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catalytic converter


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Posted

so i have an 2002 honda crv ~ my malfunction light came on the other day, and to be honest the car felt a little funny. . . a bit of lag time when i pushed on the gas pedal.

 

i took it to honda and they said it was the catalytic converter. now my car does have around 102,000 miles on it. they quoted me an insane price of 1800.00. that was 90 for diagnostic, 135 for labor, and 1600.00 for the part. my mother thought that was outrageous and called her honda. she was quoted 1300.00 by her dealer. why the 300 dollar difference i would love to know ~ both parts would be coming from american honda. i decided to take the car and not have it done there.

 

of course the light wasn't on when i left. . . i'm assuming because it was reset??

 

after a few more times driving my car. . . the light came on again. i took it today to another "shop" (not a dealer) and they said they would call me with a price on monday. the thing is. . . the guy came outside, laid on the ground to look under my car, and looked at it (the catalytic converter). . . not sure if he touched it or not, but mentioned the 02 sensor was in the catalytic converter.

 

thing is. . . .since i left there the malfunction light has been off. could it possibly not be that i need a new converter. . . that maybe something is just loose??

 

i've have been on a few short trips since and it still hasn't come back on. please help!! =)

Posted

What do you want to know? If maybe its loose? You'd have to check it yourself.

 

I suggest you wait until the light comes on again. If that happens, let the shop know that it went off periodically and ask them to check it.

Posted

how mechanically inclined are you? i'm not saying your stupid i'm just asking. If the cat is bad it's 5 bolts to take the old one out and out the new on in. if it's an O2 sensor its thensoer you unscrew and unplug it, and plug the new on in if it's vehicle specific, if not then you have to rewire it (following directions) and screw it back into the bung. Now if you do all that your self then it may cost you $200 or so insted of $1300-$1800. You see what i mean.

Posted

The only thing to watch out for is catalytic convertors get rusty like nobody's business, so you will most likely need some heavy duty tools to get it off (cutting or using those special wrenches that don't have a size but clamp on to stripped bolts).

 

Still, if you have access to that or know someone that does I'd deffo recommend doing it yourself. I just replaced mine and it was a pain but saved me mucho deniero.

Posted

actually i'm far from mechanically inclined. *laughs* i'm a girl! okay okay i know some girls are great at car stuff. . . . like my friend (well she knows a lot about them. she is the one that told me they are only a couple hundred dollars), but i'm not. i just don't want to sound totally stupid when i walk into the shop ~ i would hate to pay for the converter if it could be something else.

 

so. . . i'm going to have to take it somewhere. i was just thinking it's odd that the light is off now. i know honda probably reset it, but the guy yesterday didn't.

Posted

if they reset it the light usually comes back on if the problem persists at about 15 miles of driving.

 

 

Edit: As for being non-mechanically inclined theres no time better to learn.

Posted

i'm not sure i could learn something like that. . . . plus my hands would get all dirty. i had enough of that this week just replacing my headlight bulb myself. *sigh*

 

well. . . how do they reset it. like ~ that guy that looked at it yesterday didn't even take it in the bay. he just came out to the parking lot. . . stuck his head under my car. . . .and was like ok ~ we'll have to call and get a price for you.

 

he couldn't have reset it. . . .right?

 

my friend had told me to ask the guy when he calls on monday why that could be (about the light).

Posted
. . . . plus my hands would get all dirty

lol

 

he couldn't have reset it. . . .right?

I don't think so...but it might have been loose like you said, and he may have just set it back in place.

...or did you say the Honda dealer reset the light?

Posted
i'm not sure i could learn something like that. . . . plus my hands would get all dirty. i had enough of that this week just replacing my headlight bulb myself. *sigh*

 

thats why they make gloves. lol

 

well. . . how do they reset it. like ~ that guy that looked at it yesterday didn't even take it in the bay. he just came out to the parking lot. . . stuck his head under my car. . . .and was like ok ~ we'll have to call and get a price for you.

 

he couldn't have reset it. . . .right?

 

my friend had told me to ask the guy when he calls on monday why that could be (about the light).

 

after you went to the dealer did you go straight to the garage or home then to the garage later? Like i said if hte problem still exists it takes about 15 miles of driving for the light to come back on.

Posted

well i was at honda on friday. the light was off when i left honda. . . probably cause they reset it. after a few more trips after the honda dealership the light did come back on.

 

saturday i went to the other shop around noon. the light was on when i got to the shop, but after the guy looked under my car or whatever he did. . . . the light hasn't been on since i left there. i have driven the car a few times since yesterday afternoon and it still isn't on.

Posted

time to go to a garage and see what the code is..... or autozone/napa

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