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Catalysts could be a highly sought after product and a lucrative business when the technical review under the Road Safety Act Amendments tightens starting July 5. The reason lies in the numbers.
According to initial estimates, more than 100,000 vehicles will not be able to register due to an inadequate amount of exhaust gases, more precisely, due to a faulty catalytic converter or the lack of this device. And the price of the catalyst ranges from 50 to 1,500 euros, depending on whether it is universal, replacement or original, that is, depending on the brand of the car.
That this is a potentially profitable business is also shown by the Interior Ministry action last week in Zrenjanin, during which police arrested four people on suspicion of stealing catalysts from four cars and trying to rob three vehicles.
They used to fuck and now they steal
Therefore, the thieves are also preparing to start a massive demand for catalysts in the Serbian market. Of course, that demand will occur if the Ministry of the Interior adheres to the provision of the law that as of July 5, vehicles that emit an inadequate amount of exhaust gases will not be able to pass the technical inspection.
This is why a lot of vehicle owners fear that date because they either have a faulty catalytic converter or they don’t have this device at all.
In gasoline vehicles, the catalytic converter breaks down due to several factors: contamination from bad gasoline, lambda probe malfunction, oil and antifreeze entering the catalytic converter, worn spark plugs and cables, or material fatigue. In the event of a breakdown, vehicle owners generally did not repair the catalytic converter but simply removed it.
The correct catalyst is not a complete guarantee of passing technical inspection
And in the current state of catalysts in vehicles in Serbia and at what prices they can be obtained, they know best in exhaust services.
– At least 100,000 vehicles in Serbia have problems with exhaust gases. These are cars whose catalytic converter is clogged, removed or replaced by a pot or a pipe. Many vehicle owners also remove the catalytic converter to save fuel. However, the issue of exhaust gases is not just a question of catalysts, they warn at an “exhaust service” in Belgrade.
As they say, a car can emit an inappropriate amount of exhaust even when it has the proper catalytic converter.
– If the engine is broken and, for example, it consumes one liter of oil per 10,000 kilometers, the catalytic converter cannot help. Therefore, it would be good if the Ministry of the Interior specified what exactly will be done in the technical inspection with regard to exhaust gases from 5 July. Will the vehicle be required to emit the prescribed amount of exhaust or just have the correct catalytic converter? They tell us on the service.
That is why many exhaust services put off all work related to the catalytic converter.
– For example, I cannot guarantee the vehicle owner that it will pass the technical inspection when replacing the catalyst if we don’t even know what is specifically required in that inspection – they emphasize on service.
Catalyst prices from 50 to 1,500 euros
The price range of catalysts is very wide.
– The cheapest are the universal catalysts that cost 6,000 to 12,000 dinars and can last 50,000 to 100,000 kilometers. Then you have replacement catalytic converters that are imported from abroad, such as “imasaf” catalysts, the price of which, depending on the vehicle, ranges from 200 to several hundred euros. Finally, there are the original catalysts, which can cost up to 1,500 euros – they explain in the service.
For example, the “imasaf” replacement catalyst for the “Fiat Punta” is not cheap at all.
– The price ranges between 40,000 and 45,000 dinars, but I must admit that I do not remember that in the last two years someone asked about the catalyst for the “Fiat Punto”. In some vehicles, the catalytic converter must be changed together with the engine branch, which further affects the price, they emphasize on service.
Checking the Catalyst Correctness in Three Ways
In gasoline vehicles, the catalytic converter is usually located in one of two places, and its correctness can be checked in three ways.
– Depending on the model, the catalytic converters can be in different places, but they are usually in the exhaust branch of the engine or in front of the front pot, in the middle of the car – they say in the service.
It is possible to visually check if the complete catalyst is there, but also with the help of a metal object.
– If the sound is muffled when a metal object hits the catalyst, it means that the catalyst content is full. In case the catalyst sounds, it means that it is hollow, that is, it does not work – they signal in one of the exhaust services and add that the lack of catalyst can be indicated by a yellow light on the dashboard, known as ” check engine “.
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