Just got my 2010 Corolla inspected. Found it needs a new cat ($2000). Car has 220k on it. New struts (as of 12/23). Does have some oil leakage around the valve cover gasket.
Over the past 2 years, I’ve spent about $3000 in maintenance and repairs. Guess that’s $125/mo.
I don’t love the car, but I’m not exactly rolling in dough to buy a new commuter. I don’t believe in a huge car loan (clearly).
Fix or sell as-is?
Jamie
I’d fix what I got.
If you buy a replacement vehicle, there’s no telling what that’s going to need in the future.
$2000 for new cats seems a little high.
Tester
Might be cali car.
What does that mean?
It means if you are in California the catalytic converter might cost more than other states. You don’t say what kind of miles your commute is . If a lot then replace would be my choice . Also play around on the vehicle web sites . You might find something new that will be in a price range you can live with.
I’m in NH. RepairPal says a new cat is over $2k.
My commute is 33 miles one way, so I do put a fair amount of miles on my car.
I’ll keep my eye out for cars. I usually try to get something < $6000, but not sure if that’ll be possible.
RepairPal is a fairly questionable source. Find your most trusted, locally owned (non-chain) exhaust shop and take it there.
Shall we assume that the check engine light is on and you have a P0420 error code?
Call a few local muffler shops for a price. 6000.00 just will not get you much of a vehicle anymore.
I had a cat replaced on my Pontiac under warranty. The dealer part was $700 without labor and there are more than one.
Unless buying new, you will have all the maintenance and repair issues bringing a used car up to speed, such as tires, brakes, fluid changes, etc. then you could also have a similar repair. Crap shoot unless buying a cream puff.
I just looked at Car Guru for vehicles under 7000 . Did not see anything I would want to use for a daily commute of 70 miles .
https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo.php?pk=4848339&cc=1444174&pt=5808&jsn=13
https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo.php?pk=7748508&cc=1444174&pt=5808&jsn=12
Tester
Agreed with taking it to a muffler shop for some real estimates.
You’ll probably be shocked how much cheaper it will be. The $700 sounds about right to me.
The state of California has a lot of cars, and they take reducing air pollution very seriously. Here, a replacement cat must meet California specifications, which are generally more stringent that other states, so the part is more expensive. Quite a few states are starting to also require emissions parts meet California specifications, but if your state doesn’t, the parts cost for the replacement cat would be considerably less than a Calif spec cat.
Re quoted free of $2000. I presume that is P & L. It seems a little on the high side for installing a non-Calif spec cat. But it might be ok if you live in an urban area where auto repair labor costs are high. For better replies here suggest to break the quoted $2000 into the parts and labor components .
I concur with the posters above who say your best bet $$-wise is to just bite the bullet & have the cat replaced. Suggest to ask for fuel-trim test as well, b/c if the engine fuel/air mixture is wrong it could damage the replacement cat, best avoided.
No check engine light. Didn’t check the error code.
Definitely hear a “broken exhaust” sound though.
The place I took it to is a trusted shop with many great reviews, but it’s not specifically a muffler shop.
They said they wouldn’t bother putting an OEM cat in because of the age of the car.
They said an aftermarket cat is $1600 + labor.
But I will shop around.
Yes, do that, you don’t need “CARB compliant” converter, any normal replacement will do. I bet you’ll be able to do much better.
Meaning the car is loud as if it has a broken muffler? Or it rattles around a lot?
Shopping around is a good idea, including for a 2nd opinion on a diagnosis. If the cat has fallen apart internally, and the “honeycomb” is sitting in pieces inside of the pipe, then you really should have a P0420 code.
On a vehicle where the cat unbolts, why on Earth would you pay for shop labor plus markup, as opposed to just buying the part online and DIY? Even if rusted bolts are an issue, an angle grinder is not expensive, and will make short work of them.
Also, it sounds like your issue might be a broken exhaust pipe or muffler, and there is actually no need to replace the cat at this time.
You make a valid point, that’s how I’d probably do it, but a diy repair may not be practical or even possible for most car owners. The obstacles could be: No time to do it, no experience w/car repair, no safe location to do the work, no tools, or if the tools are purchased for the job, then there’s no place to store them once the job is done.
