Q: Catalytic converter going bad. Can I prolong its life?
The mechanic, says my cat, converter is going bad, I don't have the money for a new one, is there any thing I might do, to prolong it's life.
My car has 120000 miles.
My car has an automatic transmission.
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Unfortunately, there is not much that can be done to prolong the life of the catalytic converter as they are very expensive to manufacture, thus the high cost of replacement. In order for the converter to work effectively, there are catalysts inside that require an enormous amount of heat to produce the chemical reactions needed to break down exhaust gases. When the materials inside the converter break down, this is what causes the converter to fail to work properly. You may be able to have a mechanic take a look at the vehicle as a whole to see if there is anything that can be done.
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