Replacing the Catalytic Converter on a 2002 Mercedes S430:

We recently bought a 2002 Mercedes S430 that only had 30,000 miles on it. Yes, an 8 year old car with just 30K on the odometer. Our Mercedes repair shop did a thorough inspection and the car was deemed to be in good running shape so we bought it. On a recent visit to the shop to get the low beam bulb replaced, the mechanic said that the catalytic converter was cracked and broken. I didn't realize what the sound was that we had been hearing for a few days but he assured me that it needed replacing. First, our mechanic wanted to call the Mercedes Benz part warranty line to find out if the catalytic converter was still covered on the original warranty. Supposedly they are covered up to 8 years and our car was roughly that old. We weren't sure when the issue date was for this particular car, so he called hoping for the best. If it was covered then the parts would be free to us. Unfortunately the car was officially released in January 2002 and it was now November 2010. We missed it by ten months.

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Having owned a few Mercedes over the years, I am always a bit apprehensive when a repair comes along. I know that Mercedes can be quite expensive to keep up compared to other domestic cars. My mechanic told me that the price for a catalytic converter has come way down in recent years (some by as much as 50%) and that the labor involved was minimal once we had the part. Of course, mechanics aren't the ones flipping the bill, so what seems like a small project to them may be a big deal to the actual owner. The part was roughly $450 and the labor was $135 for 2 hours to take off the old catalytic converter and put on the new one. We ordered the part and I left the car with them for the day while they got around to fixing it. Since then there have been no problems and it sounds like that part rarely goes out - hence the long warranty from Mercedes Benz in the first place. Just bad luck on my end - seems like I get a lot of that with my Mercedes. The top brands for catalytic converters are MagnaFlow, Catco, Walker, Bosal, and Dynomax. You will find them online and in stores like AutoZone or any auto parts store.

Catalytic Converter Replacement Cost:

Catalytic converter prices can be found online at Autopartswarehouse.com and they start at about $70 and run up over $500. A catalytic converter replacement cost also includes labor to install the new part. Some cars are more expensive to work on and labor will run over $100 (as in our situation). Other cars are easier to access and there are DIY individuals that can take on this project at home or in their shop. We found a similar Magnaflow 2002 Mercedes Benz S430 Catalytic Converter to the one that was installed on our car for roughly $300 online. I could have saved a few bucks by ordering online (paying for shipping) and then taking the part into the repair shop to get it fixed. RECOMMENDED - We suggest doing some price comparisons online at Amazon.com (yes, they carry all the major brands) and see what the parts will set you back before accepting a dealer or repairshop price. You can browse the best selling catalytic converters online here. Sample pricing we found online were MagnaFlow 23226 Direct Fit Catalytic Converter (Non CARB compliant) for $115 and Catco 9717 Direct Fit Converter for $290. Amazon offers up a great widget application (see below) that allows you to enter in your cars year, make and model to find parts.

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