Cat converter & clutch: what would you do?

[Stoker10]

Okay GenVibers, here's my chance to ask what would you do? I've got an '04 Vibe with the 5-spd. manual transmission. I love the car, and hoped to get 150k miles out of it. It's been virtually maintenance-fre, until now. BUT, at 98,000 miles I now face a clutch replacement and catalytic converter replacement. Mechanic quotes $1,000 each. So, if I dump $2,000 into this car, what else might go wrong with it in the next 50,000 miles? Would you keep it? Sell it? What might it be worth with these two major repairs required?

[keithvibe]

the clutch price is right.the cat is a bit high depending on what cat he is using.I would certainly get the repairs done.

[bassplayaz06]

how do you know the cat has to be replaced? check engine code P0420? most likely an O2 sensor. that's what mine was at 149,000 miles. the clutch went at 143,000 but that's all about how you drive it. i did the clutch myself and only spent about $300 on parts and a weekend of fully working.

[Salsa Guy]

A lot of people with that year have a Tranny issues also. The Clutch sounds a lttle steep but the CAT is in LEFT field and over the fence.

[Stoker10]

Thanks, everyone who responded so far. Salsa Guy, I'm really not sure what you mean about the catalytic converter -- are you saying his price is way too steep? I'm vulnerable here because I'm really not a DIY'er on my cars anymore. Bassplayaz6, he says his test isolates the O2 sensors (are there 2 in the Base car?) and if it was just one of them, he wouldn't have gotten the readings he says he got. I don't have good detail on just how he's conducting this test, but could supply more if people are interested.

[keithvibe]

did he happen to tell you what check engine codes you were throwing?

[Salsa Guy]

$1000 is about twice on what you expect to pay for a good cat installed. The Clutch is about right. It's also a good idea to make sure you change the tranny oil also. Regardless spending $2K on auto repairs hurts. I also have a rule about car repairs for every $1000 spent on a car can you 10000 miles out of it. In this case I would say yes. But find a better price on the CAT replacement. Please post your codes.

[DressedInBlack]

Cat price does seem high unless you are getting a custom-made performance cat.

[joatmon]

Everyone is different. There are (or I guess I should say "were") people on here who only keep a new car for two or three years, then buy another new car. There are some (like me) who keep the car and keep fixing it. It is hard to know at what point a car gets to have reliability issues that are not cost effective to repair. In general, the cars have proven to be reliable, so at only 100K miles, there's every reason to expect that yours will still be worth fixing for another 200K miles.Having paid for a new cat and a new clutch on mine, I can say that for me, the cost orf repairing was the best option, and no regrets on doing that. If I find I need to pay to do those things again, I might consider the car still worth spending the money on. Kinda depends on what the market is, but one with a bad cat and no clutch isn't going to bring the best price.Still, if you've been wanting to trade out for a new or different ride, a bad clutch and a bad cat and the potential for future failures can easily be spun into a great justififcation, if that's what you really want to do and can afford to do it.The quote for the cat is high, as others have said, so it would be good to get some other quiotes on that. My P0420 was for a bad cat, I tried the O2 sensors first, which only added to the eventual cost because it took replacing the cat to fix my P0420. For ~130K miles anyway. Now I'm throwing a recurring P0420 again, and if it gets more frequent, I'll probably put a new cat on mine.The clutch is a wear item, at some point any car with a manual tranny is going to need a new clutch. To me, $1000 seems high to have a new one put in, but it depends on the quality of the parts, and also on what the service rates are in the local area. If its the same mechanic that quoted $1000 for a new cat, then it might not hurt to get a clutch quote from someone else on the clutch also.

[DiveNut]

Hey Stoker10,I just had to replace my CAT last Saturday. Picked up a direct fit Magnaflow (part #93200) for my 04 on E-bay for $222. Had a local shop install it for $75. Took them about 25 minutes. So as other folks indicated, the quote you got on the CAT install is pretty steep.Good luck

[Stoker10]

Hey everyone,Thank you again for all your advice. I am going to shop around for some different quotes on the work. The cat failure was found during my annual inspection check here in Massachusetts. The paperwork I got lists 4 codes (but I suspect it's just a listing of all possible codes in the onboard diagnostic system). Codes listed in the paperwork are: P0420, P0441, P0442, and P0446. If my mechanic told me what the specific offending code was, I must have been thinking of my bank account instead of listening--I don't know it Just two other questions, if I just go to a local exhaust shop for the cat work, do they typically clear the code for you afterward, or will it just clear up by itself and check engine light disappear? That's what keeps it from passing inspection here. Finally, For those who've had their cars many more miles than mine, what else tends to go --brakes and such, like my clutch, are a wear part, so that's all to be expected. But I've heard of electric window gremlins.Anything else I might be on the lookout for? And, thanks again!

[keithvibe]

you can clear the code yourself by disconnecting the battery.You can also have any Autozone clear the codesThe shop that does the install should clear the code, BUT ASK IF THEY CHARGE TO DO THAT! Some charge for that. If they do walk away, that is total BS for 10seconds of work.Not to many things, some will chime in with their issues. I haven't had any.

[Salsa Guy]

^X2 on what Keith said. Clearing codes is simple and most shops (even exhaust shops) have code readers. You may need to research those codes The P044X refer to the evap system. P0420 refer to the CAT. You may have another issue causing the problem than just a bad CAT