blackrat

I'm 99% sure about this but I want to double check that way I don't look like a TOTAL ***. I had a bad rattling sound from the exhaust, my performance dropped, and my mileage went down a lot as well as my SES light coming on. I checked the code myself at autozone, it came up P0420, catalyst below threshold, left bank. OK, the cats out, no big deal, covered by warrenty. The dealer service advisor tells me it could be the o2 sensor, but I know it's the cat thats making the sound. i turn it in today, and he tells me the cats out, the post cat o2 sensors out, and the MAP sensor is bad. OK, all I'm worried about is the cat since it costs $500. He's not going to charge me $140 to check the code since it was the cat, but he wants to charge me $70 still because he said the rattling noise was coming from the o2, not the cat. Now, I call total bulllshi* right now personally, but I'm going to argue with him when I pick up the car at 530 PST. I can't see how the o2, which only has about 1 inch or metal showing inside the exhaust can be causing the noise. It is that constant rattling that, to me, sounds like a bunch of small shavings boubncing around, RIGHT where the cat is. Now, if it was the pre cat o2, than it could be possible since that piece could be caught in the element, but he said its the post cat o2. I just want to know for sure though that I'm right before I go down there. Anyone agree or disagree? Please, any personal experiance with this problem would be greatly appreciated.

1stls1

The cat is covered until 80,000 miles. Argue that the O2 after cat was caused by the cat gone bad. Still, w/ a 01, that sould still be under warr.!

blackrat

Well, if you mean the car warranty, it was over last October. But yeah, the cats still covered for another 40k miles which is what I was banking on to not have to pay them to check the SES light. Anyway, I went down there and pulled out the o2 sensor I had already bought and asked how it could be making that sound. Of course, he didn't have an answer and started making up some bull, then resorted to basically threatining to charge me for 2 hours labor as opposed to the 1/2 hour, or $60. He also wouldn't let me have my car unless I paid the $169. My other car isn't regged so I had to pay but I said I wanted to speak to the mechanic when I came back in to get the cat replaced in a few days. I've heard a lot of stories about how dealers try to screw you over, and this definently drives this home for me. I'll bring up what you said about the bad cat ruining the o2 when I head back. Thanks. Anyone else have any experiance?

rncotton

First off, 2000 and 2001 model F-Bods have a TSB for them. It seems that some cars got a bad batch of cats. My 2001 Z28 and the 2001 WS6 were both built October 2000, and both had bad passenger side cats. Both times, the dealer replaced driver and passenger side cats, no questions asked, due to the TSB.

The Feds madate that emissions related parts (mainly the cats) are covered for 8 years / 80,000 miles. Period. If you've got less than 80,000 miles on your 2001 car and you have a bad cat, the dealer MUST replace it. There's nothing he can do about it, unless you've modified the cats.