(T) Is my dealer trying to rip me off?

I have had my Stilo serviced and the dealer told me that the heat shield was missing from the catalytic converter and as a result the air filter had been melted. I asked the dealer what I should do about this. They claim that the only solution they can offer is to fit a new catalytic converter, which seems a little excessive. I contacted my local independant Fiat specialist and he claims he can order a heat shield (genuine Fiat part). My only concern is the implications on the 3rd year Fiat dealer warranty.

Any advice appreciated

well i would think that it shouldnt affect the warrenty(or just the cat which you would be replacing anyway with the dealer option)
might be worth contacting fiat UK for a definate answer but if the exhaust isnt covered under the 3rd year(i assume)then i dont see how it matters fro the warrenty

yeah, thats what I thought. My main concern is why the dealer isn't offering the alternative of fitting a new heat shield if it is possible to source a heatshield individually that is a genuine Fiat part. I still don't know how serious a missing heat shield really is as the dealer didn't seem too bothered about it and the only thing they did (or rather didn't do) was replace the air filter.

well the cat can hold a lot of heat so fro example if you parked in long grass in th summer but also it depends if theres fuel lines etc near there though probably not with the size of the car.
maybe you should see what another dealer says. also ask someone on here to check the fiat parts CD to see if the heat shield is listed seperatly