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Price of a cat converter

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Hi! 
So I have an 2002 rav 4 which is only worth around £800. A few months ago my engine warning light came on and I took it to a garage who said it was a faulty 02 sensor. He said it would be fine to leave for a while and wouldn’t cause any major issues and as I didn’t have the money to repair I stupidly just ignored the problem thinking I would sort it out in a few months. It passed an mot in April fine. Last week I started to notice a very loud rattle coming from the front end which sounds horrible I rang the mechanic who told me it sounds like the cat converter has gone due to the faulty 02 sensor. It’s due in the garage to check on Tuesday but he said if the cat has gone it will be around 400-500! With the car being worth not much more than that Im thinking I’m not going to bother getting it done. Or do you think this quote is high and I should ask around? I’m assuming I will also need to pay for an 02 sensor so stop this happening again aswell which will be 100 on top of the cat if I do get it repaired. 😭Thanks. 

Comments

  • angrycrow
    angrycrow Posts: 1,105 Forumite
    Tenth Anniversary 1,000 Posts
    Sounds like a chicken an egg problem type problem. Either the o2 sensor was faulty and has resulted in excess unburnt petrol going through the cat and causing it to brake up internally or the o2 sensor was fine and was correctly reporting the cat was not working fully. 

    Garages will normally replace the o2 sensor first simply because it is cheaper than the cat. The light then comes back on a few days later at which point they then suggest changing the cat.

    If the rest of the car is good it is better to fix what you have and know than to buy a cheaper unknown car that may have similar or worse issues. 

    Incidentally the egg came first as it was a genetic mutation in the egg which created the chicken. And it is nearly always the cat that is bad not the sensor. 
  • facade
    facade Posts: 7,590 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper
    edited 27 July 2020 at 9:16AM
    Take it to Kwik Fit. (But politely decline the complete new braking system, 5 tyres and the £20 bottle of injector cleaner that they try to sell you)
    They use the same cheap aftermarket catalysts as everyone else, but they guarantee them for 3 years.
    My neighbour has had 2 fitted free to a 208, the first one didn't last 6 months.

    I want to go back to The Olden Days, when every single thing that I can think of was better.....

    (except air quality and Medical Science ;))
  • AdrianC
    AdrianC Posts: 42,189 Forumite
    Eighth Anniversary 10,000 Posts Name Dropper
    angrycrow said:
    Sounds like a chicken an egg problem type problem. Either the o2 sensor was faulty and has resulted in excess unburnt petrol going through the cat and causing it to brake up internally or the o2 sensor was fine and was correctly reporting the cat was not working fully.  
    Depends on if it was the usual pre-cat lambda that was flagging up, or if it was a post-cat one.

    Pre-cat lambda affects the fuelling of the engine to keep it near the right air-fuel ratio for the cat to work properly. Too lean can cause engine damage through pinking, so they default to too rich... which will kill the cat...

    Post-cat lambda just says "Yep, the cat's working". Or not.
  • Although a lot of money, cars are a lot of money, I think that quote is very reasonable. 
    What is the alternative? Scrap it and get the bus or spend thousands on a new second hand car which may also cost money in repairs.
    I know what I'd do. If you can't afford the £600 repair bill, you cant afford to run a car.
  • born_again
    born_again Posts: 20,449 Forumite
    10,000 Posts Fifth Anniversary Name Dropper
    Passed mot with a warning light on...... Naughty mot tester.
    Life in the slow lane
  • AdrianC
    AdrianC Posts: 42,189 Forumite
    Eighth Anniversary 10,000 Posts Name Dropper
    EML on only became a fail in 2018.

    However, it really should have failed under emissions, if there actually was a problem - whether that was the pre-cat lambda not correcting fuelling or the cat itself not working.
  • EdGasketTheSecond
    EdGasketTheSecond Posts: 2,558 Forumite
    1,000 Posts Third Anniversary Photogenic Name Dropper
    edited 27 July 2020 at 4:27PM
    Plenty on eBay used and new; none of which cost anything like 400-500:

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