I had an engine check light come on my Lincoln navigator. I have my own OBD reader so I ran a check and it said that I needed a new catalytic converter. I took my car to Dave’s and said, can you take a look at my catalytic converter and let me know if it really needs replacement? They put it up on the lift, took a look at it, came back and told me, “yeah you need a new catalytic converter” and charged me $270. Then, when I asked how much it would cost to replace the catalytic converter, they wouldn’t give me a straight answer. Basically they said we’ll fix it and then when we’re finished fixing it, we’ll let you know how much it cost. I bought my own catalytic converters (the Navigator needs two). I found one on Amazon that got thousands of good reviews and only cost $165 (a factory catalytic converter costs $1200 if you buy it from the Ford dealership), took it to another shop where they had to weld them in place, and told me it would take four hours of labor and charged me $400 which I was happy with. I was happy that the other shop told me upfront how many hours of labor it would take to weld the new catalytic converters in place and they stuck to their estimate. I won’t be going to Dave’s again that’s for sure .
The testing that we charged you for was 2 different problems. One problem was a multiple cylinder misfire and the other was a catalyst efficiency code. Both were caused by the aftermarket weld in catalytic converter that had been installed by someone other that us. It is impossible for any machine to plug into your car and be accurate in telling you what hss to be done to repair your car. In order to accurately condemn any failed part, one of our trained and certified technicians has to physically test all associated components. In the process, we found the cheap aftermarket parts installed on your vehicle in which are causing your issues. It is our policy ro do the testing to find the cause of the problem on every car, every time.
- Davids Garage