Honda Civic 2013 (Rebirth) Catalytic Converter Honeycomb (Jaali) Damaged

[waqarasifali1]

I own a Honda Civic Rebirth. Recently, during a tuning session, the mechanic inquired if the catalytic converter (CAT) had ever been cleaned, to which I replied in the negative. Upon removing the Oxygen Sensor to inspect the CAT for cleaning needs, the mechanic discovered that one of the honeycombs (Jaali) within it was damaged. The damage was significant, with half of the honeycomb ripped and the other half intact. The mechanic advised removing the damaged portion, mentioning that there are a total of three honeycombs (Jaali) in the CAT and removing one wouldn't have much effect except for a slight increase in car noise. However, he cautioned that if left unattended, the damaged honeycomb (Jaali) could break at any moment, potentially causing the entire CAT to choke.
Currently, during the summer months, my car is averaging between 10 to 11.5 kilometers per liter in the city and 15 kilometers per liter on long journeys with High-Octane fuel. While the car's pick-up hasn't been significantly affected, there is occasionally a jerk between speeds of 50 to 70 kilometers per hour (not sure if it's related to gear shifting).
Now, I'm seeking suggestions on the best course of action to address the issue at a minimal cost.
I believe I have three options:
1) purchasing a brand-new CAT from Honda, which costs over 1 lakh
2) acquiring a used one (Kabli) for 50 to 60k
3) following the mechanic's advice and having one of the honeycombs removed.

I'm hesitant to spend over 1 lakh for new CAT, especially since I recently invested in new suspension for the car worth the same amount. Additionally, I'm wary of spending 50 to 60k on a used CAT without knowing its history.
Are there any cheaper alternatives available for fixing the issue?
Thanks in advance.

[Xulfiqar]

Have you ever driven the car with an active misfire in the past? Have you been using crappy engine oil like sastaa maarka 20w50?

Have you ever driven the car with a headgasket breach into the combustion chamber?

All 3 damage the cat, the first one (misfire) can literally melt the cat core and cause it to fracture sometimes.

The one unique pakistani failure of cat is flooding the exhaust pipe, this can cause the outer jacket to soften and allow the core to move and eventually rattle and break.

Now find out what you have done and then proceed with repair, the best would be a new genuine honda part, expect to pay equal to usd 1000 for it.

Any after market one would be a compromise.

[javalogix]

3) following the mechanic's advice and having one of the honeycombs removed.

if your cat CAT is physically damaged there is no other option except to replace it. removing the honeycombs will only harm your engine in the long run.

[msabbasi]

Another cause for cat damage, especially in Pakistan is the "pseudo" hi octane sold in Pakistan during the 2015 - 2017 or so. The time when Civic 1.5 turbo was introduced and its engines were blowing up left right and center. This pseudo high octane fuel was a cooked up concoction made in the local refineries with funky additives. In real terms that fuel was made to trick the knock sensors into thinking that the fuel was indeed high octane. But in fact the combustion byproducts formed a whitish residue on the cat honeycomb. In some cases totally chocking it and as in this case blowing/breaking it. Thankfully, Atlas Honda and Honda Japan took the matter up with the ministry and got them to see light.

https://www.dawn.com/news/1367960#:~:text=Honda%20Motor%20Co's%20Pakistan%20subsidiary,public%20health%20due%20to%20emissions.

Now the fuel grade is pretty good. After having been stung by bad fuel and having the cat shot on my 2007 Civic which I replaced in 2017 with an brand new Oriel. On the 2017 Oriel I used to have the cat checked every 30,000 km to see how the cat was doing. Till the time I sold the car it in 2023 with 84,000km, there was no deposition on the cat.

[waqarasifali1]

I have the car for 2-3 years, never had a misfire with it neither i have driven any car that misfires.

I get the car oil changed from honda 3s dealership, they use SN 5W-30

Not sure about the headgasket breach what that is and if my car have ever done that.

I absolutely won't get the honeycomb removed if it'll probably harm the engine as mentioned by @javalogix

I am getting high-octane fuel from noticeable pumps (Total and PSO) only.

If there is no other option to get it fixed in cheap then i guess I'll wait and get a new one when i can.
But i don't see the problem with the current one, it gives good fuel average in the city of lahore (i.e., 10-11), the pick is okay. Should i do it ASAP or i can go without it for a longer time?