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  1. #1

    Default Emissions Light Came On the Day After I Purchased a Used Car

    My question involves vehicle maintenance laws for the State of: Arizona (Phoenix)

    Basically, I bought a car from an independent dealership. The very next day, less than 24 hours, the check engine light came on. I took it back to the dealership and he said it was the emissions code and I need a new catalytic converter.

    He said it would cost $400 for the part and he would order it and he didn't. Two weeks past and he still didn't order it and now another week has past and I still haven't heard from the guy.

    I took my car to the Honda dealership for a used car inspection. Oh what joy!!! Not only do I need a catalytic converter that is going to cost me $1800. because someone installed an 'after' manufacture installation one on my car, but the welded all the pipes together so now I need extra everything.

    The mechanic said some of these guys buy the cars at auction, the car won't pass emissions test and they have a way to shut off the code so it won't detect that you need a new catalytic converter. The code will go off for about 24 hours, which mine did. Now that I purchased the car, am I totally screwed? The dealership was calling around to see if this is even a legal policy for these guys to be doing this. They couldn't find the answer for me.

    I specifically asked this independent dealership if there was any maintenance I would have to be doing immediately. He said they run a used car inspecition and check for everything. Well, I have discovered I have over $5000 repairs now because of leaking this and that, broke part on the suspension, bad break pads, and the original dealership was going to put on new rotors, which the new dealership said those are perfect, they need pads and something to do with the boot. I have all the paperwork, I can get more technical.

    I am most upset about this emissions issue that is going to cost me $1800, which I have to do even if I decide to sell the car now.

    What do you think?

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Sep 2011
    Location
    OH10
    Posts
    17,019

    Default Re: Is It Legal to Sell a Car and Have the Emissions Code Come on the Next Day

    It appears the dealer is required to sell you a vehicle passing inspection in the Phoenix area. Consult this link for your next step.

    http://www.azdeq.gov/environ/air/vei/dealer.html

  3. #3

    Default Re: Is It Legal to Sell a Car and Have the Emissions Code Come on the Next Day

    Disagreeable...
    Thank you so much for that link. It answered all of my questions and I will be contacting them to get a complaint form and to file. It states that they should have to pay for the repairs if my car doesn't pass the test, so I am going to file a complaint and hopefully, they will have to pay for that. It's just not right to sell a car stating it passes emissions and then the next day it doesn't, just to discover you have to put $1800. into the car for parts to make it pass. As it is, I cannot even sell the car right now because of this.

    I appreciate your assistance so much!!!!

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Sep 2011
    Location
    OH10
    Posts
    17,019

    Default Re: Emissions Light Came On the Day After I Purchased a Used Car

    Generally, brake pads are something you can do yourself for under $60 with a bit of knowledge. No reason to pay $600 or so most of the time. You can usually get it from a Chiltons manual free to read at the auto store. What was the "boot" reference? Was it on a caliper and if so is it actually leaking? What/where are the leaks? What is "broke" on the suspension?

    https://www.google.com/search?q=brak...-US%3Aofficial

  5. #5

    Default Re: Emissions Light Came On the Day After I Purchased a Used Car

    thank you, yes I discovered all kinds of repairs needed which will be ok, but I need to sell the car and I'm worried I can't because of the emissions situation.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Jan 2006
    Posts
    38,867

    Default Re: Emissions Light Came On the Day After I Purchased a Used Car

    So you just bought this car but you have to sell it already/

    that at seems a bit odd.

    by the way, there is nothing improper about installing an aftermarket cat converter and there is nothing wrong with welding it into place.

    im actually kind of curious as to how it was diagnosed it was the catalytic converter since there is no trouble code that will tell you you have a bad catalytic converter. In fact, there is no code that will tell you anything specific is defective. The codes result from information from sensors being outside of program parameters. With a bad cat converter you would get reading from an O2 sensor outside of parameters. With that basic information you do a lot of other work to determine if it is any of a variety of different components that are the problem, including the possibility of a bad O2 sensor itself.

    Unless the cat converted has it's internal components damaged (can often be determined by thumping it with your hand and listening for rattling), more often than not, an engine light is not from a bad cat converter. There are other issues, some of which can actually damage a catalytic converter.

    Even an actual emmisons test will not allow a definate diagnosis of a bad cat converter. It is simply more data that a trained mechanic can use to help determine the actual problem.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Sep 2011
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    OH10
    Posts
    17,019

    Default Re: Emissions Light Came On the Day After I Purchased a Used Car

    Unless you get the bad O2 code and tap on the cold converter, confirming the core has broken loose.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Dec 2012
    Posts
    17

    Default Re: Emissions Light Came On the Day After I Purchased a Used Car

    Typically, unless you have a LOT of miles on the car a bad cat is caused by multiple misfires. That causes unburned gas to enter the cat, which clogs it. Usually replacing the cat does not make the problem go away. Go to a reputable independent mechanic who will read the codes, if they're still stored, and he will tell you what took out your cat. Welded aftermarket cat is the way to go as far as cost is concerned. Shouldn't be more than 4 or 5 hundred at the highest. Now the misfire problem may be something else dollar wise.

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