Repair or replace??

[bclover]

Hello ER friends

Got a small dilemma, trying to decide if I should repair my car or replace it.

I have a 2012 Infiniti G37 and unfortunately the catalytic converter is busted. The car has 187K miles on it and basically outside of tires and normal upkeep has not been an issue.

The car is still running but of course with a busted cc will not pass inspection and since I have the "murphy's law" type of luck, my inspection is due in July


my mechanic says it will be about 2500 bucks to replace. the left side is the worse of the two.

I do drive a lot, between dealing with an elderly parent in NYC and other stuff, I guess I'm averaging about 100 miles a day.

not sure I want to sink that money into a 10 year old car with 187K miles on it.

I have 30K that I could use easily to purchase the new ride so no note

 

[HF63]

Sound like you ready for a new ride, besides the car needing a cat how is the other stuff like suspension and timing chains??


You do a lot of driving so getting a newer car makes sense!

 

[REWahoo]

Sound like you ready for a new ride, besides the car needing a cat how is the other stuff like suspension and timing chains??

You do a lot of driving so getting a newer car makes sense!

^ This is excellent advice under normal circumstances. Unfortunately in the auto world things are far from normal.

I recommend first testing the waters by checking out the prices and availability of a replacement vehicle. Be ready for some major sticker shock.

You may find spending the $ to repair your car is the lesser of evils. If you can get another year out of it car prices may ease a bit, but there is no guarantee. It may take more than a year to get through the chip shortage and how it has impacted auto supply and pricing of used cars.

Best of luck whatever you decide.

 

[ERD50]

In addition to REWahoo's excellent advice on the timing of new vehicles (hey, we found a market we might be able to "time"! ), the other relevant questions that need to be answered are:

1) How much can you get for the car with bad cats?
2) How much can you get for the car with new cats?
3) What will new cats cost?

Looks like you need to do one or the other prior to inspection, so that comes into play even if you decide to replace it with new/newer.

-ERD50

 

[old medic]

I do most of my own auto work, and could do this repair myself... figure about $400 each for the cats.... But heres the issue your mechanic is aware of... RUST... Im sure the underside of your car is a mechanics disaster waiting to happen. Depending on the level of rust... Busted cats leads me to think alot... I would lean towards replacing.

 

[ExFlyBoy5]

I do most of my own auto work, and could do this repair myself... figure about $400 each for the cats.... But heres the issue your mechanic is aware of... RUST... Im sure the underside of your car is a mechanics disaster waiting to happen. Depending on the level of rust... Busted cats leads me to think alot... I would lean towards replacing.

Rust may not be an issue as it isn't too old and under coatings have come a long way in recent years. Of course, it's a northern car with lots of salt...so it might be an issue. I had a 2009 G37 and if I still had it, I would replace the CC in an instant. That car was the best car I have ever owned.

 

[HF63]

Besides OEM cats, the only after market cat to consider is the California version much more money but the metals loading is much better.

 

[bclover]

^ This is excellent advice under normal circumstances. Unfortunately in the auto world things are far from normal.

I recommend first testing the waters by checking out the prices and availability of a replacement vehicle. Be ready for some major sticker shock.

You may find spending the $ to repair your car is the lesser of evils. If you can get another year out of it car prices may ease a bit, but there is no guarantee. It may take more than a year to get through the chip shortage and how it has impacted auto supply and pricing of used cars.

Best of luck whatever you decide.

lol, sticker shock for real. Evidently here in the Pa/NJ area there is a shortage of used cars. I was looking around for a 2 year old infiniti small suv and yikes nothing.

 

[RetiredAt55.5]

If you're otherwise happy with the car, and the mechanic says there are no other visible looming expensive repairs (rust, oil leaks, worn suspension parts, etc.), I don't think it would be crazy to consider keeping it. You can always get another mechanic (like the local AAA service centers) to look over the car for a second opinion if you don't totally trust your mechanic.

I don't think $30k is going to get you an equivalent car.

 

[ExFlyBoy5]

lol, sticker shock for real. Evidently here in the Pa/NJ area there is a shortage of used cars. I was looking around for a 2 year old infiniti small suv and yikes nothing.

It's not just your area...I think this is a nation wide issue. I looked up the value on a 2012 Accord that I bought used last year and the trade in value shows about $800 more than I paid for it and it has 85K miles on it.

 

[ncbill]

I'd just remove the cats & install straight pipes since we only have annual safety (not emissions) inspections out here in the country.

 

[latexman]

Trade it in on a ~ 5 year, low mileage, high reliability car with the comfort level you desire.

Keep that car ~ 5 years.

Rinse and repeat.

 

[38Chevy454]

I agree that $2500 is too much for new catalytic converters. You should be able to find an exhaust shop that can do the job for half that price or maybe less. Key being an exhaust shop and not a mechanic garage. Exhaust shops deal with this all the time. As stated, cheaper aftermarket CC will not last as long, but you are in a case where that is not an issue. OEM CC will be the most expensive and aren't required in your case. Aftermarket will be fine. I assume the car is otherwise doing good and not having other problems. Keep driving the car and save your cash for when a bigger problem comes up and car replacement is a better option.

 

[Badger]

I'd just remove the cats & install straight pipes since we only have annual safety (not emissions) inspections out here in the country.

I did the same thing with a 1978 Alfa Romeo Spyder that I bought in the mid 90s. When I removed the CC all the internal material fell out so there was just an empty shell. I saved the shell and drove it with a straight pipe until time for emissions inspection. I then reinstalled the empty CC since they checked for it with a mirror before they stuck the probe up the tail pipe. It only took me about 10 minutes. I always passed inspection for years until I finally sold it. The inspectors were always impressed with how clean the exhaust emissions were and couldn't believe a car that age gave such good numbers. Essentially i had no CC but I did keep the car properly tuned.


Cheers!

 

[bclover]

I'd just remove the cats & install straight pipes since we only have annual safety (not emissions) inspections out here in the country.

lol, wish I could. we have both and you have to pass both

 

[easysurfer]

IMO, 187k on a car isn't that much.

My strategy is unless transmission or engine goes out and I'm not really eager to buy a new car for another reason, I'd probably fix.

As for timing, I think this is a bit of getting price gouged market if looking for a new/used car.

 

[Sunset]

I agree that $2500 is too much for new catalytic converters. You should be able to find an exhaust shop that can do the job for half that price or maybe less. Key being an exhaust shop and not a mechanic garage. Exhaust shops deal with this all the time. As stated, cheaper aftermarket CC will not last as long, but you are in a case where that is not an issue. OEM CC will be the most expensive and aren't required in your case. Aftermarket will be fine. I assume the car is otherwise doing good and not having other problems. Keep driving the car and save your cash for when a bigger problem comes up and car replacement is a better option.

+1

 

[RetireeRobert]

I agree that $2500 is too much for new catalytic converters. You should be able to find an exhaust shop that can do the job for half that price or maybe less. Key being an exhaust shop and not a mechanic garage. Exhaust shops deal with this all the time. As stated, cheaper aftermarket CC will not last as long, but you are in a case where that is not an issue. OEM CC will be the most expensive and aren't required in your case. Aftermarket will be fine. I assume the car is otherwise doing good and not having other problems. Keep driving the car and save your cash for when a bigger problem comes up and car replacement is a better option.

^ ^ ^

+2 Good advice.

 

[travelover]

I generally look at Rock Auto to see how much the parts actually cost to get a ballpark idea of whether an estimate is realistic. There is not a lot of labor involved in replacing a catalytic convert, so I'd say the $2500 estimate is excessive. One can buy the cats for $400 to $600.
Rock Auto

 

[JRon]

If you like the car - repair it. I’ll bet it has another 75,000+ miles left in it. If you don’t like it or just have an itch to scratch - get a new one.

 

[ls99]

Depends, want to spend some change or blow some dough?

 

[jazz4cash]

Get a new(er) ride. You can afford it. You deserve it and for the sake of safety why risk it driving I95 from Philly to NYC on a regular basis. You’re a baker not a mechanic. One of these DIY types is dying to get their hands on your current ride and plug in a set of cats. Your own mechanic is actually telling you not to fix it.

 

[Aerides]

New car time. If it were 10 years with 120k miles, maybe repair, but still...that's a lot of $ for a repair on an older car.

 

[ivinsfan]

New car time. If it were 10 years with 120k miles, maybe repair, but still...that's a lot of $ for a repair on an older car.

So if she doesn't repair the old car she needs a new ride by July. I wonder if she can find the car she wants at a reasonable price. If you keep a car 10 years you really want to buy the car of your dreams, not just the only one for sale.


I don't think it's a lot of money as she'd get dinged on a trade in or private party sale with the issues it has.

 

[Bamaman]

RockAuto.com sells a Walker quality new catalytic converter for the G37 for $648.

Find another independent muffler shop who can install a converter in just a few minutes. You may being taken advantage of.