranty on the Cat is only 7 YEARS, 70k! Which puts me just months outside of the manufacture data of the vehicle 8/2005, although still within 7 years of the "2005" model year. So, I need to know from someone who's sure... is the warranty on the Cat. 8/80K as posted here previously, or 7/70K as this dealer is insisting??

Also, don't know if it's relevant or not, but looking at the service history they showed today, the Cat. was replaced in 2006 under what was apparently a recall. I didn't purchase the car until 2007 as the 2nd owner, so I don't know anything about that. I'm facing a huge bill here if I can't get this covered, so I need all the help I can get.

Lastly, I read a moment ago that the warranty is based on the date of first sale, not the manufacture date (make sense, that's how warranties work on most other things). Is there any way to find out the original sale date of my Rx-8. It was made in 8/2005, but if it wasn't sold until late 11/2005, it would be under warranty even at 7/70K. It's entirely possible that the car didn't sell for 3 or more months after it was manufactured.

TIA!

*update* I live in California. Is it possible that the U.S. emissions standards that apply to the warranty so many people have been mentioning as 8/80K, is different for CA?. The printout/report the dealership gave me says 84mo./70K on the warranty section for this part, and it's labeled CA. Emissions.

Loki

iTrader: (1)

The warranty is usually from time of original sale, not manufacture.

Grace_Excel

iTrader: (5)

As per the US Government: EPA Environmental Fact Sheet

Specified Major Emission Control Components covered for the first 8 years or 80,000 miles of vehicle use on 1995 and newer vehicles:
-Catalytic converters.
-The electronic emissions control unit or computer (ECU).
-The onboard emissions diagnostic device or computer (OBD).

Print it and take it to that dealer.

Edenney

It looks like you originally had a different reply and then edited it. To answer your original question, I live in Santa Clarita, CA., in L.A. County, and about 25 miles NW of Los Angeles.

Thank you very much for this information. I read the document, and it's a little bit confusing, bouncing back and forth between saying the parts are covered for 2 years/24K, and 8 years/80K, and sometimes seeming to indicate the repair is only warranted if I fail an emissions test (which I would of course with the CAT code). Sometimes it seems clear that it's only 2 years for the emissions components, sometimes it seems clear that it's 80K, but after reading it a few times I think that's 24K/2 for the emissions components, and 80K/8 for the 3 major emissions elements. The slight lack of clarity makes it a little hard for me to put this in front of the dealer and say their information is incorrect, but never the less, this is definitely helpful. I'm quite sure it's not 2 years that it's warrantied for, but I just wish the document didn't say anything other than 8/80K.

The dealer provided me a vehicle warranty report which they say is their bible when it comes to warranty repair for any vehicle, and it shows 84mos/70K for the Catalytic Converter under California Emissions, even though everybody else is saying 96m/80K (I have less than 50K mi. btw). They refuse to do any work that isn't inside the range on the report. Not sure what to do really when they're denying the warranty repair, even though that document seems to indicate it's required by federal law. California definitely has very different emissions standards than the rest off the country, and we can't even use a Cat. that any of the other 49 states can use, but I saw no exceptions in that document for California.

This document appears to be dated 3/96, which is very old. Are you sure there haven't been any revisions to this law or this document since then that would supersede this one? Any suggestions as to where I should go from here since the dealer has refused the work. I don't expect that showing this this somewhat ambiguous document, which he's probably not familiar with, is going to make him change his tune :-/. Long shot, but has anybody else here with an RX-8 gotten their CAT replaced in CA. under warranty after 7 years?

Again, thanks very much for the help, and any additional info or suggestions are definitely appreciated. This is a pretty costly repair if I have to absorb it myself ($1700 dealer estimate, a little less if I do it elsewhere and buy the part myself).

Edenney

Meant to attach this vehicle warranty report that the dealer referenced for his denial, but I forgot. Posted it in the other thread but not this one. It's just fyi and it's not great quality.

Grace_Excel

iTrader: (5)

I only did a quick search since I was on my phone killing time at work. Try to call and/or make the trip to GALPIN Mazda on Roscoe right next to the 405 FWay in Van Nuys, at least an hour from Santa Clarita. I know of a few members here in SoCal whom preferred that dealership. Anyway, I'm quite positive that it's 8 years/80,000 miles because I had my catalytic converter replaced free of charge (except for labor and other work done in the car) even if it was 2,000+ miles over at Irvine Mazda.

Loki

iTrader: (1)

Call Mazda North America, no point arguing with an individual dealer.

Edenney

Thanks for the new replies. Galpin Mazda in Van Nuys was actually the dealership I was originally transferred to when I contacted Mazda, and they were really nice when they set up the appointment. That wasn't the nearest dealership to me though so I took it to Galpin Mazda in Santa Clarita/Valencia (which has poor reviews as I mentioned), and they're the ones that have been less than helpful and denied the warranty repair. I'd actually already resolved to take it to Galpin Van Nuys after I get this sorted out today, it's only about 25 mins away vs. 15 mins to the dealership nearest me.

I'm about to contact Mazda, North America per the suggestions of a couple different people. I'll post the results when I have a chance. I've read that it's 8/80K for ALL Cats in the U.S. since 1995 from dozens and dozens of different resources on the web, I'm quite convinced at this point that there's no question the dealer was wrong. When I get this corrected, I hope someone from Corporate seriously admonishes this guy for providing customers with incorrect warranty information and denying coverage. $1700 is a lot of money for almost anybody, but more than that it's the principle. Wonder how many thousands of dollars other people have had to spend for what should've been warrantied work because of this guy's ignorance or , and the dealership in general.