finally fixed the problem

it was a clogged cat convt.,... man after all these 8 months of not driving and only dreamin bout driving the maro ,..again it is running for only 627.00 parts and labor (aftermarket cat. convt) the dealerships cost 830.00

Who did the work? That still seems kind of pricey for an aftermarket cat and installation. No matter though, at least you got it fixed.

this place called Top Auto Repair,,..yeah it does seem pricey but mike daugherty chevy wanted 800 w/labor just for the stock c.c.

Interesting, did they just replace the cat itself, or the whole pipe running from the manifolds to the catback? I know the dealers aren't much better, after digging thru old service receipts of my car, I found the previous owner spent over 800 bucks having the cat repaired at the Chevy dealer.

I paid $60 on Ebay for the part. Used a hack saw to remove the old one then had a muffler shop weld it up for $22. I did spend $10 on clamps 2 hold it till i got there. Sometimes it really pays to do most of the work yourself.

yeah and get this it was workin till i was at work yesterday , then it woodnt start so then had to get a tow 80$ then to the shop again and the guy calls me the next day saying i need a throttle actuator control now, with labor 671.00 im getttin drained over here both ways , this sux!

yeah and get this it was workin till i was at work yesterday , then it woodnt start so then had to get a tow 80$ then to the shop again and the guy calls me the next day saying i need a throttle actuator control now, with labor 671.00 im getttin drained over here both ways , this sux!

Personally, I would get a second opinion. I have never heard of the terminology "throttle actuator control." I would at least try to get a very detailed explanation of the exact problem, the exact parts being used, and the total labor hours and hourly rate.

I havnt messed with many 3.8s but arent they a drive by wire throttle control? no cable actually running to the pedal??? Still sounds high to me, Id go to the salvage yard and get one then go to autozone or wherever an get a chiltons.... DO IT YOURSELF and SAVE a ton of $$$$$$$$



Its really not that hard of job, right there on top on the front of the motor. If your gonna pay somebody else to do it, keep in mind it really shouldnt be more than a 10 minute job.

i did get a chiltons camaro book and a equus 3030 obll dtc reader, , and yes u are right there is no cable thats why the guy and the chevy dealership said that if i got a used tac (throttle actuator control) it woodnt read up with the comp (pcm) im thinkin bout talkin to the BBB because they said they are BBB certified , and its kinda fishy smellin in their garage

He's full of it, get a used one and stick it on there, and use your code reader to reset the computer. It'll be fine. Id turn them in too. Hope you get it taken care of.

He's full of it, get a used one and stick it on there, and use your code reader to reset the computer. It'll be fine. Id turn them in too. Hope you get it taken care of.



why would you turn him in... what did he do. it sounds like the car left and was running good and now it has a different problem. to replace one of the tac modules is very expensive. yes he could get a used one from the junkyard and do it himself. the shop would charge for the diag time and let him take it home and fix it. comments like that give reputable shops bad names. he should call and get an explanation from the shop. not just bad mouth first. sounds like something my exwife would do.

I say turn them in because they are telling him he CANT put a used TAC on there because it "wont" work. Thats why I say turn them in. I own a shop, I would never do anything that stupid to somebody just because I thought I could get away with it. $671 for changing a module that is only about $150 new and takes 30 minutes start to finish from the time you get in the car to pull it into the shop till you hand the customer their keys back?? Ya, I would be asking some questions and making a few complaints too. I called my local dealer to check regular walkin price on it. Shop price is a good percentage less. So even if they charged him a full hour shop time they are making a killing off of it.


Edit-- Point being- I wasnt saying turn them in for the previous work and now its running bad again, just the bad diagnostics and repair advice they gave him the second go-around.

i have something to add my car has been not starting....and very unpredictable, if i was getting chased by a murderer and jumped into my car id have to say a few prayers to get it started, so i took it to the shop again and said hey look dude u had put a NEW throttle body in and said that was the problem for my car not starting so total i spent 1450(cat conv./labor/throttle body) at the shop and 85 for a tow from work (because it decided no to start) ,...i said look bro im not tech or mechanic but I AM PRETTY SURE the throttle body i had before was perfect and has nothing to do with a car starting and then not starting sometimes , this ticks me off so bad i had to take a 2000$ loan out jus so i could get my car running again and then this happens, only good thing is the throttle body has a 6000mile/6 month warranty on it..so i need help on what i should do as in legally or not.....

Honestly, if you've already paid them, Theres not a whole lot you can do about it without spending a ton more. You can talk to someone with the BBB, but I would HIGHLY suggest using a different shop. Someone that will diagnose it and give it to you in writting what is exactly wrong with it. Then come back here and we can probably tell you what to do next. A good set of tools and taking some time to learn/understand what your working with will save you thousands. As will a decent/moral mechanic. The main reason I went ahead and opened my shop is because of all the people around here that I've talked to and helped. Im not saying 90% of shops are rip off artists, but you do have to be careful.


Based on what you have had done though, if they did actually do everything they charged you for, I would say start checking into your vats system, wiring, or engine computer. Have you scanned for any codes or pending codes?

What I am just saying is to get second opinions down the road. Whether they are sticking the fork in you or not, I don't know. Are your repair bills very high, yes. Getting second opinions and shopping around a bit can save you some big money. If these businesses are members of the BBB, you can always research them and see if they previous histories.

yeah i will take that into consideration, thanks....about the codes i have the same codes showing up as before i took it to the shop the main one p1518 comes up twice sometimes, then theres the other 2 ,(p443,p449) so im stumped i usuaully have to erase the codes for about 10 mins to get the car started, it bites really bad!!

if these codes are the same ones as last time when they replaced your tac you need to bring it back to them and if they try to sell you more parts tell them that if they don't fix for free you will need to call police and report them due to it having same codes and same conditions but if there is one code different they can fight it

no ur absolutley right they are the same codes all 3 of them (one twice), and he found (or thought he did) that the problem wasnt the TAC so he got a whole new throttle body put on after he found it wasnt the TAC, and the SAME codes still come up, so i might have to buy a throttle body gasket from rockauto.com for like 4.00 and have my old TB put in and he would credit my account for the TB and labor 861.00, he sAYS that it might be the PCM, and he finnallt got a GM obd reader instead of the universal one he had, i went over there yesterday and he gave me a free diagnostic with the new one and said he had to upload some pics and stuff , and he would call me back... so im gunna see ,..but in reality Ive allready paid 1/16 of what my car cost me, just to fix it , this seems rediculous...its not like its a viper

glad to see he is working with you just keep on him and hope everything goes ok

X2 glad hes working with you now. It does kinda sound like a PCM problem with the same code showing up twice, and same exact codes as before. Look for a used one if you can. If they will credit things back off your bill let them do what they want for that first. If they conclude that its the computer, tell them ok and take it home. Find a salvage yard with a computer to match that is reasonably priced, we can talk you through replacement if you cant figure it out. I would however try to check all the wiring you can before you spend any more $$ on it.

i will do so , and is it perfectly fine to use an OLD pcm? will it match up with everything I allready have?

i will do so , and is it perfectly fine to use an OLD pcm? will it match up with everything I allready have?

Yes, a used PCM should be fine, make sure the year is the same though as there may be tuning differences between the years.

go to car-part.com and put your can in there year/engine then select show results by distance. It will pull up salvage yards around you that have one that will interchange. Good luck, and let us know what happens.


worst thing that could happen is your odometer might be wrong. Im not sure if those store your mileage in the engine computer or the body control computer. Somebody else want to chime in on that?