Date:         Tue, 20 Mar 2012 08:14:02 -0700
Reply-To:     Ben T <syncro@GMAIL.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Ben T <syncro@GMAIL.COM>
Subject:      Re: Catalytic Converter???? Anyone go without it???
In-Reply-To:  <3293A333-92A0-478A-80EF-287B6F8A928F@comcast.net>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8

Let us please try to keep this discussion as civil as possible. That way, the rest of us can 'ABSURB' this information. 


<meow>

BenT
Mod

On Mar 20, 2012, at 7:56 AM, OlRivrRat <OlRivrRat@COMCAST.NET> wrote:

> Jeff
> 
>       I'm very proud of you that you have an important job to do & are trying to do it well, but again ~ according to a recent Albuquerque, NM smog test (which, by the way, I had done voluntarily as I'm not required to have one in the county where I live) & my EJ25s ECU ~ My VDUBARUs EJ25 & its attached ExhaustSystem are not polluting.
>       Having said that ~ being the InfoHaulic that I am ~ I would like to be informed about what pollutants my cars might be spewing into the environment that the ABQ SmogGuys don't seem to care about so any wisdom that you might have & would care to share in that regard would be appreciated.
> 
>                                                       ORR ~ DeanB
> 
> On 20 Mar , 2012, at 1:13 AM, Jeff wrote:
> 
>> Well… sit right back and I’ll tell you a little story.  Perhaps my “ABSURD” feeling, as you like to call it, comes from a little bit (perhaps a lot) more experience than yours?  I happen to be a Registered Importer and part of my job is to make imported vehicles legal for the USA.  Your “$100 Cat” will not pass any of the EPA lab tests even when new.  The $200 cats will not pass the EPA lab tests when new.  Only the OE $500 cat will pass the EPA lab test.  The most glaring failure of the “non-ABSURD” cats is that they do not come up to operating temperature quickly enough to be effective for short drives.  Other problems have to do with comparison testing and how quickly they lose their effectiveness.
>> 
>> Now let’s just forget about the whole fancy EPA lab testing stuff and concentrate on everyday experience with plenty of customer’s cars here in California.  I can’t keep track of the number of 2 year old “$100 Cats” that failed their 2nd smog test.  It sort of became a running joke in CA Vanagon land about replacing your cat every two years to pass smog.  Lots of people bitched and moaned when CA put in their new cat replacement laws a few years back, but it sure got rid of the 2 year cat syndrome.
>> 
>> So… I’m sorry if the facts seems “ABSURD” to you, but in reality, you do get what you pay for when it comes to a catalytic converter.
>> 
>> Happy smogging…
>> 
>> Jeff