2008 KIA SPORTAGE AFTERMARKET VS OEM CATALYTIC CONVERTER

Take your car to a good local muffler shop. Ask if they can weld in a new aftermarket converter for you.

I’ve used aftermarket converters for years and only once did I have one fail but it was cause a sensor went bad and the customer just kept driving it so it wasn’t covered under any warranty. You should be fine with aftermarket converter.I would be questioning why he’s replacing the entire system if only the converter is gone.

Thank you msmjim!

An aftermarket catalytic converter will be just fine BUT you must get the correct one for the emission control system on your vehicle!! The emission control sticker under the hood will tell you what system you have. It could be Federal Emissions, California Emissions, Northeastern States Emissions, etc. I've had an Eastern Catalytic Converter on my 2000 Grand Prix with California Emissions since 2013 and it's been fine! Eastern also offers a 5 year/50,000 mile warranty on most of their converters. Hope that helps! Jim

Oh and one other thing. A brand new catalytic converter MUST be properly warmed up after it's installed and before the vehicle is driven. This is done by running the engine at 1,500 RPMs for five minutes with the vehicle sitting still. After that, the vehicle can be driven normally. Jim