Took the plunge

[Lead Farmer]

Found a 2011 one owner with 83k miles that was $2k cheaper than the 2012 with 97k miles we were looking at plus the 2011 had 22" wheels vs the 2012 having 20" wheels. Both trucks were in perfect shape. Hopefully it will be a good one but we bought a warranty just in case. The timing chain recall was performed but I couldn't find any record of the cats being replaced so I hope those wait at least a little while. I'm sure I'll be asking questions here and there as I learn about the truck but so far the wife is pleased. These things are just attractive and comfortable vehicles.

EDIT: Sorry about the size. Looking for a new image host and having difficulty.

 

[TallahasseeQX]

Very nice!!

Good luck w/those CATS though! I hope you have better luck than me.

I bought a 2011 w/81,000 miles on it in January 2017. I love the truck, but the Bank 2 Cat went immediately (the dealer I bought it from gave me $1,000 toward replacing it b/c it happened so quickly) and at 89,000 miles just last week, Bank 1 Cat threw a code. So it's time to replace that one now.

 

[PetitFrereArmada]

Found a 2011 one owner with 83k miles that was $2k cheaper than the 2012 with 97k miles we were looking at plus the 2011 had 22" wheels vs the 2012 having 20" wheels. Both trucks were in perfect shape. Hopefully it will be a good one but we bought a warranty just in case. The timing chain recall was performed but I couldn't find any record of the cats being replaced so I hope those wait at least a little while. I'm sure I'll be asking questions here and there as I learn about the truck but so far the wife is pleased. These things are just attractive and comfortable vehicles.

Congrats on your purchase and welcome to the forum. That is a nice looking truck. Good thing you bought extended warranty since when this car breaks down, the bill is not even funny. But that is expected since this is a luxurious car.

As for the cats, I will say that I am sure some people are lucky and their cats never go out. Hopefully yours stays good to you, never goes out and serves you for a long time to come.

Enjoy your truck.

Very nice!!

Good luck w/those CATS though! I hope you have better luck than me.

I bought a 2011 w/81,000 miles on it in January 2017. I love the truck, but the Bank 2 Cat went immediately (the dealer I bought it from gave me $1,000 toward replacing it b/c it happened so quickly) and at 89,000 miles just last week, Bank 1 Cat threw a code. So it's time to replace that one now.

It seems we all bought our QX used at about same mileage. I bought my 2012 used in January 2016 with 79,000 miles on it. I am very surprised to see your cat 2 went out first before cat 1. Most often, I see cat 1 goes out before cat 2.

Based on the trend I have seen so far, it seems if one cat fails, one may as well go ahead and replace both because the other one will be getting bad soon. My cat 1 went out and my cat 2 went out 10,000 miles later.

The price at which we pay for one of the OEM cats, we can use the same amount of money to buy both aftermarket cats.

When my first cat failed, I was going to buy both cats from aftermarket manufacturer, but because someone here said they did not have a good experience, I just went on with OEM and it was pricey.

But I see on ebay that the sellers selling aftermarket cats for our car have A TON of sales. So it means many people are buying the aftermarket cats and it may just be working right. Wish someone who is using the aftermarket could chime in.

But if anybody has a cat go bad, if you do not mind the aftermarket, it is a great idea to go ahead and buy both aftermarket cats at the cost of one oem cat. So you can go ahead and replace both. Cost of labor too will be cheaper than cost of replacing one at a time.

 

[Lead Farmer]

Congrats on your purchase and welcome to the forum. That is a nice looking truck. Good thing you bought extended warranty since when this car breaks down, the bill is not even funny. But that is expected since this is a luxurious car.

As for the cats, I will say that I am sure some people are lucky and their cats never go out. Hopefully yours stays good to you, never goes out and serves you for a long time to come.

Enjoy your truck.



It seems we all bought our QX used at about same mileage. I bought my 2012 used in January 2016 with 79,000 miles on it. I am very surprised to see your cat 2 went out first before cat 1. Most often, I see cat 1 goes out before cat 2.

Based on the trend I have seen so far, it seems if one cat fails, one may as well go ahead and replace both because the other one will be getting bad soon. My cat 1 went out and my cat 2 went out 10,000 miles later.

The price at which we pay for one of the OEM cats, we can use the same amount of money to buy both aftermarket cats.

When my first cat failed, I was going to buy both cats from aftermarket manufacturer, but because someone here said they did not have a good experience, I just went on with OEM and it was pricey.

But I see on ebay that the sellers selling aftermarket cats for our car have A TON of sales. So it means many people are buying the aftermarket cats and it may just be working right. Wish someone who is using the aftermarket could chime in.

But if anybody has a cat go bad, if you do not mind the aftermarket, it is a great idea to go ahead and buy both aftermarket cats at the cost of one oem cat. So you can go ahead and replace both. Cost of labor too will be cheaper than cost of replacing one at a time.

Honestly, how hard could it be to replace the exhaust manifold? Should be able to just take off the wheel and wheel liner and I'd think it would be pretty straight forward. Especially on the right side. I could see how the left side could be a pain with the steering and 4wd systems. But I guess you'd still need a ECM flash but if that's just to clear the light, I've got an OBD reader that can clear codes.

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[cbkqx56]

my mechanic, who's an honest guy, told me (1) replacing the cats was a bitch and a half, and (2) he'd never go anything other than OEM because of fitment issues (and he doesn't make extra money on OEM).

 

[marctronixx]

there are videos online showing what needs to come off on the armadas. that should give you an idea on how the process is.

 

[PetitFrereArmada]

Honestly, how hard could it be to replace the exhaust manifold? Should be able to just take off the wheel and wheel liner and I'd think it would be pretty straight forward. Especially on the right side. I could see how the left side could be a pain with the steering and 4wd systems. But I guess you'd still need a ECM flash but if that's just to clear the light, I've got an OBD reader that can clear codes.

Unfortunately changing the cats on this car, especially the 4wd is hard to do. I second what cbkqx56 said. My mechanic also had a tough time changing my bank 1 cat. Also before I bought my OEM cats, my mechanic was telling me aftermarket may not last on this car as long as OEM would last. He suggested I get OEM if I wanted peace of mind.

As for the ECM flash, doing it with the OBD reader is perfectly correct. What I am doing by disconnecting both battery terminals and leaving the car like that for days will clear all memory that the ECM has saved about the car's driving habits. It is like a master reset. That is why you lose saved radio stations and your window does not roll up automatically again and you have to program everything again.

I have found that if you want to do this, you can achieve it by disconnecting both batteries over night. Like 6 hours will be ok. Though I have read taht the ideal time should be 24 hours. But for me, I am leaving it disconnected for up to a week because I do not need to drive the car any time soon. I am using my Maxima. So the QX is just sitting with both battery terminals off.

I just know for a fact that each time I have done this, the car feels refreshed and peppier until it learns the new driving style and adjusts itself to what it considers normal.

my mechanic, who's an honest guy, told me (1) replacing the cats was a bitch and a half, and (2) he'd never go anything other than OEM because of fitment issues (and he doesn't make extra money on OEM).

No kidding. You are right. My mechanic basically told me the same things.

 

[TallahasseeQX]

Well...I'm a cheapskate and went with aftermarket CAT when Bank 2 went out at 81,000 miles. The whole job (including AF Sensor replacement) cost me $1350. I'll guess I'll be this forum's guinea pig b/c I'm going to go aftermarket for the Bank 1 CAT next when I replace that as well now that's it's ready.

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[PetitFrereArmada]

Well...I'm a cheapskate and went with aftermarket CAT when Bank 2 went out at 81,000 miles. The whole job (including AF Sensor replacement) cost me $1350. I'll guess I'll be this forum's guinea pig b/c I'm going to go aftermarket for the Bank 1 CAT next when I replace that as well now that's it's ready.

Oh wow. Everything cost you $1,350 for after market cat? I spent about the same for oem. I wish you would have gone with oem since I spent about same like you and got oem. I was expecting to see less than that if you went with aftermarket cat.

This is what I bought and prices of everything to the best of my memory...

OEM cat 1 $650 (after I got my core charge back)
AF sensor $100
2 oem gaskets for the cat $35
All nuts and bolts $25
Cost of labor $500
So my own total with OWN and buying AT sensor, gaskets and all bolts and nuts cost me $1,300.

Did your total cost of $1,350 include new gaskets and new studs and bolts?

I have a picture here of all I bought. I can find the picture and post here. So basically it seems I spent less using oem cat with oem gaskets and all brand new bolts and nuts. I wonder what happened that yours may have cost you more than me buying oem.