-1 For My Subaru Dealership [Check Engine Light]

[PotenzaSub]

As I posted in a previous thread I got a check engine light last spring. I took it to my Subaru Dealership and they said it was a burnt out catalytic converter. They charged me $800 to replace it. So I took it to Midas since they were only charging $600. Midas replaced it and everything was fine untill about a month ago when the check engine light came back on.

I new it was the cat again because the car was acting the same as it did before - I could hear an occasional burping noise from the exhaust. So, today I took it to the Subaru Dealership again and asked them to see what it was. I told them what happened last Spring and that I thought it might be the 02 sensors. The checked the car and told me it was the cat. At the moment I got a little annoyed (not visibly, just on the inside) because I already new that and they had charged me $48 for basically nothing.

However, now I'm thinking. I'm wondering if when I took it to Midas (last Spring) if they replaced the 02 sensors as well as the cat. And I'm also wondering if this is standard procedure and is included in the price of the cat replacement. I know my cat is burnt out know, but I want to know why! It might be the 02 sensors. And they should have been replaced when the cat was replaced, right?

[wrxman60]

ahh just say the hell with cats, and get a nice cat-less pipe

[Intercooled T]

02 sensors are NOT normally replaced when a cat is, only if they are fouled will they be replaced

[Supraru]

It's not your O2 sensors fault. Everyone is always quick to blame O2 sensors when something is wrong. They just read what's coming through the exhaust and tell the ecu, then the ecu corrects what needs to be corrected. Chances are you have some sort of complete problem. What are you mods like? There should be absolutely no reason a cat should go in one year. Honestly I'd go to the muffler place and complain and also find out what's wrong with your car.

I also still have my 99' stock Rs cat in my basement. It was probably used for maybe 40k miles. I'd let it go cheap if you want it instead of spending another 600 bucks.

[Rey The Great]

subarus and check engine lights..thats nothing new..mines been on for close to a year now..but the car runs perfect..took to the dealer 3 times..and they never solve it..so i said **** it..so i took it to my boys garage and we were doing our own thing and found out a leak on the uppipe and down pipe..which is gonna get taken care of this up coming week.

[Honest_Bob]

Did they actually pull the cat and look at it, or just reading the code and saying "yeah its the cat".

[ThePrimerSuspect]

midas cats are junk. and even worse, they weld them in so in a year, when they burn out you either have to go back to midas and get another one, or get a whole new system from the dealer. i work at honda and see a lot of accords that need cats. now about a month ago i had a lady who came in for a check engine light and it ended up being a cat. she was just out of warranty, but we made her an offer that if she did her timing belt, we would warranty the cat. basically, if we could show honda that she spent some money, they would see her as a valued customer and good will the cat. now, to me it seemed like a good deal ($850 for a t-belt and a cat as opposed to just a cat for $1k + labor) anyway she didnt go for it. went to midas instead. came back on friday, and guess what? needs a cat! and even better, needs a whole exhaust system since midas welded it. the point is, that midas uses basically a generic converter, and the manufacturer (i.e. subaru, honda, etc.) has specifications for each cat for each car. you see my point? generic car parts are junk!

[Supraru]

Originally Posted by ThePrimerSuspect

midas cats are junk. and even worse, they weld them in so in a year, when they burn out you either have to go back to midas and get another one, or get a whole new system from the dealer. i work at honda and see a lot of accords that need cats. now about a month ago i had a lady who came in for a check engine light and it ended up being a cat. she was just out of warranty, but we made her an offer that if she did her timing belt, we would warranty the cat. basically, if we could show honda that she spent some money, they would see her as a valued customer and good will the cat. now, to me it seemed like a good deal ($850 for a t-belt and a cat as opposed to just a cat for $1k + labor) anyway she didnt go for it. went to midas instead. came back on friday, and guess what? needs a cat! and even better, needs a whole exhaust system since midas welded it. the point is, that midas uses basically a generic converter, and the manufacturer (i.e. subaru, honda, etc.) has specifications for each cat for each car. you see my point? generic car parts are junk!

I don't see why she would need a whole exhaust system. Sounds like you guys are trying to rip her off even more. lol. You could easily cut the "midas" cat out and reflange the pipe and bolt it back up. It's not even that hard of a job. I guess the dealer is to lazy.

[whitezenki]

Originally Posted by Supraru

I don't see why she would need a whole exhaust system. Sounds like you guys are trying to rip her off even more. lol. You could easily cut the "midas" cat out and reflange the pipe and bolt it back up. It's not even that hard of a job. I guess the dealer is to lazy.

Its not the dealers job to cut, customize, and weld, I'm sure thats not high on there to do list, especially when the person had come in and turned them down earlier that week.

$600 for a cat? $800 for a cat? $1K for a cat?

Is it just me that thinks thats ridiculous?

[Vypurr]

The dealer has complete exhaust systems. They do not just have elbows and pipes which they bend and weld as they see fit. If they do an exhaust, the unbolt what is there, and bolt on the replacement pieces.

[Supraru]

Originally Posted by whitezenki

Its not the dealers job to cut, customize, and weld, I'm sure thats not high on there to do list, especially when the person had come in and turned them down earlier that week.

$600 for a cat? $800 for a cat? $1K for a cat?

Is it just me that thinks thats ridiculous?

Even still the flanges on the other sides were more then likely there and minike cut and welded a new cat in. Even so it would still only need the cat section and not a whole exhaust aka the midpipe and mufflers. Like I said...rip off.

[jspek]

cats are for tree hugging hippy ******s. get a real exhaust if your gonna be buying cats left and right.

[ThePrimerSuspect]

Originally Posted by Supraru

I don't see why she would need a whole exhaust system. Sounds like you guys are trying to rip her off even more. lol. You could easily cut the "midas" cat out and reflange the pipe and bolt it back up. It's not even that hard of a job. I guess the dealer is to lazy.

because on hondas, theres no pipe with flanges on the cat, in other words the cat bolts right in, and that whole section of the exhaust is cat converter. and midas cuts the a-pipe and b-pipe and welds them together with the cat in the middle. therefore ruining the whole exhaust system.

[Supraru]

Originally Posted by ThePrimerSuspect

because on hondas, theres no pipe with flanges on the cat, in other words the cat bolts right in, and that whole section of the exhaust is cat converter. and midas cuts the a-pipe and b-pipe and welds them together with the cat in the middle. therefore ruining the whole exhaust system.

Ahh...I see. Stupid honda's.

[Adam496]

Originally Posted by whitezenki

Its not the dealers job to cut, customize, and weld, I'm sure thats not high on there to do list, especially when the person had come in and turned them down earlier that week.

$600 for a cat? $800 for a cat? $1K for a cat?

Is it just me that thinks thats ridiculous?

I just bought one for $120 and had a muffler shop weld it in for $20

[whitezenki]

Originally Posted by Adam496

I just bought one for $120 and had a muffler shop weld it in for $20

Exactly, for like $1200 you can get a super-cat that they are going to use on the new GT-R's that flows like a test pipe, but passes emissions like a hybrid. $800 for just a regular cat seems like a ton of money for something I could do for $100 and the welder and tools at my house.

Thank god I work on my own car.

[Adam496]

Haha as long as i passed the sniffer i was alright.

[PotenzaSub]

Originally Posted by Honest_Bob

Did they actually pull the cat and look at it, or just reading the code and saying "yeah its the cat".

Yeah, they only checked the code. Damn. I should have told them to physically inspect the darn thing.

[ThePrimerSuspect]

Originally Posted by PotenzaSub

Yeah, they only checked the code. Damn. I should have told them to physically inspect the darn thing.

theres not really much to inspect unless its broken up inside, in which case it would probably be rattling. the o2 sensors are doing their job, so even if the cat is still "good" its probably not good enough for the cars pcm's standards. back when everything was still getting dyno tested i had a 99 maxima with a check engine light and a bad cat, but it still went through emissions with no problem. but the cars computer is regulated by the government, so its standards are pretty strict. which brings me back to why you should never buy a midas cat.

[Supraru]

Wait a minute. Do you have any mods done to your car? If you do what do you have done and who makes them?