Oct 10 2008
My Car Suffers EPIC FAIL And Must Undergo Repairs At Great Cost
It is time to renew my license plates, but my car is up for emissions testing. I drive a 2002 Acura RSX, and this is the year for all 2002 cars to get tested in Indiana. I find it hard to make time to do these things, so of course I waited until the last minute, despite being prodded by Chrissy to act. I was already late for work one day due to a LakeNet board meeting, so I decided to stop in at the emissions testing place real quick.
So I took my car in and it failed. I got three error codes: P1163, P1298, and P0420. P1163 means that there is a problem with the oxygen sensor that monitors the catalytic converter efficiency. P1298 says that the load detector that regulates the oxygen sensor may be broken (or the oxygen sensor is bad). And finally, P0420 says that the catalytic converter is not operating at peak efficiency (or the oxygen sensor is bad).
I took the car into the local Honda dealership, where I get my oil changed, and they ran some diagnostic tests. It turns out that the catalytic converter is fine, but the oxygen sensor is indeed broken. Acura sells the part for $350, but it will cost $425 with installation. Why is it that replacing a lowly sensor is only slightly less expensive than replacing the entire catalytic converter?
Well, as it turns out, I could have bought the same sensor at Auto Zone for $175. Half off? Why didn’t I go with that? It’s the time constraints. It would take a week to order it through Auto Zone, and after that, I would have to find someone to install it before I lose my drivers license for having expired plates. If I pay the extra money and have the dealership do it, I can turn around and get my plates just-in-freakin-time.
So today, my car is in the shop, and it’s costing a small fortune. Unfortunately, with the economy going to crap right now, it’s not really the time to volunteer to pay an extra $200 when I shouldn’t really have to. I really shouldn’t have procrastinated. It seems that every time this happens, I say that I’ve learned my lesson. And overall, I should really listen when my wife tells me to get off my butt and get things done.
Meta-Tags:
Acura, catalytic converter, Chrissy, RSX
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Oxygen Sensors seem to be a common problem with cars. The real problem is that they tend to way overprice the part and labor and basically force you to pay more then needed.
Just curious, does your car run E85 fuel? Probably not given it’s age. I’ve found that my Impala needs a tank of regular ever 10-20 fill ups to keep it running smooth. Otherwise I get stalled starts and the O2 sensor reads bad.
Or it could be that my O2 sensor really is bad. Car runs alright without it. i didn’t replace it for several reasons. First, I got the free test from Autozone telling em it was bad. Unfortunately, my car is “too new” and they don’t carry that part.
I called the dealer and they said I have to pay 80 bucks for thier diagnostic and that “Those autozone guys don’t know what they are talking about usually”. also they refused to just sell me the part so I could replace it. Essentially, I was int he same boat as you and I am unwilling to pay 500+ dollars for them to tell me something I already know and fix a problem I could fix myself for three or four hours of work at a quarter of the over all cost.
Also I don’t trust dealers, inevitably they find “some other problem” or “some new problem will appear within weeks” suggesting sabotage.
On the bright side, fixing your O2 sensor should improve your MPG.
Though probably not enough to recoup your 200 bucks for quite a while.
-Carl
P.S. to Josh: Find another Chevy dealer and tell them you’ll bring your car to them and buy your next Chevy there if they sell you the part. Don’t lead with that of course; just check to see if they have it and how much and if they’ll sell it to you first. Another option would be to figure out which other GM car is the Impala’s “twin” and see if a dealership for that brand will sell you the part. GM loves spreading parts across multiple brands and models to help lower their bottom line. Good luck!
As a follow-up, the dealership replaced my O2 sensor, and it cost me about $500. After that, the “check engine” light went off and I was able to get my new plates. I got them just in time too, since they would have yanked my license in another couple of days for having expired plates.
The new plate was actually only a sticker for my existing IU plate, since for an extra $10 you can get them at the emissions testing place instead of having to go to the DMV. I thought it was worth $10 to not have to sit in line at the DMV!