Most VW Jetta catalytic converters scrap between $26 and $418, and marketplace listings for individual VW part numbers have topped out as high as $510 for early TDI units. Gasoline Jettas mostly grade as small or medium foreign, which published US category prices put at $30–$228 and $40–$452 respectively. What you get at a yard counter is lower than any of those numbers — the US national average payout across all converter types was $101 each on 21 August 2026.
| Grade / Item | Low | High | Unit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mk3 (1993-99) | $26 | $120 | USD/unit |
| Mk4 (1999-2005) | $55 | $438 | USD/unit |
| Mk5 (2006-10) | $108 | $445 | USD/unit |
| Mk6 (2011-18) | $90 | $377 | USD/unit |
| Mk7 (2019+) | $90 | $456 | USD/unit |
| TDI early units (to $510) | $60 | $510 | USD/unit |
| Country | Typical Range | Per Tonne | Cur. |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | $50 – $450 /unit (typical OEM) | — | USD |
| Canada | C$65 – C$600 /unit | — | CAD |
| United Kingdom | £40 – £350 /unit | — | GBP |
| Germany / EU | €45 – €400 /unit | — | EUR |
| Australia | A$75 – A$650 /unit | — | AUD |
| India | ₹4,000 – ₹35,000 /unit | — | INR |
| UAE / Dubai | 180 – 1,600 AED /unit | — | AED |
What a Jetta converter is worth right now
Three things set the number: generation, gasoline or TDI, and factory part or aftermarket. Aftermarket units hold 50–90 percent less precious metal than factory converters and pay accordingly, even when they look newer.
AutoCatalystMarket, which publishes per-unit prices for the Jetta line, lists these ranges:
- Diesel units: $60–$418
- Gasoline units: $26–$204
- Ceramic units: $26–$418
- Metallic-substrate units: $30–$82
Those are marketplace figures, not counter offers. A 2022 trade write-up put local yard offers on a Jetta unit at $30–$50 against a recycler price nearer $150. Expect a yard to pay between a third and two thirds of a published marketplace price.
Jetta values by generation and engine
The Jetta ran seven generations in the US. Platform code matters more than the badge, because the converter part number keys off the platform.
| Generation | Years | Key US engines | Typical grade | Indicative range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mk3 (A3) | 1993–1999 | 2.0 ABA, 2.8 VR6, 1.9 TDI | Foreign small / pre-cat | $26–$120 |
| Mk4 (PQ34) | 1999.5–2005 | 2.0, 1.8T, 2.8 VR6, 1.9 TDI | Foreign small / medium | $55–$438 |
| Mk5 (PQ35) | 2006–2010 | 2.5 I5, 2.0T FSI/TSI, 1.9 and 2.0 TDI | Foreign medium | $108–$445 |
| Mk6 | 2011–2018 | 2.0, 2.5, 1.8T, 1.4T, 2.0T, 2.0 TDI to 2015 | Foreign medium | $90–$377 |
| Mk7 (MQB A1) | 2019–present | 1.4T/1.5T, 2.0T EA888 GLI | Foreign medium / large | $90–$456 |
Mk3 and Mk4
Mk3 units are old, thin on loading, and often rusted. Treat anything pre-1999 as foreign small unless it weighs more than you expect. The Mk4 is where the money starts. Mk4 gasoline units carrying 1J0 178 numbers have posted some of the strongest VW prices on record: 1J0178EBCL at $438, 1J0178AADN at $402, and 1J0178ABHF at $365. Those are six-month maximum observed prices from the Golf catalogue dated 28 May 2026, and the Jetta shared the PQ34 platform and much of the exhaust hardware.
Mk5 and Mk6
The 2.5-litre five-cylinder is the volume engine of this era in the US and the one most often pulled. A 2022 estimate put the 2.5 unit at roughly $180 and the 1.4/1.8 TSI units at roughly $120. Those figures predate the current metal market and should be treated as a floor reference, not a live quote. The MQB-era 5QM131690B from the Golf VII 2.0 TSI shows $377.
Mk7
Mk7 Jettas are mostly still on the road, so public per-unit data is sparse. Units carry 5Q0 and 5QM prefixes. Grade them by size against the foreign medium and large categories rather than trusting a model-level average.
The TDI diesel units
Diesel is where VW pricing gets confusing, because two different things both get called diesel cats.
A plain oxidation catalyst off an older TDI is a poor payer. Diesel converters hold roughly 2–3 grams of platinum group metal against 10–15 grams in a gasoline unit, and what they hold is mostly platinum with little palladium or rhodium. ScrapMonster listed its plain diesel category at $13 each on 17 August 2026.
A diesel particulate filter is different. DPF units are large, heavy, and platinum-rich. RRCats listed DPF at $30–$806 on 21 August 2026, against a plain diesel cat at $15–$511. If you have a 2009–2015 TDI with the full DPF assembly, do not let it go as a plain diesel cat.
| VW part number | Application | Observed price | Source date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 045178ACB | Audi A3 / Golf Mk4 1.9 TDI, 1998–2003 | $510 | 28 May 2026 |
| 1K0131723G / 1K0181AB | Golf V, EOS 2.0 TDI 140hp | $173 to $445 | Jan 2025 / May 2026 |
| 1K0131690AK / 1K0178DA | Golf V, Passat B6, Touran 2.0 TDI 140hp | $108 to $258 | Jan 2025 / May 2026 |
| DD-12193 / DD-10102 | Golf Mk4 1.9 TDI | $198 | 25 Jan 2025 |
| 3C0131765H / 5N0181AA | Passat B7 2.0 TDI 140hp | $110 | 25 Jan 2025 |
| 3B0131701Q / 8D0178E | Passat Variant 1.9 TDI B5 | $55 | 25 Jan 2025 |
Two of those rows carry a wide spread because the same part number is priced differently on two pages of the same marketplace, dated sixteen months apart. 1K0131723G shows $173 in the January 2025 brand catalogue and $445 in the May 2026 Golf catalogue. 1K0131690AK shows $108 and $258. We are giving both ends rather than splitting the difference, because there is no honest single number there. Treat the low figure as a realistic expectation and the high figure as a best case on a clean, complete, verified unit.
Reading the VW part number
VW uses the Volkswagen Group format, which is European and looks nothing like a Honda or Toyota stamp. It runs three characters, then three digits, then three digits, then one to four index letters. Spaces are often stamped in, often not.
- First three characters identify the platform or model. 1J0 is Mk4 Golf and Jetta. 1K0 is Mk5. 5Q0 and 5QM are MQB. 3B0 and 3C0 are Passat. 4G0 is Audi A6. Numbers starting 045 or 04L are keyed to the engine code instead, and those are usually diesel.
- Middle group is the system. 131 is the exhaust gas and emissions group.
- Trailing letters are the revision index. They matter. BQ and BS are not interchangeable for pricing.
Real examples pulled from buyer identification guides: 1K0 131 701 BQ, 1K0 131 701 BS, 4G0 131 765 C, 5Q0 131 701 N.
Many VW converters carry a second, shorter number in the 178, 181 or 166 subgroup — things like 1K0178DA, 5Q0166AB or 1J0178AADN. That is the converter-specific reference and it is frequently the one a buyer wants. You may also see an ECE approval stamp such as 103R-0025039. That is a homologation code, not a part number, and it will not price the unit.
Check the corners, the heat shield edge, and the inlet pipe. Do not cut the shield off to look — on plenty of units the number is on the shield itself.
How foreign grading applies
Most Jetta units fall in foreign small or foreign medium. Grading is by physical size, and the published dimensions are: foreign small under 10 inches long and 3–4 inches in diameter, foreign medium 10–14 inches, foreign large 14–18 inches and up.
Size is a sorting shortcut, not a valuation. Published category prices contradict each other on this point. On 17 August 2026 ScrapMonster listed foreign small at $192 and foreign medium at $150 — the smaller grade paying more. Loading, not volume, is what pays.
Metal prices behind the number
Converter payouts run roughly 25–35 percent of the recoverable metal value after refining. Spot prices in the week of 17–21 August 2026 varied by source:
| Metal | Range across sources | Quoted by |
|---|---|---|
| Platinum | $1,706–$1,799/oz | RRCats, Ecotrade, Kitco, ScrapMonster |
| Palladium | $1,273–$1,312/oz | Ecotrade, RRCats, Kitco, ScrapMonster |
| Rhodium | $8,300–$8,800/oz | Ecotrade, RRCats, Kitco, Trading Economics |
Rhodium was up 7.32 percent over the prior month and 17.73 percent year on year as of 20 August 2026. Be careful with online calculators: one widely-circulated tool was quoting rhodium at $4,800/oz in August 2026, and another price list was running on platinum at $1,050/oz. Both are far below the exchange. A calculator built on stale metal prices will lowball you badly.