Catalytic Converter Estimate QnA

[PROW355]

After putting some decent mileage on the good ole X (currently at around 160,000) mileage, it has come time to have the catalytic converters (including both O2 sensors) replaced. I have recently received an estimate from a local indy who I am not familiar with and his estimate seemed a bit higher than I expected so I am hoping someone with experience with this type of repair could give me some feedback regarding the time required for labor and the price for parts.

NOTE: The price for the ignition issue repair and price is not of my concern. I am needing to have the key repaired or replaced. I think I might have the Scott at bmwgm5 repair it for a fraction what it would cost to replace it.

I have also noticed that I could purchase all of the necessary parts from Bavauto for less than half of the price of the OEM. Does anyone have any recommendations regarding the use of the bavauto aftermarket Catalytic converter and Bosch O2 sensors? Good or Bad experience with these parts?

Although this indy described above would not allow me to purchase the parts and have him put them on, I do know a guy who will do the job with the parts I provide.

Can anyone give me any insight into the dilemma of purchasing the OEM or Aftermarket Catalytic converters and if one or the either is better, worse, doable, etc? And if the estimate is reasonable for this job.

I have relied on everyone heres individual talents in the past. I respect everyones opinion/perspective on this matter and I would appreciate any help and or recommendations the forum can provide. TIA

[epdarks]

Call junk yards looking for cats. I see some on eBay. Try Craigslist. Next best would be to source online. Aftermarket cats are an option, get a good exhaust guy to weld them in.

You're sure the cats are bad?

[Ricky Bobby]

you could always crawl under a Ford Econoline van at night with a Sawzall and have yourself a fresh cat in about 10 minutes. At least that seems to be the crime stats in the city nowadays, precious metals inside the cat go for decent money at pawn shops in a recession lol!

In all seriousness, I'd go with what epdarks says, if you can't get a used E53 cat on craigslist/ebay/forums/junkyard, check the exhaust piping and get a Magnaflow or some aftermarket cat to fit on, just get the old cut out and the new one welded on.

[PROW355]

Hey Gents, Thanks for the responses. Im not 100% sure its the Cats but then again neither was the Indy. He based his diagnosis off of the codes which all point to a Cat deficiency. When I ran the codes myself I got P0313, P2098, P1093, and P0430. I also have noticed that almost instantaneously after ignition the rear exhausts are pushing hot air. I have also witnessed a slightly rough idle on cold starts (typical?). I do not know of how to properly diagnose a faulty Catalytic Converter however I would LOVE to know how (Anyone?).

I called Bavauto, a sales guy there gave me the recommendation to have a smoke test for vacuum leaks done before going ahead and purchasing anything. If there are no signs of leaks he recommends purchasing the Pre O2 sensors first, and then check to see if the codes come back. If the codes come back, move forward with swapping the Cats. He claims that the problem is most likely a vacuum leak, housing, gaskets, or CCV. I will report back with the findings this weekend.

epdarks - I love what you've done to your X. Any chance you wanna trade? (). Where did you get the rims from? Did you have the suspension tweaked to accommodate them?

Ricky Bobby - is that a pit I see?

[Ricky Bobby]

Originally Posted by PROW355

Ricky Bobby - is that a pit I see?

American Bulldog actually, I'll upload a bigger pic of my boy later when I get my Tapatalk working

[TiAgX5]

Originally Posted by PROW355

After putting some decent mileage on the good ole X (currently at around 160,000) mileage, it has come time to have the catalytic converters (including both O2 sensors) replaced. I have recently received an estimate from a local indy who I am not familiar with and his estimate seemed a bit higher than I expected so I am hoping someone with experience with this type of repair could give me some feedback regarding the time required for labor and the price for parts.

NOTE: The price for the ignition issue repair and price is not of my concern. I am needing to have the key repaired or replaced. I think I might have the Scott at bmwgm5 repair it for a fraction what it would cost to replace it.

I have also noticed that I could purchase all of the necessary parts from Bavauto for less than half of the price of the OEM. Does anyone have any recommendations regarding the use of the bavauto aftermarket Catalytic converter and Bosch O2 sensors? Good or Bad experience with these parts?

Although this indy described above would not allow me to purchase the parts and have him put them on, I do know a guy who will do the job with the parts I provide.

Can anyone give me any insight into the dilemma of purchasing the OEM or Aftermarket Catalytic converters and if one or the either is better, worse, doable, etc? And if the estimate is reasonable for this job.

I have relied on everyone heres individual talents in the past. I respect everyones opinion/perspective on this matter and I would appreciate any help and or recommendations the forum can provide. TIA

$493.52 for upstream O2 sensors???? Replacing downstream sensors????

The ups are under $100 each and I would bet the downs do NOT need to be replaced at all.

This Indy is raping you on parts and I would walk just on that fact.

[PROW355]

Here is an update on my Catalytic Converter problem. After receiving the quote from the above shop (+$3000) I took the X to a different shop (Huntzberry Import Automotive) and I had a smoke test done. The mechanic found a vacuum leak (near the manifold) and plugged it. I paid under $100 for the work and after driving it I now only am getting code P1093 - Manifold Control Fuel + Air Metering, Auxiliary Emission Control. I will be doing some searching on the forum for some info for this code but I would appreciate any help. I figure it could be an O2 sensor, but I am assuming. Thanks for everyones advice...I hope this helps others in the future...dont waste your money when someone says replace everything without knowing for sure the real problem.

The initial mechanic was so wrong, not only did he try to rip me off, he didnt even mark the vehicle as Manual transmission, which it is.

[ExpensiveTaste]

My wife's car is having the same problem (P1093 keeps coming back with P0313 when fuel is low) after replacing the throttle body elbow when P0174 was the code. We've tried replacing all O2 sensors, spark plugs, thermostat, air filter, fuel filter/regulator, and had a smoke test done coming up with no leaks. We've tried swapping the injectors on bank 1 and bank 2 to no avail.

FYI, the P1093 comes up as Fuel Trim too Rich in second bank (Cylinders3-6). Others have further explained the cause of the error as a lean condition causing fuel trims to reach their limit of dumping fuel in (1). P1093 is said to be equivalent to BMW code 236 which is Pre-Cat Bank 2, Fuel Trim.

I'm curious as to what the difference is between P1093 and P0174 (system too lean bank 2).

The next thing we're going to try is swapping the coils on bank 1 to bank 2.

[upallnight]

Originally Posted by ExpensiveTaste

My wife's car is having the same problem (P1093 keeps coming back with P0313 when fuel is low) after replacing the throttle body elbow when P0174 was the code. We've tried replacing all O2 sensors, spark plugs, thermostat, air filter, fuel filter/regulator, and had a smoke test done coming up with no leaks. We've tried swapping the injectors on bank 1 and bank 2 to no avail.

FYI, the P1093 comes up as Fuel Trim too Rich in second bank (Cylinders3-6). Others have further explained the cause of the error as a lean condition causing fuel trims to reach their limit of dumping fuel in (1). P1093 is said to be equivalent to BMW code 236 which is Pre-Cat Bank 2, Fuel Trim.

I'm curious as to what the difference is between P1093 and P0174 (system too lean bank 2).

The next thing we're going to try is swapping the coils on bank 1 to bank 2.

Could be the camshaft sensor.

[Russianblue]

you mentioned you thought it could be CCV related? have you ever had the CCV serviced? if not, i would get that done post haste. all four hoses and the valve itself. new intake boot and vac lines if necessary while you're in there. I have youtube videos bookmarked if you want to give this a crack. It's a 'level 2 or level 3' repair though.

while it is not unusual for an indy or dealer to sell parts at 2-3x the street price, $493 for a pair of oxygen sensors is, by itself, indicative of someone who either A) has NO idea what they are doing, B) did some serious half-ass research, which may be indicative of half-ass work, or C) is an unapologetic con-artist/crook. my vote is on C.

RockAuto sells the upstreams for $44 each (BOSCH 13477) and downstreams (BOSCH Part 15109)for $53 each and you could probably change all four of these yourself in less than an hour. Buy an sensor socket on Amazon for $8. O2 sensors are the first 'level 1' repair every BMW owner can make after air filter, spark plugs, oil change and coolant drain/fill are mastered. And i'd personally rather change O2 sensors rather than drain a DROP of antifreeze (I hate that stuff). So a DIY in this case is worth $800-$1000 depending on how much of that labor is for the sensors in the quote.