Booked me and the wife a nice little weekend break in Paris. Set off on Friday for Heathrow (only have to arrive 30 minutes prior to departure with carry-on baggage as I had checked-in on-line and had booked BA Express Parking - you drop it off right outside the door).
10 miles outside Heathrow the car seemed to loose power (and smoothness) and a warning light (exhaust/emissions) came on, flashed twice and then stayed permanently on. The car is a 4 year old Vauxhall Astra convertible with a Z20LET 2 litre turbo petrol engine that has 69,000 miles on the clock. It's had regular main dealer services. The belt was changed at 40,000 miles and again at 45,000 miles (under warranty) when the water pump was a bit dodgy and needed replacing.Having timed it perfectly for the flight, we got out the car, slung the keys at the man in uniform beside the BA hut and then rushed to the gate hoping the fault would have sorted itself out on our return. Well, it hasn't. The light is still on and the car still drives like a dog.
Fortunately I have the next few days off work, the weather is good and I have a Kawasaki in the garage. The car is off to the dealer in the morning. What kind of thing causes this sort of problem and what kind of price am I looking at for fixing it? If I need a new catalyst, are there big savings in getting a small outfit to put a pattern part in rather than the official Vauxhall one?