Review on Catalytic Converter Compatible 2004 2009 Direct Fit by Jason Rogness

Like most on here I bought this unit to replace a stolen catalytic converter. Before purchasing this item, I had three concerns based on various online reviews of other replacement units: - The quality of the exhaust manifold flange joint and ability to achieve a good seal - The overall length of the replacement unit - I had less than 2 inches of remaining exhaust pipe available for connections - whether the new tube fits on top of the remaining tube. None of these items were a problem. The build quality of the device appears to be high (at least what you can see from the outside). The front flange was well finished and made a good seal together with the gasket provided. The overall length of the block was perfect, the length of the pipe allowed it to fit to the beginning of the muffler. After deburring the end of the end cap and some lube, we were able to thread the new block onto the end cap all the way to the end of the back box. (4 bolts) on the tunnel exhaust, disconnect the remaining pipe at the flange on the rear axle and then pull the pipe off the rubber mounts. Then, after removing the old block from the car, I attached the new block and roughly aligned the two pieces (tip: hanger pins and front flange bolt holes should roughly line up), but not yet pinched. Then I put the combo back on the rubber hangers and lastly lined up the front with the exhaust manifold flange (tip: make sure the old exhaust manifold gasket is not attached to the exhaust manifold). I then loosely connected the new block to the exhaust manifold with the bolts provided. Then I reattached the rear flange to the muffler. Finally I connected the new and old blocks together, then tightened everything and replaced the cross brace. Then I installed a new O2 sensor (tip: the O2 connection in the cat has a plug - remove this before installing the device on the car). Everything went smoothly with no visible leaks. The job took about 90 minutes from start to finish and was done on a garage floor with the front wheels on the car ramps and a jack to raise the car to maximum suspension travel without lifting the wheels. After 25 miles of road testing, the Cat Shield installation work is complete (approximately 90 more minutes). I will update the review if we run into any issues later.