cats gone bad

[satown210]

Yeah but an online business doesn't have near the cost of a brick and mortar. Hence Amazon VS Best Buy yada yada.

If you can find the parts cheaper and they agree to honor their original labor price, they are honestly doing you a favor. As that job profit margin just got way smaller. That complimentary coffee, soft drinks, wifi, loaner cars, car washes etc isn't free.

[cliffyk]

I'm sorry, I have been battling this for several days now...

Cats Gone Bad:

[reggiebrown40]

I can't stand when people assume because they are paying more for a part, they are being ripped off. Auto repair business models rely on profit from parts and labor. There is a mark-up. Most online parts websites sell parts at the same cost as dealer and repair shops get them. I am not sure why people think they should receive wholesale pricing in a retail purchase.

Back in the old days, shops could get parts at a deep discount, upcharge them to standard over the counter prices. Not anymore. That's why there is a markup.

Let's all agree that unless a business can make a profit, it ceases to stay IN business.
However, when the dealer quotes me over $2000 for parts and an online Infiniti parts company (who also has a mark-up) will sell the same OEM part numbers to me for $1,300 it's more than a mark up. I don't think the dealer sets out to specifically 'rip off' anyone. But I consider their $700 mark-up to be excessively high.
If Infinitipartsonline can make a profit at $1300, the actual cost is likely close to $1000 - possibly less. That means the dealer didn't mark it up - they DOUBLED it.

Playing devil's advocate here but it could be they are not necessarily making a profit as much as they are moving old inventory. Making something off what you sell is better than making nothing.I got my black grill at like 60% off from an online infiniti parts store. Why, because it makes no sense for them to continue to stock M56 parts when the car isn't being made anymore. Guitar shops do it all the time. That $1000.00 guitar sometimes gets marked down to 200 dollars......just to make room for the new inventory.

[paranoidjack]

In case you want to know what M56 cats look like:
Driver's side


Passenger side:

That photo makes me angry at Infiniti.

[Ilya]

I haven't had the light come back on and it dipped down in the cooler temps last week since using the Cataclean product...will update this winter when it's -100000000 degrees .

[Larz]

Just looking at the how the M56 CATs are part of the manifold makes me cringe. Who is the bloody pillock who decided to make them this way?? Clearly, they could have designed a flange and bolts to attach the CAT to the manifold! You guys are gonna see a cost that will curdle the cream in your tea when they need to be replaced.

[Ilya]

I jinxed myself. My P0420 came back last night. DANGNABBIT!

Hoping the weather is juuuuuust right when next years annual inspection is up. I will continue to game the system as long as I can...otherwise I'm looking at a few grand to replace these stupid things.

[Larz]

I feel your pain, mate. Just be sure to buy your parts direct from infiniti parts online to get them at nearly half what the dealer will charge you. Then, yolu will only be abused for the exorbitant labour charges. And you might even get a Q50 red sport for a loaner like my last service at the dealer!

[ArmedAviator]

If the cats have gone bad, there's an underlying issue.

You are running too rich (bad upstream O2 sensor? misfire?) or are burning alot of oil. Even if you're burning reasonable amounts of oil, but don't get the engine and emissions up to normal temp for very long, if at all on short drives, it builds up.

Get a scanner and check your short-term and, more importantly, long-term fuel trims.

[Larz]

The average lifespan of a CAT is 10 years. Mine went bad at 9 years. If they go bad at a very early age, it could be be due to a faulty head gasket or engine that burns oil, or if there is an excessive amount of unburned gas in the exhaust. The precious metals and ceramic beads inside the converter can become clogged or overheated over years of use. Armed is correct - don't just replace the CAT and consider it a done deal. Make sure they test your engine for fuel / air mixture too or you may burn up the new CATs and nobody wants this size of a bill twice! When mine went bad, the engine was still tested for all kinds of other stuff at the dealer before they changed the CATs just to make sure it would be a complete fix.