Car needs cat converter, threw code day after I bought it

[dqa]

Just bought a 2003 Jetta, 75k miles. No problem that I noticed the day I picked it up, but it threw a P0420 code the next morning. I'm told (by the shop the dealer arranged for me to visit) that it needs a new cat and O2 sensor.

It would be nice to have the CEL clear so that I'll know if something else occurs, but I could probably live with it if that's especially expensive. I'm also not sure whether the mileage is affected much by this issue.

The dealer provides a 1-month engine and transmission warranty. He seems willing to work with me at least somewhat on this, but I'm not sure what's fair. We don't have emissions testing here, so that's not an issue so long as I live in this state.

1. What is appropriate for me to ask for from the dealer?
2. Is the mileage likely to be affected much if I don't fix it?
3. Are the universal cats on Amazon good enough? The prices between 75 and 150 make the job seem much more attractive than the OEM price of ~600 I was quoted.

[Hufeisen]

VW picked up my cat issue around 80k miles - check with the dealer first.

If that doesn't work, if you have a one month warranty, I would be pressing on that dealer as much as I could.

[dqa]

I should point out that it's an independent used car dealer, not a VW shop.

VW picked up my cat issue around 80k miles - check with the dealer first.

What do you mean - check what? And do you mean I should check with this indie dealer, or with my local VW dealer.

If that doesn't work, if you have a one month warranty, I would be pressing on that dealer as much as I could.

Since the warranty is engine and transmission, I'm not sure whether that technically includes the cat and downstream O2 sensor.

[Zyoid]

I believe that VW will fix your cat under warranty until 80k. Call a VW dealer, then bring it in. Mine cracked around 65k, and was fixed under warranty.

[dqa]

8 years, 80k miles. For a 2003, that comes to 2011. But miraculously, they apparently didn't sell this vehicle until the second half of 2004, so I'm golden (assuming the first shop diagnosed it correctly).

Thanks for the advice, I never would have thought a warranty would still be valid for this old of a car, esp. from VW.

[matt007]

btw those really cheap universal cats last like, a year or two

[Knight2000]

The Emissions Warranty is 8 years or 80,000 miles, whichever occurs first, from the in-service date of the car.. Unless your car's original in-service date was after July 13, 2003, the Federal Emissions Warranty will not be valid.

[dqa]

It turned out that even though the cat would have been under warranty, there had been an aftermarket repair to the pipe from the engine to the cat, thus invalidating the warranty. Furthermore, the piece that clamps the exhaust pipe about midway along the bottom of the vehicle is loose, resulting in an audible "clunk" as the exhaust pipe bounces against the underside whenever I'm on a rough road. This bouncing may be what led to the failure of the cat. So even if I don't fix the cat and O2 sensor, I'll need to fix the attachment point.

So now I'm back to my original problem - I think the original indie dealer would be willing to give a little for the purpose of goodwill, even though the 1-month powertrain warranty wouldn't technically include the problem I discovered the day after I bought it. He could probably get his buddy up the road to do the install for a good deal, and he might be willing to pay for a portion of the parts cost.

Any suggestions on how I should approach this?

[Knight2000]

It turned out that even though the cat would have been under warranty, there had been an aftermarket repair to the pipe from the engine to the cat, thus invalidating the warranty. Furthermore, the piece that clamps the exhaust pipe about midway along the bottom of the vehicle is loose, resulting in an audible "clunk" as the exhaust pipe bounces against the underside whenever I'm on a rough road. This bouncing may be what led to the failure of the cat. So even if I don't fix the cat and O2 sensor, I'll need to fix the attachment point.

So now I'm back to my original problem - I think the original indie dealer would be willing to give a little for the purpose of goodwill, even though the 1-month powertrain warranty wouldn't technically include the problem I discovered the day after I bought it. He could probably get his buddy up the road to do the install for a good deal, and he might be willing to pay for a portion of the parts cost.

Any suggestions on how I should approach this?

If it's an independent shop doing the work, make sure they get the parts from a VW dealer or at least vwparts.com or 1-800-VWPARTS. That way, you have a 12-month / 12,000 mile warranty, whichever comes first, from the date of purchase. If the work is done at an authorized VW dealer, then the labor would be covered, too.