Hey everyone I was just wondering, I have a friend who's selling her 1985 mr2 for $900..it needs a new catalytic convertor and as of right now thats the only problems i'm aware of on the car..i'm gonna check it out on thursday but she says otherwise it runs great and it's a manual so i might (possibly) need to put a new clutch but i'm not sure..not sure of mileage either but i was just wondering what you guys thought of the price? I want a car I can fix up and have a lot of fun with so i was thinking maybe this would be a good place to start any opinions would be helpful! thanx
...wtf? I paid $60 for mine and $40 to install it at the exhaust shop that put mine in.
Dude wherever you had that done they RAPED you!
no dood i live in california we have strict smog laws... i'm not going to spend money on a generic version ghetto welded so i can never get it off and take a chance it won't even pass to save a few hundred dollars...
i saved 400 by doing it myself... i'll spend the extra cash to get a dealer spec for california laws. and had to get an o2 sensor w/ all new gaskets. my car get the best parts i can afford... i won't short change my 2 to save a buck.
California uses the same cats as the rest of the country...
very very incorrect...
California is a "50 state" emission standard
Everywhere else is called "Federal" standard
california optimizing three way cats... all new cars now a days use three way cats but california is manditory that all cars made after 1974 have three way catalyst.
three way cats breakdown NOx... cause NOx under pressure and heat creates smog... hense smog laws
No website on the internet sells Cal Legal Catallytic Converters. Trust me i did my research long before i bit the bullet and went to the dealer.
and as far as the difference they are very different standards.
CO, CO2, HC, and O2 standards are much stricter too
Its generic... and "meets" EPA requirements. but no guarantee that it will pass the car. I don't trust that the most important emission control device that costs 200 to 600 for any car. You can buy for 40.00 and have the same effect. They're many things that go into the design of a catalyst. Vehicle weight, engine size, engine output, year of car, octane rated for the car. Too many variables not covered by a universal catalyst. Not to mention the possible for it failing SMOG visually being an aftermarket catalyst w/ no CARB EO number. To tamper w/ any emission control in california legally the part must be issued a CARB Executive Order number on a sticker and must be applied in view of the inspector. That magnaflow doesn't have a CARB EO number. A SMOG tech will inspect your catalyst as well as any emission control modification.
Just cause you "google" something doesn't make it official. I can "google" MR2 performance and click a link for ebay and they'll sell you these lil resistors you can solder into your engine harness and BAM guranteed 10 HP... they'll even show you a dyno spread to prove it.
Toyota doesn't sell shit to rip off the customer. The reason why dealership parts cost alot more is called research and developement. They design those parts... specifically for that car, that year, that model, w/ that vehicle's weight in that engine. and then its tested, retested... and tested some more. Cause Toyota made your car... not magnaflow.
Bottom line is its your car do wha you want. I said i paid almost the price of that car to do my cat and i did. Come to California and fail smog once... and after all the hassle you go thru to get it fixed and retested to pass... You'd be singing a new tune
1(800) 824-8664 @ Magnaflow
I Talked to Rich About Part No. 91004 Magaflow Cal CARB Approved Universal Catalyst
He said there is NO CARB Executive Order number buts they say its CARB approved and will pass.
I called two local smog shops... one guys said it would need a CARB EO number and the other guy didn't really understand what i was talking about... I was going to call a third shop but i realize i'm wasting alot of time on this argument and i already proved my point...
and that is you take a chance of having all that work done... and still not passing or even being allowed to test you.
and i've worked in independent shops and dealerships... you pay out the ass at a dealership but the quality of parts and labor are almost always better.
i had a clutch done at a performance independent shop... costs like 900.00... i got under the car and it was missing a trans mount bolt... the clutch slave cylinder had one loose bolt and another sticking halfway out. not to mention they broke something inside my door so you couldn't open the driver door... they said it was like that, i can't afford to take them to court... they tried to open it but couldn't...i had locksmiths come out... 180.00 later i took it to a body shop and they got it open. lil plastic retainer broke and the release rod slipped out. only reason i brought it there was i didn't have time to do it...
now i make time... but i'd bring it to a dealer before i go to another independent... not to mention the stuff i seen other techs do at these shops...
but this argument is done... i'm from CT... and i kno how emission works... i live in cali... and its a whole different ball game.
Well that's fine all I was saying is there are tons of people in CA running far from legal exhausts and never get questioned on EO stickers or anything like that.
And just because you had some crappy shop mess up your clutch doesn't mean the dealer is better. Dealers suck. I've heard of more problems with costs and bad work from them than private shops put together!
and i've worked in independent shops and dealerships... you pay out the ass at a dealership but the quality of parts and labor are almost always better.
lil plastic retainer broke and the release rod slipped out. only reason i brought it there was i didn't have time to do it...
now i make time... but i'd bring it to a dealer before i go to another independent... not to mention the stuff i seen other techs do at these shops...
.
how is it that you've worked in shops and couldn't tell that there wasn't any pressure on the handle -- thus meaning the rod had come loose.....
i would NEVER take my cars to a dealer...... in WA state i think there are a total of 2 toyota dealerships that have at least a couple competent employees that i *might* trust, but wouldn't.....
IMO you're better off finding an independent shop that does good work..... reason is (and that i've found) is a lot of the good mechanics are relatively intelligent -- working on the same cars and same problems day in and day out gets really boring really fast...... working in an independent shop with varying cars and varying problems gives you a whole new perspective on how things 'work'..... and thus an independent mechanic will actually grow on automotive knowledge faster and broader than at a dealership.......
hell, my local toyota dealership asked me if my 87 mr2 was a coupe or a gt.....
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1) 2004 IS300 Manual/LSD/Sportdesign 2) 2010 Corolla S 5 speed 3) 1986 MR2 "MK1.22" 5sfe/s54 swap 3) 1995 Ford Explorer 4x4, TT/AAL/custom shackle lift, 31"s
how is it that you've worked in shops and couldn't tell that there wasn't any pressure on the handle -- thus meaning the rod had come loose.....
i would NEVER take my cars to a dealer...... in WA state i think there are a total of 2 toyota dealerships that have at least a couple competent employees that i *might* trust, but wouldn't.....
IMO you're better off finding an independent shop that does good work..... reason is (and that i've found) is a lot of the good mechanics are relatively intelligent -- working on the same cars and same problems day in and day out gets really boring really fast...... working in an independent shop with varying cars and varying problems gives you a whole new perspective on how things 'work'..... and thus an independent mechanic will actually grow on automotive knowledge faster and broader than at a dealership.......
hell, my local toyota dealership asked me if my 87 mr2 was a coupe or a gt.....
nothing was wrong w/ my car before hand... i picked it up after getting the clutch done and the door wouldn't open... i knew it was internal but i was going to make them fix it and they looked at it and kinda refused... just cause you know what happened to the release doesn't make it any easier to get it open... the door was shut... you couldn't open it from the inside or outside. a lock smith w/ all his professional tools and years of expierence couldn't trigger the release.
the body shop got it open w/o damaging a single piece on the door panel...
i personally would rather have someone who works specifically on MR2s and toyotas in general then someone w/ varying expierence... his expierence on a ford escort doesn't help me confide in him... someone who has worked the past 20 years on toyotas and MR2s gets my ticket.
just cause you called toyota and talked to a parts guys and he asked you coupe or GT...? doesn't mean shit... parts guys don't kno anything and they are just reading what the screen is asking them.
Well that's fine all I was saying is there are tons of people in CA running far from legal exhausts and never get questioned on EO stickers or anything like that.
And just because you had some crappy shop mess up your clutch doesn't mean the dealer is better. Dealers suck. I've heard of more problems with costs and bad work from them than private shops put together!
Yes very true... but please explain to me how a performance exhaust has anything to do w/ Smog or Emissions...
CARB is California Air Resource Board. They have to approve of any emission altering devices by issue'ing a Executive Order number for that parts. My HKS Super Mega Flow Intake has a CARb EO number. If it didn't i would fail a smog test. if my timing it more than 2 degrees off... i fail smog...
last time i checked a muffler just quiets the exhaust noise...
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Forum for every generation Toyota MR2. Including the AW11 and SW20.
any opinions would be helpful! thanx 
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