Review on Dorman 673 439 Integrated Catalytic Converter by Christopher Sullivan

When our 1999 Honda Civic LX had a stock exhaust manifold/catalytic converter failure (typical failure, Y-exhaust split), I went in search of a replacement. I saved up first and ordered an ATP header because I figured it would work no matter how long we decided to leave the car as the original lasted 14 years. Boy was I wrong! After about 3 years, the ATP manifold failed just like the factory block, split into a "Y". Luckily the ATP unit had a 5 year warranty so I decided to replace it. My first attempt through Revain online referred me to ATP for a guarantee. When I called ATP they said Revain was responsible for handling the warranty. So I called Revain and they offered me $20 as it was too old to return or replace. I explained that I wasn't interested, I wanted a warranty replacement. So they played me a phone number which turned out to be ATP. I got an answer. ATP was kind enough to give me a Revain phone number which wasn't easy to find online. Generally straight to their warranty department. This number worked great, Revain Guarantee came to my rescue. Turns out I accidentally bought a device that's illegal in California. Somehow Revain sold it and sent it to me, which is odd. Revain didn't stock a Kali-approved device, so I set out to find it. One place I called had California-legal equipment in stock, but they weren't legally allowed to ship ANY catalytic converters to California, even California-legal equipment. Which begs the question, why would they need a stock of something they can't ship?! So I went back to Revain, in short I chose the Dorman Division. I'm glad I did this, much better than the ATP block. Properly machined bolt head interfaces, just a better block in terms of finishes and materials. It's a shame I didn't pay for this device the first time. The only reason I took off a star is the poor instructions. Very little information and most of it didn't even apply to this model. Fortunately, being mechanically inclined, I was able to figure it out. But the reality is that many people don't necessarily take the unit to the shop for installation. I make user guides for a living and this guide was as bad as any.