Sure Signs Your Volkswagen Catalytic Converter Needs Replacing

<h1>Sure Signs Your Volkswagen Catalytic Converter Needs Replacing</h1>Author: <a title="Max Rossi" href="http://www.articlesbase.com/authors/max-rossi/194824.htm">Max Rossi</a> It took the Clean Air Act to help make passenger cars cleaner. Under the Nixon Administration, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was formed in a bid to help reduce pollution and set standards on vehicle emissions with various legislation passed or amended to bring that about. To that end, beginning in 1975 car manufacturers began to install catalytic converters in a bid to reduce pollution, one of the most important parts related to your vehicle's exhaust system. Every car engine produces gases which if left untreated can be harmful to the environment. Other than a pure electric vehicle, no passenger car is one hundred percent free of emissions, but some come pretty darn close. Even with all of the modern exhaust systems and engines in place, every car pollutes to some extent. How Your Catalytic Converter Works Your vehicle's catalytic converter can be found on its exhaust line inserted between the exhaust manifold and the muffler. Pellets inside the converter work to alter damaging gases into innocuous gases before they leave the tailpipe for open air. Quality standards are lowered if a catalytic converter is damaged or broken, requiring replacement as soon as possible. States with strict emissions testing will fail any car without a functioning catalytic converter in place. There are four revealing signs which signal when a catalytic converter will soon give out. They are: <ul> <li>Rusted or damaged converter body or end tubes.</li> </ul> <ul> <li>Bits of substrate (matter) found in other sections of the exhaust system.</li> </ul> <ul> <li>No rattle detected in a pellitized converter (If the converter doesn't rattle, the pellets may have melted and blended together or perhaps fallen out).</li> </ul> <ul> <li>A rattle detected in a monolithic converter (A rattle in this kind of converter indicates the substrate has separated.)</li> </ul> Change Your Broken Or Damaged Catalytic Converter If you see hear or see evidence of any of these signs, then you should change your catalytic converter immediately.  A delay on your part could result in a ticket from the police or the failure of your vehicle at inspection. Weekend mechanics can change their Volkswagen catalytic converter themselves, by ordering parts online. Or, if your mechanic agrees to your proposal, you can buy the part yourself and have him install it for you. If your newer Volkswagen experiences catalytic converter failure, then check your warranty because replacement should be covered. Sometimes converters are damaged by drivers when they hit a pothole while thieves will sometimes make off with them too. About the Author: Max Rossi is an automotive enthusiast and gear head whose favorite cars include top European brands such as Saab, Mercedes, Volkswagen, BMW, Porsche, Jaguar, Audi and Volvo. Max makes his living working for FCP Groton, a family owned automotive supply business specializing in high quality replacement automotive parts and accessories from top European manufacturers. When Max isn't managing business or tooling with his 1974 BMW 3.0cs, he can be found rock climbing, crossword puzzles and fly-fishing.Article Source: <a href="http://www.articlesbase.com/">ArticlesBase.com</a> - <a href="http://www.articlesbase.com/cars-articles/sure-signs-your-volkswagen-catalytic-converter-needs-replacing-1073127.html" title="Sure Signs Your Volkswagen Catalytic Converter Needs Replacing">Sure Signs Your Volkswagen Catalytic Converter Needs Replacing</a>

It took the Clean Air Act to help make passenger cars cleaner. Under the Nixon Administration, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was formed in a bid to help reduce pollution and set standards on vehicle emissions with various legislation passed or amended to bring that about. To that end, beginning in 1975 car manufacturers began to install catalytic converters in a bid to reduce pollution, one of the most important parts related to your vehicle's exhaust system.

Every car engine produces gases which if left untreated can be harmful to the environment. Other than a pure electric vehicle, no passenger car is one hundred percent free of emissions, but some come pretty darn close. Even with all of the modern exhaust systems and engines in place, every car pollutes to some extent.

How Your Catalytic Converter Works

Your vehicle's catalytic converter can be found on its exhaust line inserted between the exhaust manifold and the muffler. Pellets inside the converter work to alter damaging gases into innocuous gases before they leave the tailpipe for open air. Quality standards are lowered if a catalytic converter is damaged or broken, requiring replacement as soon as possible. States with strict emissions testing will fail any car without a functioning catalytic converter in place.

There are four revealing signs which signal when a catalytic converter will soon give out. They are:

Rusted or damaged converter body or end tubes.

Bits of substrate (matter) found in other sections of the exhaust system.

No rattle detected in a pellitized converter (If the converter doesn't rattle, the pellets may have melted and blended together or perhaps fallen out).

A rattle detected in a monolithic converter (A rattle in this kind of converter indicates the substrate has separated.)

Change Your Broken Or Damaged Catalytic Converter

If you see hear or see evidence of any of these signs, then you should change your catalytic converter immediately. A delay on your part could result in a ticket from the police or the failure of your vehicle at inspection.

Weekend mechanics can change their Volkswagen catalytic converter themselves, by ordering parts online. Or, if your mechanic agrees to your proposal, you can buy the part yourself and have him install it for you. If your newer Volkswagen experiences catalytic converter failure, then check your warranty because replacement should be covered. Sometimes converters are damaged by drivers when they hit a pothole while thieves will sometimes make off with them too.

Max Rossi is an automotive enthusiast and gear head whose favorite cars include top European brands such as Saab, Mercedes, Volkswagen, BMW, Porsche, Jaguar, Audi and Volvo. Max makes his living working for FCP Groton, a family owned automotive supply business specializing in high quality replacement automotive parts and accessories from top European manufacturers. When Max isn't managing business or tooling with his 1974 BMW 3.0cs, he can be found rock climbing, crossword puzzles and fly-fishing.

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Article Tags: Catalytic Converter, Vw Parts, Car Parts, Autos, Car Maintenance, Volkswagen, Vw

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