Ouch!! Just got a call from the mechanic. Is this price fare. Need advise.opinion

[BIMMER74]

Well i just got a call from the mechanic and he is telling me that my car needs 2 catylac converters, 2 o2 sensors. spark plugs. the enigine light was on which is why i toke it in he said it was mis firing 2 or 3 cylinders.
he said he can fix it all for 2476+ tax is this a far price. it's a 1997 528i with 240,000

[trev0079]

yup.

[Cyrix2k]

Well i just got a call from the mechanic and he is telling me that my car needs 2 catylac converters, 2 o2 sensors. spark plugs. the enigine light was on which is why i toke it in he said it was mis firing 2 or 3 cylinders.
he said he can fix it all for 2476+ tax is this a far price. it's a 1997 528i with 240,000
yes for OEM parts but if you go aftermarket, you can get two cats for $60/each + shipping and O2 sensors for not too much. Total bill should be in the neighborhood of $500 and if you know a guy at an exhaust shop you could concievably get the bill down to the 300s. $15 univeral O2s will work (at least they do on the OBD-II e36s).

[gjVah]

You can buy a newer more powerful model e39 with that money. And then you would have 2 cars, one just for parts, in case something goes wrong with the 540i... emmm.. I mean the other e39.. :D

[cpatstone]

yes for OEM parts but if you go aftermarket, you can get two cats for $60/each + shipping and O2 sensors for not too much. Total bill should be in the neighborhood of $500 and if you know a guy at an exhaust shop you could conceivably get the bill down to the 300s. $15 universal O2s will work (at least they do on the OBD-II e36s).


:withstupi

aftermarket and DIY is the only way to own these cars for reasonable / proportional cash.

[Stoopid]

Are you kidding me! Before I would pay this amount I would verify that the work is needed. Just because the oxygen sensors are throwing codes does not mean they are bad. The misfires could be causing the oxygen sensor to throw codes.

I would try replacing the spark plugs first to see if the cylinder missing and oxygen sensor codes went away. Ask if there was oil in the holes for the spark plugs, this can cause misfire. If you cat. conv. are gone they will rattle (loose pieces inside) when you give the a tap. I have read different threads on this forum and others that have used good quality after market cat.conv. with no issues and less than half the price of OEM parts. Any good/reputable muffler shop should be able to do this.

In the end, the price is up to you and what you time is worth. If you have more money than time, have the mechanic do the work. If you have more time than money then spend some time and check into it. If you have time and money, then I am not going to help you because I am too jealous!!!

But then again, are you going to take advise from a guy named stoopid? ;-))

[boosted 528]

I have a full oem exhaust that came off my 98 528i. I cut the exhaust into several pieces, so let me know if you wanna buy the cats and or anything else

[BIMMER74]

Are you kidding me! Before I would pay this amount I would verify that the work is needed. Just because the oxygen sensors are throwing codes does not mean they are bad. The misfires could be causing the oxygen sensor to throw codes.

I would try replacing the spark plugs first to see if the cylinder missing and oxygen sensor codes went away. Ask if there was oil in the holes for the spark plugs, this can cause misfire. If you cat. conv. are gone they will rattle (loose pieces inside) when you give the a tap. I have read different threads on this forum and others that have used good quality after market cat.conv. with no issues and less than half the price of OEM parts. Any good/reputable muffler shop should be able to do this.

In the end, the price is up to you and what you time is worth. If you have more money than time, have the mechanic do the work. If you have more time than money then spend some time and check into it. If you have time and money, then I am not going to help you because I am too jealous!!!

But then again, are you going to take advise from a guy named stoopid? ;-))


i aked him how about we try to do a tune up and replace the spark plugs and he said that wouldnt fix it. i think i might take it somewhere else to do the tune and see what reaction i get from the car. i wish i could work on it myself but i am just not a car person "mechanic wise"

[Blow]

Sounds like he wants to make some $

[PJB]

i aked him how about we try to do a tune up and replace the spark plugs and he said that wouldnt fix it. i think i might take it somewhere else to do the tune and see what reaction i get from the car. i wish i could work on it myself but i am just not a car person "mechanic wise"

Spark plugs and O2 sensors are DIYs that can be found on this forum, which has been my greatest resource in owning my e39. Your location states CA, so you could, depending on your location, ask for some help from a fellow forum member and spend much much less by just changing your spark plugs to begin with. Shoot, plugs will run you around $50 from VatoZone and take maybe two hours to change. These cars - and all cars in general - are usually easier to work on then you think. The best advice I've seen on this forum is when Chivas/Charles/Dan said you need to just "grow a pair" and do it.

[BIMMER74]

anyone have some advise on a catylac converter that i should get for my car... low budget..

[Jester4176]

I'd replace the O2's and plugs, then see how it's running before throwing $$ into new cats.

[Vipsa]

anyone have some advise on a catylac converter that i should get for my car... low budget..

Magnaflow has low cost car replacements. BUT if your car is misfiring the only issue is with the spark plugs from the above mentioned items. The only issue with bad cat's and O2s is that will not pass inspection. Unless your cats are plugged, they will not cause any misfires. I'm also yet to see a bad O2 sensor cause a misfire. At most it will make the car a little rich. Go to another indy who's not trying to buttrape you and have him do the sparkplugs if you don't want to DIY. Then if you really want to replace the rest, buy aftermarket magnaflow cats and bosch o2for about $500 all toghether and have an exhaust shop install them.

[BIMMER74]

Magnaflow has low cost car replacements. BUT if your car is misfiring the only issue is with the spark plugs from the above mentioned items. The only issue with bad cat's and O2s is that will not pass inspection. Unless your cats are plugged, they will not cause any misfires. I'm also yet to see a bad O2 sensor cause a misfire. At most it will make the car a little rich. Go to another indy who's not trying to buttrape you and have him do the sparkplugs if you don't want to DIY. Then if you really want to replace the rest, buy aftermarket magnaflow cats and bosch o2for about $500 all toghether and have an exhaust shop install them.

well i have him changing the spark plugs and 3 coils which he said were 100% dead. i will get it today and see what happens. he said the check ingine light will not go away but im curious to see what happens.

[1beamerdreamer]

DEC Cats are good after market option for your car ..... [tripple w dot deccats dot com] OBDII compliant and well constructed. I would also agree with the other posts and try your ignition system first before spending $$ on cats for your car -- cats should be the last thing to replace and you would definetly notice a performance difference >> check for any vacum leaks (gaskets - head or intake), ignition system and then emissions (O2 / Cats). You should also have specific codes that tell you your O2 sensors and cats are faulting. Good luck!!

[LBCD]

Call Allied Muffler in Bellfower!!!!!
Just had my 2 cats replaced.....$500 and change!

[BIMMER74]

Call Allied Muffler in Bellfower!!!!!
Just had my 2 cats replaced.....$500 and change!


is that including the cats.

[PJB]

Call Allied Muffler in Bellfower!!!!!
Just had my 2 cats replaced.....$500 and change!


is that including the cats.

That would be absurd if it was just labor, so yes, including cats.

[LBCD]

YES including cats! made by magnaflow parent co.

[seventhstoned]

Get another opinion.

It doesn't sound like a diagnosis was made....more like a "if I replace everything I should be able to fix it"

[BIMMER74]

I had the 3 coils changed and did a tune up. car runs better but check ingine is still on. he gave me the list of codes that came up so i will list them in a bit. i left them in my car.

[amdspitfire]

well i have him changing the spark plugs and 3 coils which he said were 100% dead. i will get it today and see what happens. he said the check ingine light will not go away but im curious to see what happens.

if 3 coils are "100% dead" the car won't run...

[540-S3]

Without giving them any input and I would see what another shop says.

I use a good indy shop here in Temecula if you are in Inland Empire area. For San Diego area I would go to All German Auto in Escondido.

[BIMMER74]

Without giving them any input and I would see what another shop says.

I use a good indy shop here in Temecula if you are in Inland Empire area. For San Diego area I would go to All German Auto in Escondido.


i am in fontana. so temecula isnt to far.

[Vipsa]

Post the codes. It's possible that the O2 sensors are bad and still throwing codes. It's also possible that the CATs are bad and causing the postcat O2s to throw the codes. We won't know until you post the codes though.

[PJB]

My local indy in Covina is great. Also, your local dealer - Savage BMW in Ontario - has been great and supports enthusiast meets in "the other forum."

[Blow]

Yea so 3 coils went out all at once? interesting

[bmwdave37]

From your description of the shop's story, it sounds like a complete misdiagnosis. Did they verify that there weren't any vacuum leaks? A large vacuum leak can cause misfiring and o2 sensor faults, and thus cat efficiency faults as well. Of course, if the car has been driven for a long time with a large vacuum leak, the cats are probably toast.

[ZiMMie]

Yea so 3 coils went out all at once? interesting

Ive seen it happen, But they werent N/A Motors :)

[BIMMER74]

here were the codes that the mech gave me. 234,,246, 233, 250, 228, 243,242, and 229 or 289 i cant read his writing on that one. dam thats a lot of codes.... i have it right now at another shop and i didnt tell hime what the other

[reelizmpro]

He probably quoted new OEM parts for that price. At this point I would go aftermarket OBD 2 cats OR find a used set from a donor car. Which will probably outlast the life of the engine given the mileage. The OE NTK aftermarket direct replacement O2 sensors are like $80 each. We're talking $300-500 vs $2000+

[Doru]

here were the codes that the mech gave me. 234,,246, 233, 250, 228, 243,242, and 229 or 289 i cant read his writing on that one. dam thats a lot of codes.... i have it right now at another shop and i didnt tell hime what the other

I haven't came across these codes yet.
I know the Peake codes, and the OBD II codes lots of people know.
Here's the BMW codes (http://www.myscantool.com/dtc/specific/bmw.html)list

[BIMMER74]

I haven't came across these codes yet.
I know the Peake codes, and the OBD II codes lots of people know.
Here's the BMW codes (http://www.myscantool.com/dtc/specific/bmw.html)list


thanks for that link. HUM! i dont see any of my codes on there.:confused

[steveng1993]

Did you get it fixed?

[gtxragtop]

Check out this link. It looks like a possible match. The numbers you quoted are the the code but the sequential number of the code. Bank 2 seems to be consistent. Bank 2 is associated with cylinders 5/6. I'd start with the misfire diagnosis. It may be be a coil or plug. It could also be caused by a lean condition. When the plugs were pulled did 5/6 look different than the others?

http://www.kneb.net/bmw/E46/E46%20Trouble%20codes.pdf

234 P0430 Catalyst efficiency
(Bank 2), below threshold Input analog (0-5V)
Compares value of pre-cat oxygen sensor to value of post-cat oxygen sensor to measure oxygen storage capability / efficiency of catalytic converter. Post-cat oxygen sensor must be relatively lean.

228 P0189 Fuel trim (Bank 2),
O2 control adaptation limit DME internal values logical Range control of adaptation values.

229 P0133 Oxygen sensor
pre-cat (Bank 1, slow response time Input analog (high is lean) (0-5V)
Checks amount of time oxygen sensor takes to switch from rich to lean and vice versa. If too long, fault will set.

242 P0305 Cyl. 5 misfire detected
DME internal values logical Crankshaft speed/acceleration is monitored by crank sensor. Time for
each cylinder combustion is compared against avg. of others. If time for cylinder 5 is longer, fault will set.

243 P0306 Cyl. 6 misfire detected
DME internal values logical Crankshaft speed/acceleration is monitored by crank sensor. Time for each cylinder combustion is compared against avg. of others. If time for cylinder 6 is longer, fault will set.

246 P1421 Secondary air injection (Bank 2),
flow too low Input analog (0- 5V) Checks to see if oxygen sensor reacts to increase in unmetered airflow generated by secondary air
pump operation. Oxygen sensor must sense lean condition or fault will set.

250 P0440 Functional check
purge valve Input analog (0- 5V)
This functional check looks for reaction of oxygen sensor signal during canister purging. Oxygen sensor, air flow meter and RPM values must react to purging of canister.