[OregonMark]

Hi, I’m hoping someone has some info on my issue. This is the only active Kia forum I found so even though I am in the U.S., hopefully Kia’s are similar enough in both the UK and the US.
My catalytic converter was stolen on my 2012 Kia Sedona and the repair shop (a very reputable place) says they have now ordered 3 factory catalytic converters and none of them fit! How is that even possible? Parker, (the mechanic) says he finally called the factory and he was told the following “The 2012’s had some sourcing problems for catalytic converters so they ended up doing some mix and matching on that year. It’s just not possible to know which exact catalytic converter they used”. Has anyone ever heard of anything so nutty?
My mechanic seems perplexed however he says that he is going to have another company that specializes in catalytic converters and seems confident that this guy will be able to figure something out although it may not be with a factory part.
I’m just wondering if anyone else has ever had an issue like this? I’m worried I may never get my car back, or ar least with a working catalytic converter!
Thanks

 

[xroads]

Specialist route seems valid, as factory route is not proving fruitful.
Internally the catalysts are much the same. You just need one that fits your manifold and exhaust.
I have seen cats swapped between different manufacturers/models with some custom welding.
Exhaust manifold will be the same, exhaust downpipes before and after cat may differ slightly. That could be another route, possibly costlier.
Assuming it's an insurance job, off-the-shelf would be my preference, rather than going down the custom route. I assume those got cut by the bandits too.
Ask Parker what's not fitting and make the suggestion, see what they say.

Get it secured this time to avoid theft again.

 

[iooi]

Hi, I’m hoping someone has some info on my issue. This is the only active Kia forum I found so even though I am in the U.S., hopefully Kia’s are similar enough in both the UK and the US.
My catalytic converter was stolen on my 2012 Kia Sedona and the repair shop (a very reputable place) says they have now ordered 3 factory catalytic converters and none of them fit! How is that even possible? Parker, (the mechanic) says he finally called the factory and he was told the following “The 2012’s had some sourcing problems for catalytic converters so they ended up doing some mix and matching on that year. It’s just not possible to know which exact catalytic converter they used”. Has anyone ever heard of anything so nutty?
My mechanic seems perplexed however he says that he is going to have another company that specializes in catalytic converters and seems confident that this guy will be able to figure something out although it may not be with a factory part.
I’m just wondering if anyone else has ever had an issue like this? I’m worried I may never get my car back, or ar least with a working catalytic converter!
Thanks

Hi & Welcome.

Strange to steal a Cat of a 2012 car.. They usually go for newer hybrids as they are a lot cleaner inside & worth a lot more.. Unless some other owner wanted a freebee..

On the bold point. I would go to a Kia garage. They should be able to sort it out, as it appear your "a very reputable place" is not up to the job.

 

[OregonMark]

Hi & Welcome.

Strange to steal a Cat of a 2012 car.. They usually go for newer hybrids as they are a lot cleaner inside & worth a lot more.. Unless some other owner wanted a freebee..

On the bold point. I would go to a Kia garage. They should be able to sort it out, as it appear your "a very reputable place" is not up to the job.

Yeah, I am almost certain they wanted the cat to reuse on another Kia Sedona. They cut it out beyond the connections points, ruining the muffler and engine exhaust pipes as well so they have a perfectly intact catalytic converter. My 2012 Kia has only 72,000 miles on it so the cat still has a long life for the crooks 🤬. I do agree my “reputable” place is not up to the job but they already said they were outsourcing to an exhaust specialist down the road so hopefully the “specialist” knows what they are doing. If not, I’ve already made an appointment (just in case) with the Kia dealer. It might be more expensive at the dealer but at least I will have my trusty Kia back in service. Thanks for answering.

 

[OregonMark]

Just wanted to close this particular discussion on a good note. Two days after the repair shop said they couldn’t get the factory cat to fit, I was told my car was ready to go as if there had been no issue in the first place. I’m happy now that’s it’s fixed and in my possession but I have to wonder if it’s just something that was said to buy more time so I wouldn’t make a fuss. They were supposed to have my car fixed in a week but I finally received it back after 25 days.