The 04 Corolla failed the emissions. Went to a muffler shop and they said that the exhaust system need to be changed because of rust. About $1500 later the check engine light is still on. The shop wants the car for a day for diagnostics.(The first time I brought it back, they said that the glue between the gasket pipe was not completely sealed. There is still a smell of exhaust or emissions from the heater)
Should the diagnostics have been done on the first day?(Did not want to see the failed inspection results. Wanted to start from scratch. Told me brakes was 65%used, tires needed to be changed and battery needed to be changed.)
Head to your local big box parts place (AutoZone, Advanced, O’Reilly’s, etc) and ask to borrow their code reader. They’ll trade you your license or something equally valuable for the reader so you can use it for a few minutes. Under your dash, you should see a plastic plug where the tool can be connected. From here, you’ll have to follow the directions, as they vary from tool to tool.
Same as figuring out any other problem: Note all the symptoms, see if you can figure out what single condition can triggers those conditions (ever watched “House” on TV?). It’s an art form, and there are a lot of parts swappers who will spend a great deal of money trying to turn that light off without fixing the actual problem. Don’t be one.
Find yourself a good general mechanic (not a chain store), and let him do his magic. You can always ask for explanations later, and he’ll almost certainly tell you what was wrong whether you ask or not.
Go get the code read, and post it back here. That actual code the machine gives you (like P1234). You can try using the tool to reset it, but unless it identifies something you fixed, there’s not much point, IMO.
Good luck…
Edit: Um…question: Why did you not want to see what failed on the test? Seems silly to me, not to want to know what failed - which will tell you at minimum what needs to be fixed.
You need to find another shop ASAP. You need a full service, independent mechanic. You might try your local AutoZone and get the code from the computer read for you. They do it for free. They will give you a cash register receipt with the code at the top and suggestions/possible causes beneath.
The code will start with a P followed by 4 numbers, the first number will probably be a 0. So you should see something like P0420. Post that code here for further advice.
On day one I told them that the car did not want to accelerate beyond 50 mph. The service manager said “Corolla don’t go very fast, what did you drive before”. I said that I did not own a car before. My sibling went to the west coast and gave it to me free. I was overseas with the Peace Corps and then taught a few years in China. Returned in April 2010, and recently found a part time job that required driving.
They showed me three rusted holes in the exhaust. The service manager said that it could not be repaired and that they do not deal with used parts.
The service manager did not want to see the results of the failed inspection. Because I did not want to pay 10 dollars to the inspection station for the replacement of one of two burned out license plate bulbs. The car failed mechanical inspection. In Massachusetts black R for emissions and red R for mechanical failure.
“On day one I told them that the car did not want to accelerate beyond 50 mph”
“The service manager did not want to see the results of the failed inspection. Because I did not want to pay 10 dollars to the inspection station for the replacement of one of two burned out license plate bulbs. The car failed mechanical inspection.”
There’s a lot of story here that isn’t being told. Figuring out what is going on with a car is often hard when you can inspect & drive a car & talk to its owner. Its practically impossible with fragments of information over the internet.
Its possible that if you laid out the entire story of this car & where its been & what you’ve been told about it then people might be able to offer something useful.
Out of curiosity, I wonder why you wouldn’t spring for $10 to change the license plate bulbs?
I replaced the bulb myself. $5 for two bulbs.I have skimmed the owner’s manual.I removed all of the plastic screw fasteners and accessed the bulb.
The inspection happen at one location and the repair happened at another. At the inspection station, the inspector representative did offer to get the fail codes or some type of information for 10 dollars as a favor. He said that the shops charges 70. I think they must have jacked the car and saw the holes with the mirror?
I just went to the Autozone. The codes are P0133 and P2196. The Autozone rep said its the oxygen sensor.
Try disconnecting the plug to the front oxygen sensor, located in the exhaust pipe just behind the engine. Clean it out with a little rubbing alcohol and a cotton swab, be careful to not bend the pins. Then put it back together. It may have gotten some water in there from sitting so long.