Not all car owners know that the catalytic converter is the most expensive part to sell in a non-working condition. Just visit autocatalystmarket.com/us/en/ website to see for yourself.
But what is the secret of the high cost of the non-working part? We will tell you about it in this article.
What does the price of a non-working catalytic converter depend on?
In order to understand why buyers appreciate failed catalytic converters so expensively, first you need to understand what the part consists of. The assembly is divided into three parts:
- stainless steel outer sheath;
- thermal insulation layer;
- inner unit.
The first two elements are not valuable for buyers. Only the internal block of the exhaust converter can be sold at a good price.
For most cars this element is made of ceramic. The part has a cylinder shape with many narrow longitudinal channels. In section, the construction resembles a bee honeycomb.
Catalyst substances are applied to the surface of these channels, which cause chemical reactions at appropriate temperatures. Rare-earth metals of the platinum group are used as sputtering.
They are much more expensive than gold. And it is the remaining amount of these elements that determines the cost of the catalytic converter, which will be paid by the buyer.
Is it possible to extract the precious metal on your own?
Due to the fact that buyers purchase catalytic converters because of the rare-earth metals they contain, a logical question arises: wouldn’t it be more profitable to extract these elements yourself?
But in fact, it is not that easy to separate the precious metals from the total mass of the catalytic converter. And the amount of these elements there is very small. Therefore, it is very difficult to extract platinum, rhodium or palladium at home.
Theoretically, with some skills in chemistry, this is possible. But the process would require expensive reagents. As a result, the profit from such actions may be less than the amount of money spent on it.
And it is not recommended to disassemble the catalytic converter on your own. Toxic substances accumulate inside the converter, which can be harmful to your health.
But if it is so difficult to separate precious metals, then why do buyers pay high prices for catalytic converters? The reason is that all neutralizers are sent to large companies for centralized recycling. Such companies have state-of-the-art processing equipment which allows them to profitably extract precious metals from catalytic converters.
Does the value of a non-working catalytic converter depend on the brand of the car
First of all, the price of a catalytic converter depends on the amount of precious metals it contains at the time of sale. But many things depend on the brand of the car as well. Each of the platinum group metals has a different cost. And different manufacturers use platinum, rhodium and palladium in different proportions.
For example, some companies use more platinum, while others prefer rhodium or palladium. In the construction of some brands of catalytic converters, one of these precious metals may not be present at all.
As a rule, catalytic converters from premium European and Japanese car brands are considered the most valuable.
