05' Catalytic issues

[rustysteel]

Hello,Just a quick question, I have an 05' Vibe with 102,000km's. I had a friend replace the secondary O2 sensor and during the ride home the engine light came on. I recently went to the dealer for a Oil change and to see if they could establish the CEL. They did and told me it was the same O2 sensor that I had just replaced. I let them know that you can now smell the 'rotten egg' smell that goes with a backed up Cat. I'm taking the car in tomorrow to see if they will replace the Cat under warranty and if I will be reimbursed for the clearing the CEL codes (sorry I didn't mention that they cleared the code but it came back on today). Anyone have similar issues? I apologize if this is an already covered topic. From what I understand I still have warranty for the Catalytic until 130kms. I believe their issue is that I didn't get the dealer to replace the sensor, but for $413 I was not interested. ThanksGlenn

[CAN-AWD-VIBE]

yup your cat is covered.but the real question is why is that new O2 sensor throwing a code?is it an OEM part of aftermarket? and i doubt you get any money back on a federal emissions warranty claim... but good luck anyway.

[joatmon]

Depends on the CEL. P0420 can be caused by a bad secondary O2 sensor, or by a bad cat. On mine I replaced the sensor first because it was cheaper, but had to replace the cat to fix the problem. I was beyond warranty

[Raven]

It can also be caused by an exhaust leak or a vacuum leak. The rotten egg smell is usually quite conclusive though.An early cat failure is often an indicator of some other underlying problem such as the engine running rich because of a misfire, injector, O2 sensor or other issue.