Catalytic Converter
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Catalytic Converter
My SES light came on and had code of P0420/low catalyst system efficiency. I had qoutes from 2 respectable auto shops to remove/replace both Cat Converters with 2 (ea) units of Exhaust pipe flange gasket manifold to converter and to front pipe. I was quoted over $5K. Is this normal?
Do I really need this surgical procedure? How long can I run with this code? Is there an altenate?
Do I really need this surgical procedure? How long can I run with this code? Is there an altenate?
DIY Cheapskate/Mod
Joined: Oct 2015
Posts: 1,873
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From: Richmond Hill, ON
That's a crazy price. If it is actually the cats that are the problem. Have they checked if its a bad O2 sensor? Some shops will make you change cats when its just a sensor just to make money off ya. Its very common sadly... They will often not even offer you to hold onto your old cats, scrap them for money (around $4-700, depending where you are).
It if is really the cat that went bad, you don't really have to replace both, just the one that's faulty, bank 1 in this case.
Installation is a pain in the butt, but if I can do it in 3 hours in my garage, wrestling the demon bolt and chewing through rusty nuts, it shouldn't be a 5k job. You can get a set of high-quality performance-oriented cats for under 1k or spend a bit more on higher density honeycomb in OE equivalent cats for around 1-1.5k (5-700 per side).
See if you can ask around in local car FB groups for a small reputable shop, preferably one that specialized in Japanese cars, and even better in Nissans. Bring your own parts. It will save you heaps of money.
You can drive around with that light, ecu will try to adjust to a certain degree. It isn't technically be a huge deal for a decent amount of time, but I personally wouldn't drive like that for too long because I get paranoid that it could lead to more problems.
It if is really the cat that went bad, you don't really have to replace both, just the one that's faulty, bank 1 in this case.
Installation is a pain in the butt, but if I can do it in 3 hours in my garage, wrestling the demon bolt and chewing through rusty nuts, it shouldn't be a 5k job. You can get a set of high-quality performance-oriented cats for under 1k or spend a bit more on higher density honeycomb in OE equivalent cats for around 1-1.5k (5-700 per side).
See if you can ask around in local car FB groups for a small reputable shop, preferably one that specialized in Japanese cars, and even better in Nissans. Bring your own parts. It will save you heaps of money.
You can drive around with that light, ecu will try to adjust to a certain degree. It isn't technically be a huge deal for a decent amount of time, but I personally wouldn't drive like that for too long because I get paranoid that it could lead to more problems.
Last edited by hexotic; Mar 17, 2023 at 06:53 PM.
I was quoted $12K by my Nissan dealer to replace all the cats on my Titan.
Took it to my local, trusted indy shop, and it was $9K quote!
So, $5K seems about right...everything has become way more expensive the last few years. I knew my cats were failing years ago, and a quote back then from the same dealer was only $6K.
Even I bought all of the parts, 4 cats, 4 O2 sensors, gaskets, etc, it was still nearly $2500 in parts alone. I'm going to fix it myself.
Took it to my local, trusted indy shop, and it was $9K quote!
So, $5K seems about right...everything has become way more expensive the last few years. I knew my cats were failing years ago, and a quote back then from the same dealer was only $6K.
Even I bought all of the parts, 4 cats, 4 O2 sensors, gaskets, etc, it was still nearly $2500 in parts alone. I'm going to fix it myself.
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