99 GL heat shield rattle?

[slugbugminneapolis]

my 2.0 gl has this rattle that sounds like a catalytic converter heat shield is loose. ive looked under the car, but they look good. is there a heat shield on the exhaust manifold that you cannot see without using a lift? or does/has anybody had this issue? thanks for all the advice in advance.

[HarlequinPixie]

Apparently the Cat Converters on the early years had problems and got the warranty on them extended to 10 years\100k(i think) miles.. I just got mine replaced because it was sounding pretty much like you describe. might wanna check with a dealer to see whether yours is still covered.

[slugbugminneapolis]

the rattle issue seems to be inside the cat then? that would make sense since i cant find anything loose. most def not under warranty, but would love to pay to get rid of rattle, should i stay with a stock cat if it needs to be replaced or should i go aftermarket to save money?

[wawalker]

http://www.epa.gov/otaq/cert/recall/vw2.htm

Warranty extension is to 10 yrs. and 120K miles. Do you fall under that? If not, aftermarket cats aren't too bad pricewise. I suggest going to an independant muffler/exhaust shop with a new cat in hand to get installed if you can't handle it yourself. There are other heat shields on the exhaust that you'll want to check before spending your hard-earned dough. If the cat is actually going bad you should have a check engine light--most likely code is P0422 I believe.

[slugbugminneapolis]

engine light is on, does a normal obd-2 reader work on the vws?

[Lnzbug]

They work fine. A vag-com would be better but they also cost more

[slugbugminneapolis]

as i plan to keep this car awhile, and do alot of the maintenance myself, would this other scan tool be a good investment, and if so where do i get one and about what should they cost?

[HarlequinPixie]

oh wow. saw in your new member post that you'v e got 178,000 miles.. yeah. guess that's definitely out of warranty then!