The car is an '02 Impreza, 154K. Runs fine, I just need to pass the VA emissions test, and I juts got the CEL on. The upstream sensor has been replaced 1 year ago. A local chain mechanic has charged me $95 for a "diagnosis" and said it's the cat converter (did not give me the code) for which he wants $1,300. He says the cat is $1,000 (I specifically asked for an OEM - still $1,000), plus he wants to replace the downstream sensor, saying that he won't be able to pull the sensor out w/o breaking it. I have asked if he can first measure the O2 , NO, and VOCs coming out of the pipe to see if the emissions are indeed bad - which he refuses to do, saying that the only way the emissions can pass is when the readout is done from my car's computer, i.e. I must clear the code before the emissions are clear.
- If it's indeed the converter, can I get away with a cheap $300 converter I keep finding online? All I need is to pass the emissions. If my 2 sensors are happy with a delta-voltage across a non-brand converter, I am fine with that.
- Is it worth at this point to buy a computer reader at AutoAnything and systematically diagnose the problem myself, rather than paying $95.00 per "diagnosis"? I should be capable to interpret voltages from the O2 sensors and compare them to the sensors' specs.
- Don't they stick a probe down the pipe anymore to run the emissions test? What's up with checking the emissions through my own car's computer - what's the tester's role then? Thank you all in advance!