My BMW 328i 1998 cat-converter has gone bad.the original piece is very expensive. can i go aftermark

Hi Anthony,

My previous answer still stands with regards to after market cats for an 8 series but I did have some more thought after seeing your question again. My 3 series is now 12 years old with 140,000 km on the clock and still running on the original cat.

In Hong Kong we have almost Californian standards for emmissions and the car still passes each year. 8 years sounds young, are you doing a lot of town based hard driving?

Otherwise, who is telling you it has gone bad?

Maybe an independant emmission test would help. (Unless of course it has corroded and is rattling, then the change is justified for silence alone)

Hope this is of help

My BMW 328i 1998 cat-converter has gone bad.the original piece is very expensive. can i go aftermarket.?anti virus

an aftermarket cat will decrease effeciency probably a little and void your warranty (like that matters at this time). it could also make servicing it a little more expensive. you may see your performance go up slightly but it seems that is not what you are looking for. if it is cheaper be careful that it is not lower quality. see if any other 3 series owner has had the same dilema and posted it on a forum or cardomain.com

My BMW 328i 1998 cat-converter has gone bad.the original piece is very expensive. can i go aftermarket.?auto protect

Yes, but original would be better. You get what you pay for.
Your dealer should be able to tell you if rebuilt or remanufactured units are available. If they don't know, try you rlocal BMW club.
trade it in loser
An aftermarket piece will be good if you got it from the right place and it depends on your budget to buy the original piece
Sure find out what the diameter of your pipe and you can put on any after market cat you want. expt californa check with emission laws. free flowing cat range from $100 to $200 also gives you more power.