catalytic converter failures

Hi there My right side catalytic converter on my 2002 Carrera just failed. It must have disintegrated internally, as it rattles quite a bit. Porsche N.A refused to cover replacement under warranty. Their excuse? I have aftermarket headers (FVD) and mufflers (by-pass). They also "unhappy" that I use the car for track events (Driver's ed only), calling it "racing". As far as I know there's a federal law that requires manufacturers to guarantee the emmission system, not withsdanding if some parts of the exhaust sytem are Aftermarket. Did anybody have similar issues? Does anybody know the law? Thanks

If it's a stock cat it's unusual for them to "fail"... do you have any of the codes? Are you certain it's not just the 02 sensors?

Sounds to me like you need to find a new dealer. Both of my cats failed, and my dealer got both covered under warranty. Based upon my understanding, the most common cause for failure is that unspent fuel enters the cat and then ignites within the cat itself, which burns out the core of the cat. The core then breaks loose and starts to rattle. The cause for unspent fuel going into the cat is most likely fouled plugs. Pay the dealer to replace your plugs on the condition that they write up the warranty claim in a manner that covers the replacement of the cats. Do you have the dealer do your maintenance and service? Have you had service done on a regular basis? If your answer to both is yes, this will bolster your claim that they should cover the cats. Good luck

Ditto Todd, I always 'foolishly' let the dealer do my maintanance just for such an occurrance. Yes, I let them do the 800$ 30k svc with plugs. Recently I had a CEL, it was the right side cat, I have GHL's and track the car. The dealer even does the techs. They covered both cats under warranty with a smile. The bill for the cats was 1465$ each parts alone!

Chris, We think exactly alike! That is the same reason why I let the dealer change my brake pads once (oh the horror). Understanding how the techs make their money and how to keep them happy is crucial in fostering a good relationship that will pay big dividends when you have a car that is under warranty. I do my own wrenching on the 944 and take it to a private shop for everything that is beyond my skillset. TD

My 02's cats went bad, and they rattled. Dealer replaced them, but that was before they knew I tracked the car. I've heard of several instances where 996's that are tracked have the cats go bad.

Why does tracking destroy cats? Too hot? Isn't the car make for the speed? Dealer should have no reason not to help you get coverage under warranty since they make easy money that way on parts and labor. You just need to go to a friendlier dealer that is more tolerant to mods. How did dealer proof you track the car?

my 02c2 was tracked very very very heavily. after 5500 or so trackmiles and 19k total miles, i had two cat die on me. alwasy the one on the passenger side. dealer replaced with no Q. they know i track the crap out of the car from from the pittied windshield, race seat, harness, roll bar, squaking brakes, cracked rotors. but i know the service dept very well and all my p cars goes there for warranties. so you need to find a better dealer. some ppl told me (i am no mechanic and can't verifiy this) that if you overfill oil, you are likely to kill cats. and i do overfill (why? well, i am stupid)... btw, my car's engine is 100% stock, not even a chip, intake or exhaust. only saftey and suspension mods. i don't konw if your cat died due to your engine mod. but sounds unlikely.

For those who want to determine whether a cat has gone bad, the best way is to take a rubber hammer (or your foot) and tap the cat. If it rattles, it is bad. The rattle sound you hear is the core of the cat that has broken loose. (I am pretty sure it is ceramic). I remember the first time I heard a bad cat, it sounded really horrible and I thought my engine was gone. It is easiest to hear at idle or low acceleration. At high acceleration, the back pressure of the exhaust pushes the broken core against the inside of the cat so it doesn't rattle. I agree that your dealer should help you out on this one.

In many cases, the attitude of the customer can dictate whether or not a blind eye is turned to mods on a car. A header before the catalyst technically constitutes a modification that requires the cataslyst to perform in a manner for which it was neither intended nor engineered. That said, getting your services done at the dealer and in general just being a friendly person will go miles towards getting a little preferential treatment. Right away the get a new dealer comments come up but never a question of how those that make these decisions were treated. Call it devil's advocate. I hope the issue is resolved in a manner that's fair and hopefully in your favor.