Hello,
So some bunghole decided he needed my Honda accord 2005 v4 catalytic converter more then me, there is a story there about a dealership for another time. So my question is for my car does it matter (and what difference if any) if I go OEM or after market for a California approved Catalytic converter? Price not needed in this decision just mechanically...

Marty

 

A couple of points:

1. There is no such a thing as a 2005 Honda Accord with a V4 engine; the options are I4 or V6.
2. If you can find a aftermarket catalytic converter approved for your car for California, the there is no benefit from paying the extra money for an OEM cat.

 

Ok since we are going all proper it is actually a 2.4 L 4- Cylinder, now onto your response. If I use an after market (cheaper parts) will it still smog? My concern is I am looking at this one MagnaFlow California CARB Compliant Universal Catalytic Converter. I have weld pipes (extenders) from about 6in from the manifold because I guess they wanted the pipe as well.

 

It depends if the CARB approved converter is the same Engine Family Number (EFN) as listed on your emission label of the car. CARB approved alone does not mean it is compliant for all emission models.

Sometimes certain engines have no aftermarket CARB compliant converters, which only leaves OEM as the sole option.