Cat replacement

[HPsauce]

I went to have a look at a late FL D2 today and it definitely needs one cat replacing - the other was replaced not that long ago.
Initial investigations suggest over a grand plus labour for a proper Audi one.
Is that right and what other options are there?

[David's8]

Well, The Laird, as previous owner of mine, got both cats replaced with sports cats for just under £500 by Semtech Motors of Kirkintilloch in 2010. I'm reliably informed that they have a lifetime guarantee! I'm sure that there are others out there who can do the same.

[Reffro]

Hi,
At the time I had the Cats done, I was quoted £900 on exchange per cat, excluding fitting by Audi.

This is why I went down the aftermarket path, £650 for the pair.

At the time I was using Ben Williamson for my servicing who put me in touch with the company who subsequently supplied and fitted them. As we know Ben has gone now, but I would recommend the company who did the work. They are in Burton upon Trent for reference. I am trying to remember the name of them but struggling, I will try to find it out if you are interested.

[The_Laird]

Originally Posted by David's8

Well, The Laird, as previous owner of mine, got both cats replaced with sports cats for just under £500 by Semtech Motors of Kirkintilloch in 2010. I'm reliably informed that they have a lifetime guarantee! I'm sure that there are others out there who can do the same.

Only slight issue is that you need to make sure they also insert some kind of spacer for the lambda sensors, otherwise the engine management light comes on every few hundred miles. I think these are pretty easy to source and a specialist fitter should know the problem and the fix.

[HPsauce]

There's an outfit near me in Watford called CKS that look interesting..
http://www.cksperformance.com/index....age=contact_us
http://www.cksperformance.com/index....ducts_id=17014

[briang9]

Originally Posted by The_Laird

Only slight issue is that you need to make sure they also insert some kind of spacer for the lambda sensors, otherwise the engine management light comes on every few hundred miles. I think these are pretty easy to source and a specialist fitter should know the problem and the fix.

or you could buy a cheap scanner/resetter thingy from the bay which clears the error, only takes 2 mins, I also went to that same place as his Lairdship, same deal.

[Adrian E]

Originally Posted by HPsauce

I went to have a look at a late FL D2 today and it definitely needs one cat replacing - the other was replaced not that long ago.
Initial investigations suggest over a grand plus labour for a proper Audi one.
Is that right and what other options are there?

How was the car otherwise? Being seriously considered by the sounds of it?

Might be better to replace both cats with sports efforts and resell the recent Audi replacement otherwise it may screw up back pressures between banks. Cats make a massive difference to restriction in exhaust

[HPsauce]

Otherwise not bad, few minor scratches & bits needing attention and gearbox has never been touched - no fluid/filter change.
Over-valeted so the alcantara in the doors looks rough which is a shame. Sandy beige interior which is OK but quite "yellow".
Price needs serious adjustment to reflect cat - you can hear it rattling away all the time.
Seller thinks it's an FE but it isn't (I explained why) - built April 2002 but sat around and wasn't registered for ages, dunno why.

[HPsauce]

Originally Posted by Adrian E

How was the car otherwise?

And the other thing that is unresolved is a cam belt change.
The long-term owner (no longer contactable) apparently confirmed it was done by an independent, but there's no paperwork to support that....

Is there any way of examining it easily to verify, or not?
And how many notes are we talking about - car is 10 years old now.

[Adrian E]

Is the seller the same bloke who bought it from the Audi dealer where it was traded in, or has it gone through a private owner since?

I'm not sure how easy it is to check, but I'd hazard a guess that a 10 year old cambelt isn't going to be in the first flush of youth and will show heavy signs of wear inside the teeth. How much work is involved to remove a cover to check I'm not entirely sure, as I'd never entertain doing one myself. It can be tough to tell a 2 year old belt from a 10 year old. If it's not marked up as an Audi part or the OE equivalent it at least suggests it's not original.

Can't imagine the cost will vary much between 32v and 40v so whatever you paid out on yours in the past will probably be accurate enough. It's a big bill from Audi but most independents can do it for more sensible cost. As an idea my A6 V6 cost £600 of which £450 was Audi parts! Labour would normally be a much bigger bill....

With no written proof I guess it's best to assume it's not been done until it can be confirmed it was by visual inspection? Even then it doesn't sound like there's any evidence of mileage or time since it was done to know when it'll need doing again!