California Catalytic converters?

[06T200]

Gave a P0420.

[camopaint0707]

i would just go oem

[Summercat]

This thread shows up when google searching for "2009 chevy aveo lt catalytic converter california" so I figured I'd post here:

Link does work wonders, and directed me to WALKER® EXHAUST SYSTEMS :: E-Catalog Lookup , where I was able to begin the process of tracking down this part. Probably saved me several hundred dollars.

[HebrewLoc]

im not an aveo owner however my mom is. I do all the repairs on the vehicle except major things. my mom owns a 2010 chevrolet aveo lt w/138,00 apx.,, she's still making payments on what i consider an absolutely POS lemon of a car. Since purchasing this car in 2012 its been one repair after another. the list of repairs are, radiator x2 yes 2 two years apart, water pump, air filter housing & inlet tube(rubber torn in half), a/c compresor & condensor, 2 coil packs , thermostat(aluminum) x2 and the thermostat housing(plastic base atached to block), transmission coolant resiivor. this car has been a headache but nothing really pissed me off cause i am a mechanic since 16yrs old im 40 this year other then the trans ive repaired & replaced everything listed. now i said all that to get to the topic. CATALYTIC CONVERTER. my moms 2010 chevrolet aveo lt is up for its very first smog check. its a damn shame chevrolet builds cars that drain every dime out of your pocket. this car has been kicking codes i knew what they were told my mom, "your catalytic converter is shot, you need a new one). frankly ive been saying it awhile before the codes poping up due to lack of performance & acceleration and rotten egg/sulfer smell(biggest hint) from exhaust. i was floored when i first found out that its a dealer only part here in CA., $1,700 just for the part unless my friend gets it from GM Wholesale, which then its around $1,200, both prices do not include instalation which i rather not due cause of brittle bolts on chevy exhaust manifolds. the dealer wants &2000 & the local shops best quote came from 2 and were $1800 & $!850. After sepending the price of a low mile 2014 aveo on this car i wanted to cry for my mom. she's still making payments on a car she's spent the down payment of a house repairing & hasn't even had its first smog check(new cars smog not done for first 6 yrs) the cats bad and the dealer only CA LEGAL CATALYTIC CONVERTER cost the price of a 2017 new car down payment. its absolutly a rip off and outlandish besides according BAR & Consumer Affaires the dealer is braking the law, there are supposed to be aftermarket OEM replacment parts available for all cars 5yrs old & older. in CA however there are none but dealer parts. so im at a WTF do i do now for my soon to be 70yr old mom, grand mother of 4. she cant afford what they want her to pay warranty is done for still making payments on and about to fail its very very first smog. if anyone knows what to due now i would love the info. i feel she should sue GM/CHEVROLET under the CA Lemon law. as anyone can see by the list of parts for being almost 7yrs old thats a big list of exspensive parts. my 2000 g. voyager hasnt even had a third of that list replaced and runs fantastic. i think chevrolet really hates their consumers. well thanks for a place to rant, your sit has help fix moms aveo all they way through that list of parts.

[06T200]

Thanks for the rant. Not sure why though..

If it's a 2010 then why didn't you request/submit a warranty claim if you live in CA?? I think even federal law is 8 years. It is still covered under warranty by law, so yes, I too would take legal action if the dealer is playing that game...

[HebrewLoc]

Can't file a warranty claim because its 8yrs or 80,000 miles which ever comes first and my mom aveo has around 138,000. Thanks for the Federal Law routeiI hadn't thought about that I was thinking more about the CA Lemon Law. Im just really at a loss. I don't know what to do. I've fixed so much on this 2010 and the cat being shot before she even gets her first smog check as a mechanic just pisses me off. As her son I feel she's screwed due to mileage. I feel though CA resident aveo owners need to be aware cause they might be looking at a minimum of $1150 and up $2500 if over their mileage.

[06T200]

Yeah, pretty scary when you consider many newish trucks have 2 of them at over $1,100 a pop!! Ouch! and they all go bad at some point.

[06T200]

As a mechanic, you may want to trace down WHY the cat is/went bad. Did it have plug wire problems in the past? Coil problems? I know a misfire will melt a CAT in short order if left unchecked. Some will go over 300K with no problems. Good luck!

[HebrewLoc]

Actually its had catastrophic over heating problems twice I've replaced 2 radiator's a water pump the thermostat(aluminum piece with the thermostat inside) then the thermostat housing(black plastic part the aluminum part attaches to). I recently did a tune up and discovered oil in the sparkplug hole. The trans went out I didn't replace that cause I was busy replacing my own so a shop did that. A year ago I had to replace the coil pack cause it was faulty. Had a hair line crack in it. The a/c condenser & compressor went bad last summer. But I'm keen on doing preventative maintenance so oil changes, trany drain and refills, coolant flushes tune ups etc. I run Mobil 1 synthetic in all my vehicles and tecron in the gas tank. So its had issues left and right and now its this. This forum though has been a blessing for me th

[petrified.rabbit]

Most of those problems that you have dealt with sound like they are related to the overheating. What was the cause the overheating the first time? If you over heated twice, do you have any kind of coolant or oil consumption? Odds are one of those two things are what killed the cat, plus California cats are really expensive. Honestly, I'm not sure what answer you are looking for here. I think there is a wagner California approved cat for in the $600 range for the earlier car. What are the laws in California about used cats, the sonic and cruze 1.8 both should use the same, so you might be able to get one from a yard.

What codes do you have? if it wasn't for the smell you described, I think a lot of use have replace one or both of the o2 sensors. I have done both, either will cause drivability issues somewhat, but the cat was ok in my case.