7 Common Misconceptions about Cadillac Converters

So, you’ve got yourself a scrap catalytic converter and you’re looking to cash it in—great stuff! As scrap metal recycling experts, the process of scrapping catalytic converters (a.k.a., cadillac converters) with Endless is pretty straightforward. Even so, it might be worth your while getting the lowdown on some common misconceptions so that you know what to expect. Read on to discover 7 common misconceptions about catalytic converters.

Catalytic converters are made of metals like copper, nickel, cerium, iron, and manganese, but the real value is in the small amount of rare precious metals (usually platinum, palladium, or rhodium) that can be found inside the “biscuit”. Our customers are often pleasantly surprised by how much their catalytic converter scrap price amounts to—they’re usually worth a lot as scrap. A catalytic converter can worth up to a couple hundred dollars for the more valuable ones.

While this info is sometimes helpful, it’s the serial number that’s your ticket. Each serial number is linked to a specific quantity and composition of precious metals, which is what we base our price on. Serial numbers are located in a number of places on a catalytic converter, depending on the manufacturer, however, most are usually found on the side, back, or front of the exterior. Hot tip—if you’ve found the serial number on your catalytic converter but it’s rusted over or hard to see, you can rub a little bit of oil over the mark, and that should help make the serial number easier to read. You’re welcome!

We trade the precious metals from inside the catalytic converters in various international markets, which are constantly moving and so can be quite volatile. When exporting metals, shipping costs and the exchange rates for foreign currencies also come into play. All of this is factored in when we give you a price for your catalytic converter. It is very difficult for us to predict what global market prices may do in the future, which is why we update our scrap metal pricing regularly to reflect the value in global markets. While our prices aren’t fixed, we will always offer you the best price available at the time of purchase.

The outer shell of a catalytic converter isn’t worth much, so if the exterior is rusted or dented this shouldn’t affect the price that you’ll get for yours. The real value of a catalytic converter is determined by the inner biscuit, so please make sure you keep yours intact. If the inner biscuit is broken, your catalytic converter will be worth less because it will contain fewer precious metals.

All these components are parts of a vehicle’s exhaust system which makes them easy to confuse—however, each has a different function and is made up of different metals. A typical resonator is made of a hollow steel cylindrical tube, which isn’t worth very much. A muffler can be made of various ferrous or non-ferrous metals… which means that they may be worth slightly more than a resonator—but still nowhere near as valuable as the precious metals found in a catalytic converter.

While we’re not fussy about what type of engine your catalytic converter comes from, diesel engine systems have less material in them once refined and have a higher cost of processing. This makes diesel catalytic converters worth slightly less than those from a petrol-based vehicle. Sorry truckies!

Here at Endless, we get HEAPS of requests for pricing for scrap “cadillac converters”. In fact, “cadillac” is just a mispronunciation of “catalytic”, but we get it—it does sound pretty close. And it’s all good, this isn’t a spelling bee! Whether you want to get rid of catalytic converters OR cadillac converters, we’ll take them either way 😊

Now that you’ve got all your facts straight, you can make sure that you get paid top dollar for your scrap catalytic converters by bringing yours into your nearest Endless drive thru.

To get a quote for your scrap catalytic converter, you can contact us by:

• Calling 08 0044 8899
• Filling out a contact form on our website
• Sending a message on Facebook Messenger
• Emailing a photo and a brief description of your scrap metal to pricing@endless.co.nz

Whether you’re looking to sell a single catalytic converter once-off, or you have a number of them and/or a steady supply – bring them in to Endless to get the best catalytic converter price quoted and be paid what they’re REALLY worth.