LittleZ360

LOL, thanx...
Anyways, I'm pretty sure it's the cat at this point...
Starting up the car today, it kinda jumped in rpms a little more than usual, at the same time I heard a raspy metal sound come from under the car. I looked under the car at the cat, and it has a hole on the side of it and a little piece of metal on the ground about a foot away...
I believe the cat got clogged and the exhaust gases punched a hole through the side...

So i called the dealership and had them check the warranty info, and the cat's not covered anymore.

So then I went to a custom shop down the road and talked to them about a straight pipe, and he estimated about $50 in parts + an inline air filter for the o2 sensor for whatever it costs to order, and he said if it's fairly easy to get to he'd only charge me $10/$20 in labor (have gone to him in the past)

Seems like a much better plan than giving an arm/leg for an OEM cat.

I guess I'm just wondering, would this explain all the issues? Power loss, harder start and rough idle?
Power loss and rough idle seem to make sense, but would a failed cat really effect starting?