The replacement CAT market is still maturing and patterns have not yet been established, However, with catalytic converters being fitted as standard equipment on all new vehicles produced or imported into E.C. Countries and those Countries introducing vehicles emission checks to verify the effeciency of the emission control system, catalyst failures will be detected and lead to a quickly expanding market.

Our experience to date has revealed that the majority of catalytic converters are replaced not because of “end of life” failure, but because the ceramic monolith used in ordinary catalytic converters breaks in service. As the catalytic equipped European car parc ages, so the demand for replacements will increase.

Whilst catalytic converters and associated front pipes will require less frequent replacement,
being constructed from long lasting stainless stell, the additional moisture content produced by them will have an adverse effect on the service lives of the connecting and rear exhaust components. As a result, the overall market will decline in unit terms, this decline being offset by more complicated higher cost product increasing the unit value.

Other developments in exhaust systems - Close coupled catalytic converters

In pursuit of faster “light off” times and lower pollution levels, some manufacturers are fitting “close coupled cats”. These are installed as close to the engines as possible. The biggest problem with close coupled cats is that their close proximity to the combustion chambers results in continued high operating temperatures, sometimes greater than the ceramic monolith can tolerate.