My lovely 1.3 Felicia Pacific Saloon has lost it bite, I suspected the exhaust and have just had it checked.

The catalytic converter has gone, it rattles. It has been recommended that the whole system and the Lambda sensor should be replaced as replacing just the cat is not removing the cause of the problem, I have been quoted £315, for a full exhaust and a Lambda sensor.

As I have been raised to question everything I would like to know if anyone thinks this is unreasonable, the service history of the car is not known to me but it has done 53k.

Does anyone have any advice please as I would love to keep her on the road, oh and the MOT is due in the next couple of weeks too.

Thanks and keep up the kudos!

Cats can give up at any time, and to be honest that doesn't sound too bad a quote for the system, esp as cats are bloody expensive.

Exactly what, other than a broken up cat (and I presume high emissions) do they think the problem actually is?

The price is reasonable, but I can't help feeling that their reasoning is MBF.

MOT it first, see what the emissions are - do you have actual emissions test data to go on? If so, let's see it.

"lost its bite" sunds very vague, and I've had fels with gone cats which have run perfectly well, just failed the emissions (and indeed the converse, gutless one which passed without issue). Seems a lot of money to me.

It could need the valve clearances doing, a common 1.3 thing. That could explain the gutlessness

Thanks for the replies, but I get away with relacing just the cat, also is it likely to pass the emissions test as I would like to keep costs to a minimum.

:think:

Do you have a CURRENT emissions test result? i.e. the evidence the garage have for the cat having failed?

I took the car for a quote and when you thump the cat it sounds like its full of gravel, the mechanic showed me.

My mot is due in a couple of weeks time, do you think it will pass without fitting a new cat?.

No idea. I've had some rattle that have passed. If it's gutles it could be many things including the collapsed cat internals partly blocking the exhaust. However, removing it to check isn't a difficult job, it's 5 bolts and then it can be seen instantly. If the MOT is due in a couple of weeks, get it done ASAP anyway, if it passes you'll have extra weeks on the ticket, if not then you still have a couple of weeks to sort it while driving it legally.

MOT next Wednesday, fingers crossed and thanks for the replies :yes:

Get a pre MOT check done. Most garages will do one. I got one for a Fiesta I used to have. Saves you getting a fail on something like emissions, because the MOT tester might go uber thorough on it.

Get a pre MOT check done. Most garages will do one. I got one for a Fiesta I used to have. Saves you getting a fail on something like emissions, because the MOT tester might go uber thorough on it.