![My Cats are Empty [P0420 Check Engine Light]](https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/54550567999_6bda364eed_c.jpg "My Cats are Empty [P0420 Check Engine Light]")
TL;DR - I've been getting P0420 check engine lights for a while now. I'm not planning to do anything about it for the time being.
This is annoying, but I can live with it to not put a new catalytic converter in.
I started getting an intermittent P0420 check engine light several years ago. It occurs - almost entirely - when I'm putzing around in the middle of nowhere in 4-Lo. The first time I got it, I was a bit worried, but after learning that it doesn't affect drivability, engine operation, or fuel economy - at least, on a 1st gen Tacoma - I've pretty much put it out of my mind, save for what has become a once-a-trip reset using my ODBII scanner (there is now a much cheaper device that is basically the same).
A hot commodity... or so it appears.
With my Tacoma being a California model, a new CARB-compliant catalytic converter - Toyota OEM Catalytic Converter (17403-07041) - runs upward of $1000 these days. Even an aftermarket Magnaflow is only a couple hundred dollars cheaper.
With thefts of the devices taking place more and more frequently, I think I'll stick with what I've got. If mine gets stolen, at least I'll have the last laugh when they find it empty.
In this Series
