NAC..'00 VW Passat 4Motion...$7200 in repairs!!!

[John Larson]

You said:  Here's one on-line (for a 1.8T) for 
$210:.............snip....................

Beware of these.  Many states, and probably federal law, virtually prohibit 
aftermarket OBD2 cats.  I deal with 2 quality catalytic converter companies 
that can't sell OBD 2 cats because they have to go through a testing and 
quality control procedure much the same as the auto manufacturers.  MAJOR 
dollars!  Marvin Miller, a well known manufacturer of aftermarket cats, has 
just recently brought to market a couple of units for some late 90s BMWs, 
but doesn't have anything for VAG products yet.  In addition, a generic O2 
sensor is apt to fail to meet the needs of the ECU, and may not function 
properly when installed in a sytem with 2 sensors.  I'm not saying it won't 
work, but it MAY not work with the OBD2 ECU.  You get a code, you can't pass 
an emissions test until it's repaired, cleared, and you complete a rather 
complex drive cycle, which can take days.  In fact, if the aftermarket or 
used converter you buy doesn't work 100% like the OE one, you're likely to 
get codes for that, and the same thing applies.  John