I had brought the car in for warranty work. But my service writer wasn't there. He was gone for the week. So a different service writer helped me when I picked up the car.

The note basically stated that the pipes leading up to the catalytic were crushed to half of their diameter, and that they recommended replacement of the cats. That sounds unimaginably expensive.

I have not had a chance to go to an independent for an inspection. And it's been to long for me to jog the memory of the tech at this point. If the cats themselves are ok, but the pipes leading to the cats are damaged, is it possible to just replace the pipe without replacing the cat?

To make matters worse, I'm in California where we have draconian rules regarding replacement of cats with aftermarket parts.

 

why the recommendation - is there a problem? Codes, CEL, performance?

 

A talented welder at a muffler shop could just replace the damaged sections (post some pics). You might have to bring to a shop so they can remove the cat for repair, A good Porsche indy may be able to do it or recommend somebody.

Dealer's first response is always to replace with new, they're not really that good at repairing things (it's not in their training).

 

It goes way beyond that... It's not in their interest!

 

How did that happen? Did you run over a road debris or something? It seems like so many other things could get damaged before the header would. Sounds strange to me.

 

I am trying to figure out how this could happen. Indeed very strange

I would love to see some pictures of the damage

 

The dealer recommended replacing BOTH cats lol.

No codes. No CEL. Performance is fine. PSE sounds fine.

I have not had the car up on a lift yet. I'm very suspicious.

 

That's what I'm hoping for. I'm was going to do the Sharkwerks bypass anyway so I may wait until I get to their shop to check it out.

 

Exactly my thoughts. We have speedbumps in our community but I'm always very careful when I go over those. I don't remember ever bottoming out the car.

 

find one on ebay

 

The headers on the 997 come new looking like they are damaged. Post a picture.

 

Concur. The pipes leading to the cats look crushed when new, with some sides flattened. Make sure it wasn't just a misguided tech.

 

This is good to know. Thank you. I'm going to bring it up with the dealer first, now that I know this.

 

This same topic seems to come up every once in a while on the 997.2. The header pipes are indeed flattened when new.
See the attached pic as a good example. (Pic from Sharkwerks site).
Compare yours to this.

 

No photo's?
Is it not round? or oval? Or flat like a chewed straw?
Tech's can be funny. Their job is to have everything at factory specifications.
Anything out of spec? They put it on your bill.
An oval flows the same as round. Unless its seriously crunched, I call it under car patina.
Get some photo's up. Or at least get it up on a lift and get the tech to show. A VISA card swipe is not the answer yet.