More cat aggro

[MondeoMan]

I replaced the cat on my 96 C200 with a GSF pattern part about 5 months back, and all I've done since is moan because it's a noisy raspy thing. But at least it worked. Now, after 12K I can hear the tell-tale rattle of a disintegrating monolith...

I'm not interested in going back to GSF with it, I've done with them and learnt my lesson. Does anyone know where I can find an OE cat for less than dealer price (which is £860-odd)?

Another option is to dump the car on a Fiat dealer, and drive away in a new Grande Punto for £145 a month. This no-hassle option is looking increasingly attractive

 

[Balal]

I bought cat for my clk from "www.carsandcats.co.uk" for like £300. but ofcourse its manufactured by them , and according to them it has few years warranty as well. which personally I dont think they would admit if anything ever goes wrong with it. your best bet to find merc original parts cheaper would be "dronsfied mercedes => www.dronsfields.com ". I have found euro car part www.eurocarparts.com to have almost same price as merc dealer, but you can check their website and see how much they are charging for it.
O and I have a punto for sale if you want to buy

 

[Tony]

You could try

http://www.mercedes-benz-parts.co.uk/

These are genuine OEM parts but seem to be considerably cheaper than the dealer. You'll need to phone as the web-site is rubbish. I'd watch out for the carsandcats type of aftermarket stuff. I bought one and it didn't work (CEL) and I'm not going to be able to get any refund from them. They just say I've got to buy another and return the old one for them to check. Of course they'll find that it's within their specs.

 

[124coupe]

There's also KMS in Birmingham (and London) who stock both OEM and cheaper ranges of parts - if you call them they will confirm (reliably) if what they are quoting is made by the OEM (their website is crap!).

Usually 50-60% below dealers and recommended to me by one of the Merc dealers in the Midlands as the place to go if you want to keep an older Merc alive..

I have had OVP, MAF, filters, drive belt & bonnet star so far - all OEM plus parts for my wife's Passat TDi.

BTW, you will find they will quiz you first before supplying a cat as so many are supplied and then quickly destroyed by the problem in the fuel system that killed the original!!

(I assume you are sure you don't have a fueling problem that is killing your cats?).

 

[Tony]

(I assume you are sure you don't have a fueling problem that is killing your cats?).

Good question and it's sensible of them to try to find why the original cat broke up. Mercedes don't bother - they just stuff another on and perform a total cashectomy on your wallet. In my case I don't think it's any problem with my car - I've had the lambda probes replaced and the engine checked. It all seems OK and the mechanic reckoned that my cats keep breaking up because they're faulty.