WTB: Used Catalytic Converter
 

I need some help. I have convinced my BMW dealer that my 98 ti is eligible for the 10 year cat warranty after throwing codes for the past year. When I brought it in for replacement I was informed that the car has an aftermarket cat that was installed by the previous owner. I need to produce an OEM core to allow them to honor the warranty. A cat from a 318is or 318 convertible from the same 96 to 99 period would also work as they use the same part #. It obviously does not need to be functional. Does anybody have one taking up valuable space? I will pay a reasonable price plus shipping given the cost of a new OEM unit.

My Cat has been throwing codes for months now. Just recently, I've heard a loud rattling coming from either the Cat, or the resonator. I'm assuming the Cat, since I have CEL faults pointing to the Cat.

Did you contact BMW and they said your car was covered? I have a 1998 too, and BMW America says it wasn't covered. Are you saying the dealership decided to honor the replacement, or you proved your car was under the recall? BMW America says mine wasn't covered, but I'm still thinking of going to the dealer anyway.

On a side note, can we swap a Cat from another E36 or later model BMW into our cars? If so, will it perform under emissions test ok, and clear CELs?

I have a bad cat from my '99. I have no idea what a reasonable offer is, I just kept it for something like this. I do know the metals inside are worth a bit of $. I'm in Cincinnati but have relatives in Milwaukee. How soon do you want to do this?

The dealer confirmed that my 98 was covered after I showed him a letter discussing the service bulletin on the issue that was sent to all effected ti's in 2002. This letter can be found on 318ti.org. Although it wasn't specific to my car, my VIN # was within a hundred of the VIN on the car addressed in the letter. I was also surprised at their willingness to accept a cat that was not original to the car and not even on the car. In fact, he volunteered to see if a previous cat that they replaced was still on the scrap heap.

I suspect that he recognized that the previous owner was unaware of the service bulletin and replaced the cat somewhere between the end of the 40k original warranty and the 56k when I acquired the car. So, in theory I am due a cat. I did initially call BMW customer service and they blew me off because of the aftermarker cat.

96 Cali, Thanks for the reply, I sent you a PM

I called my local dealer. They type in my VIN, and say there is no recall on my vehicle. They must have a recall notice on each specific VIN. Even though my car is exhibiting the exact symptoms of the recall, they say unless BMW flagged my car for the recall, they can't replace it for free. Total bull****. They could have very well screwed up, when estimating which cars were affected.

2002mcs- please check your PM's. I need your address, payment, etc.