Belated Happy New Year ladies and gents . 

Faced with replacing the catalytic converter on my Mk2 Focus 1.6 petrol I want to avoid the pitfalls of sourcing another cat . I've noticed quite a considerable difference in price between suppliers online or otherwise of after market items and wondered is there a difference in the quality of materials used . 

Your opinions and/or recommendations , experiences good or bad on the subject are appreciated . 

Thanks in advance if my replies are a little late .

You need a type approved cat for anything after 2001 in the UK, not sure if that applies to Ireland.

And yes there is a huge difference in materials used in the cheaper ones.  Genuine work better and last longer, and are usually less restrictive, but as you've seen are much more expesnive.  So comes down to budget and how long you'll be keeping the car really...

2 hours ago, TomsFocus said:

You need a type approved cat for anything after 2001 in the UK, not sure if that applies to Ireland.

And yes there is a huge difference in materials used in the cheaper ones.  Genuine work better and last longer, and are usually less restrictive, but as you've seen are much more expesnive.  So comes down to budget and how long you'll be keeping the car really...

Cheers for your reply Tom , all things considered I might go middle ground in terms of price .