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

[Dan Cordon]

<snip section about ludicrous prices>

>Does this seem resonable?

Several have mentioned generic cats being installed by a local muffler 
shop. The can probably cut everything off your originals for mounting.

Catco makes direct fit (bolt in) converters for the 00-02 Passat V6 for 
~$350 each side. Maybe they thought your car had 5 on each side?

Some more background on your situation would be helpful:
What symptoms caused you to take car to dealer?
Where are you located, and what dealer did you go to?
What problems did they say the work/parts would be fixing?

As for the reason they are going bad....cold start emissions are one of 
the largest areas of concern for new cars being emission certified. To 
reduce light-off time of the converter, more and more manufacturers are 
locating the converters closer to the engine. Some bolt directly to the 
manifold. In many cases, the close proximity causes the cats to get a 
lot hotter than they would have if located further downstream. This 
causes premature stress on the cats, and can lead to them lasting only 
50-75k miles.

You didn't wear a suit made of $100 bills when you came in the shop did 
you?

-- 
Dan Cordon
Mechanical Engineer
University of Idaho - Engine Research Facility