I am the original owner of a '96 Disovery with 98K miles. Recently I've detected a "rattling" noise underneath the car that appears to come from near the firewall. After taking my Disco to an independent shop that specializes in Brit cars (including LR), I was told that my Catalytic Converter has a component that has broke internally. Now the bad news...because I live in California, the shop told me that CA law (emissions) prohibits them from replacing the CC with an after-market product. Therefore, my options include a rebuild of the broken CC for $1800 or a new one for $3200. Additionally, there is the usual assortment of hose replacements, seal replacements, bulb replacements, head gasket replacements, etc... that needs to be fixed. Altogether, this repair bill could add up to be $4000-5000.
I think it's important to note that I have not neglected maintenance on my Disco. I did all the factory recc. mnx, plus the periodic stuff. I've owned the beast for nearly 10 years now and don't treat it roughly. It is used primarily as my wife's kid carrier and grocery store shopping vehicle...roughly 10K miles per year. Here's my dilemma.....do I spend $5K to fix it up? Or, do I donate or attempt to sell as is? Based on my research, a decent running version of this truck is selling for about $5K currently. Alternatively, is there a more economical way to replace or repair the CC. Perhaps I can drive the truck to Vegas and have an aftermarket CC installed. How much would I save with an aftermarket CC? Finally, there is a good chance that we will be moving out of CA in the next year, so complying with CA laws is not all that essential to me. Please advise. Thank you in advance for your assistance.

 

wow, that is expensive, just had a look on the net and they see to retail for around the $400 to $500. Might be worth having a weekend holiday out of state and having it changed. Surely the law does not prevent you from having the car repaired out of the state, as, after all, it could have fallen off or you damaged it while off roading etc etc...

http://www.ecatalyticconverter.com/r...converter.html

was one site I looked at, and another, which seems to be a Land Rover product... so would it comply with the CA legal requirements?

http://catalog.land-rover-auto-parts...1996&x=20&y=10

Not sure how easy these things are to fit, but would have thought any exhaust workshop would be able to fit one of these for you.. even at a couple of hours it would be cheaper than the quote you already have..

 

You can get aftermarket converters from Rovers North and British Atlantic. They don't fit as well but will work. You won't pass CA IM test with broken. 9 yo car with almost 100 K ? Depends on you. If you really like it ,then it is worth fixing it up. Keep in mind it will be on going repairs. Won't be A new vehicle after $5K.

Might be better to donate and get the tax right off. 96 NAS ( North American Specification )Disco's don't exactly have the best track record. Have you driven A LR3 yet ? They are pretty nice ! Baby Range due out soon also. Best to donate or private sale your 96' The Dealer would have to wholesale it and give you less than the retail going rate.

There seems to be something wrong with this statement; The converters are located in A welded one piece "Y" pipe. V-8 engine the exhaust comes down from each side passes threw two CC's, joins together, and terminates at A flange. LR DOES NOT sell repair kits or individual parts to the Y pipe. So, they MUST be replacing them with aftermarket. Are you sure about that CA OEM thing ?

Let us know what you decide.

 

Bait - thanks for the advice. You've got me thinking.....I'm inclined to order an aftermarket Catalytic Converter (around $450) and have it shipped to Las Vegas (brother-in-law). I can drive there on the weekend (4 hrs) and hopefully have it installed by an independent muffler shop. Do you have any idea what a reasonable cost would be that job at a muffler shop. Also, what's your experience been with aftermarket CC's? Finally, you confirmed for me what has been my suspicion for some time...that my '96 will continue to be increasingly maintenance intensive. Is that your experience? Thanks in advance for your insight.

mgm777

 

Usual charge is around two and A half hours of the local rate @ A dealer. Only because the studs typically pull out of the manifolds or break off. If you are going to have A Indy do it, be sure they replace the gaskets and all nuts and bolts with LR parts. Updates have been made.

Aftermarket CC's perform well, just harder to install/remove.

All 10 yo vehicles tend to be maintenance intensive. Especially luxury four wheel drive vehicles. Remember, you're maintaining A vehicle with many advanced features ( for the day ).

Have you driven A LR3 yet ? They are quite impressive.

 

Hey guys I actually have a similar problem but i'm hoping maybe my CC just got jarred too much from off-roading and just needs to be tightened. Although after reading mgm's problems I'm not so confident. I was wondering though if the cc and the exhaust from my 89 Range Rover county are swapable. Seeing as my RR CC and exhaust have only about 1000 miles on them. Thanks for any help guys.