Put the cat out

[ashleyfrazer]

Good news is that today Midnight got her MOT but the bad news is that the original cat is starting to rattle so doubtful it will get another.

I know there has been debate on cheap cats on the bay. What is the latest advice on where to buy a new one? At Rimmers what is Homologated apart from more expensive?

Thanks
Ash

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[Notanumber]

I got a standard Mk2/TF cat from 'Bitz last year for about £ 125. It looked well made and sailed through the MOT

[Steve White]

Personally I would avoid the cat XPart/Motorclan sell, P/N WAG000671SLP as from my experience the longevity is not good.
I came to the conclusion SLP stands for 'short life part'.
XPart were selling them for around £150 last year, but I see they have now upped the price to match the £300 Rimmers have been charging.

I've picked up a new cat from Brown & Gammons at the weekend (P/n WAG000670) with the intention to fit it later in the year. It looks much closer to an original cat and even has KAT010 stamped on it, like an MGR OEM cat.
Only time will tell how it stacks up on the longevity front though.

Homologated is not the right term really, the correct term is Type approved.
Its a UK legal requirement for cars registered after March 2001 have to have a type approved cat fitted.
Prior to that date cats do not need to be type-approved.
Technically if you fit a cheaper non-type approved cat on a post march 2001 car, you could be fined upto £5K. I would imagine the chances of ever being caught and prosecuted are very slim though.

More info on it here https://www.gov.uk/government/publicati ... te-filters

[Rob Bell]

In respect to the rattle, is that the heat shield coming loose off it?

[ashleyfrazer]

Hi Rob. It's not the heat shield. The cat is starting to break down in the ceramic.

I was quoted between 90 and 250 for a cat. I went Rimmers and fingers crossed.

I also need to change the back box. Again I went standard based on budget and wanting to keep oval pipes to preserve the look at the back of the car. The current setup lasted 25 years so hoping the new parts (arriving tomorrow) last at least similar. I was tempted to go stainless but only round pipes in budget.

Am I right in thinking all the TFs came with round pipes?

Ash

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[GJO]

We had a serious and expensive problem after a well known MGF specialist fitted a cheap aftermarket cat. While driving in the mountains of northern Spain the contents of the cat melted and blocked the exhaust. The local garages could not help and we had no alternative but to pay the cost of recovery back to the UK. Then we had the cost of replacing not just the inferior cat but also having to replace our very expensive Mike Satur Daytona exhaust box. For the sake of a saving of less than £100 we ended up with costs in excess of £1,500. The people who fitted the inferior cat tried to blame the 'Repsol' Spanish petrol but we took a sample for analysis and apart from the addition of a blue dye it perfectly matched the contemporary EU standard. Needless to say we no longer use that particular MGF specialist.

[ashleyfrazer]

Hi. Cats seem to be a total nightmare. In the end I called Mike and bought a cat and Daytona. Despite calling late in the morning it arrived next day.

Told my wife it had to be that one because it is stainless and has oval pipes so looks original. When I compared the tail pipes the old original would fit inside the new ones when compared end to end.

Hope it's not too loud. I was never a boy racer and I am not starting now. It's being fitted tomorrow.

Now we just need it to stop raining.

Ash

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[ashleyfrazer]

Had a little trip out with the Daytona exhaust today. It's louder than the original but only if you let the revs rise. It's fine on a motorway.

Got a new game. I drive around Aylesbury to find an electric car at the lights I can pull up next to. Then I pull away and treat him to the exhaust noise. He is saving the planet but crying inside!

Ash

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