John B

Hi huys any help would be good , my 04 has engine light on , it went to mazda they said it could be one of two things - the sensor $220 or the cat $1800 lol they say if they replace the sensor it still might be the cat itself

Is this true ?

Also i know that i can get the parts for a fraction of the cost of main dealer so thats all good - just would like second opinion.

Any ideas guys ?

Regards John.

shaunv74

They should tell you the code. There is a code for the sensor failing and a different code for the cat. failing. The code should tell them which is happening. If they don't know I would suspect they are trying to take you for a ride.

I would call them on it and ask them which code it is before they do anything. Also tell them you know there is a different code for bad cat. and bad sensor so why don't they know which it is?

If it's your cat. you have an 8yr/80K mile emissions warranty on the cat. so it may be covered. Also confirm with them up front that a cat. replacement would be covered under the emissions warranty or not. It's a federal law.

You could do the sensor and the cat. yourself if you're mechanically inclined and have a jack to get under the car. The sensor sticks out from the cat. itself and is straightforward to replace.

The cat. is a whole midpipe so if they're going to make you pay for replacing it you might as well buy the BHR cat'd midpipe. www.blackhaloracing.com.

It will be cheaper and still meet emissions.

John B

Wow great info shaun thanks very much , some interesting points there , yes i will def do that but i do live in england and the emissions are prob different also the car has 73k again not sure bout the warranty laws here but will try to find out , also im the 4th owner so warranty might not apply to me.

But lots to go on and thanks again for the reply , really helpful.

Cheers , John.

shaunv74

Ah. Didn't know you were from England. Thanks for putting up your location. You'll need to check on your warranty rights with Mazda UK. Not sure how it works in your neck of the woods but they're separate companies from the dealers in the US and we can call them and talk to them directly to find out what our warranty status and rights are for our specific vehicle.