Check engine light came on.. Catalytic converter

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I have a 2014 Q80... with check engine light.... computer indicating both cats need replacing... waiting to see what dealership finds, although she said no recalls or service bulletins..... Clearly infiniti continues to have problems with their fuel/ emissions systems on their SUV's.

dastro said:
Cat Converter Info

Hi,

I thought I would share some info that could possibly help other owners. After getting a check engine light, my mechanic said the codes were for the catalytic converter on the passenger side. He said to take it to Infiniti to see if they would replace it FOC.

Prior to taking it, a little research showed that this was a common issue, but a recall wasn't issued. After diagnostics, they confirmed that was the issue. After a call to Infiniti, the dealer said it was covered under warranty (but at 78K miles, the warranty for the cat converters had expired). I didn't ask and was thankful for the free repair.

Just an FYI to all, don't pay $2500 for this fix!! During a call to the dealer for another issue, I asked about the repair and the tech said it was an "un-official" recall...
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what YEAR & MODEL?
 
apm1970 said:
I have a 2014 Q80... with check engine light.... computer indicating both cats need replacing... waiting to see what dealership finds, although she said no recalls or service bulletins..... Clearly infiniti continues to have problems with their fuel/ emissions systems on their SUV's.
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What DTCs are showing up on their computer? I hope they told you exactly what the DTCs are because that would be a very vague answer to just say the “cats need replacing.”
Catalytic converters don’t just fail on there own. It would take an engine running very lean or very rich to damage the catalytic converters. Even then, there would be a specific reason(s) why the engine would be running in such poor conditions.
 
primov8 said:
What DTCs are showing up on their computer? I hope they told you exactly what the DTCs are because that would be a very vague answer to just say the “cats need replacing.”
Catalytic converters don’t just fail on there own. It would take an engine running very lean or very rich to damage the catalytic converters. Even then, there would be a specific reason(s) why the engine would be running in such poor conditions.
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thanks... original codes were from oil change place... awaiting dealerships report... but service agent reported " we see a fair number of catalytic converters"
 
I am dealing with this same issue... 2012 qx56, SES light came on, took it in and they said its drivers side cat.

Can anyone please help me by explaining this, If the driver side cat with the manifold went out (bank 1) where is the other cat? Directly the opposite side or is it under the car towards the middle like all other normal cars? By the way my warranty for cats just expired in oct 2019 at 85k and I have 87k. Thankfully consumer affairs regional manager worked with me and they covered parts, but I have to cover labor which is still 1150. Im super scared now that the other cat is going to go out. I did not drive with the SES light on for more then 3 miles, took it straight to dealer.
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My 2011 QX56 had the same issue late last year and early this year. After talking to Infiniti USA consumer affairs, I brought the car in at around 73K and they agreed to fixed it for free. This is on Bank 1 only. Last month, Bank 2 light came on and I was worried that Infiniti won't fix it, lo and behold, they fixed it as well. I didn't even have to call the consumer affairs. I did regular service with this dealer in Houston so that might help too.
 
2012 with 100k and I just had the cat replaced. I had there extended warranty so it was covered. Hoping the other side goes before my warranty is up.
 
pjdavep said:
I'll chime in with my recent issues.

I have a 2011 QX56, with 84,5xx miles. I have used premium fuel for every fill-up (sometimes 87 on long roadtrips) and I've changed the oil every 3500-4500 miles. The Service Engine light came on about 500 miles ago and I had my local trusted mechanic read the code and reset it. It was code P0420, which I googled and thankfully found a bunch of info on this forum. I was hoping the code was thrown because my wife didn't tighten the gas cap enough when she filled up, but unfortunately that wasn't it. A few days later the SES indicator lit up again.

So I took it to my local Infiniti dealer (Atlantic in JAX, FL). The service adviser seemed very familiar with the issue. She said since I was out of warranty, they couldn't do anything but provide a quote, but she suggested I call Infiniti Consumer Affairs to see if they could help out. I was expecting an estimate of over $3k, but they did me one better - over $4k plus tax! *UGH* This was for both converters.

I got home and put a call into Infiniti Consumer Affairs. They took my information and promised a callback by end of next day. Next day arrives and I get a call from the regional manager. She proceeds to read the cookie cutter response of "I'm sorry, but we cannot be of assistance, as the parameters of your warranty have expired". I made it clear that I wasn't happy, but I was expecting that response from all the google results with people having the same issue.

The rest of the afternoon was spent making phone calls. Jacksonville recently got a second Infiniti dealership (Orange Park), so I called them to get a quote. Turns out the old service manager runs this place and he was very helpful with information and a quote. His quote was roughly $3250 - WAY less than the other dealer. He was miffed how the other dealer came up with that high of number, but I didn't get the parts/labor breakdown from the dealer. Then I called a longstanding muffler shop here in town (Muffler City), and they said they've started to see a lot of these and did two QX56 catalytic converter swaps last week. For $1,250, they'll weld the catalytic converters off the existing manifolds and reinstall new ones with a 5yr/50K warranty. So I guess that saves big on the labor of having to breakdown the engine bay to replace the entire manifold.

I'm not sure what I'm going to do, but I'm leaning towards the cheaper welded option. Any dealer work from here on out will be going to Orange Park Infiniti though - just based on the information I gleaned today!

Later,
pjdavep
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What did you end up doing?
 
fsjr1974 said:
What did you end up doing?
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The weld option -
infinitiforum.net

Catalytic Converter Cut and Weld

Has anyone had an old CAT cut out and a new one welded in? My lcoal muffler shop said it is possible and they use better CATS for $600 total vs $2000 for a new CAT at the dealer.
infinitiforum.net infinitiforum.net

I'm at 167K miles and it's still running great.
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So I recently (within a few weeks) purchased a used 2013 QX56 with 112K on the odometer. Like the vehicle very much, but within 400 miles of new ownership I received the Service Engine Light. I bought the extended warranty for it, but of course it doesn't cover catalytic converters. I took it back to the small lot I got it from and the dealer/owner suggested tricking the sensor and basically disabling the message. I wasn't impressed and don't plan on doing that. So, I took it to my long time mechanic who said, yup, bad cat. $2300 to replace with aftermarket or can do parts from the Infiniti dealer plus his labor would be over 4K. The code was the dreaded P0420, and from what he said, he has to dismantle the A/C to get at the particular cat converter.

From what I've read, this usually means the other catalytic converter isn't far behind. My question is... Is this always the case? And if so, does it make sense to just take the very sour pill and replace both at once?

Thanks for any advice,

- Greg
 
side topic - thats why i dont have much faith in extended warranties most o the time the big ticket items wont be covered.

did the car have the timing recall done to it?

yes id say replace both cats.
 
I'm not sure on the timing chain. Other than a CarFax/Experian Autocheck report I have no further info on the truck. All I can say on that topic is that everything else appears to be fine and drives as it should. Engine has plenty of pep.

I agree on the warranty. It's the 1st time I've ever purchased one. Generally I think they are a waste of money, but for some reason on this purchase I figured it wasn't a bad idea. Hopefully not an omen.
 
@gpschmidt, did you ask your mechanic how exactly did he confirm it really is a bad catalytic converter? There are specific diagnostic procedures to rule out a failing/failed catalytic converter. Checking everything from exhaust leaks, O2 voltage, fuel trims, the fuel system (which requires removing the intake manifold just to have access to the injectors) needs to be diagnosed.
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No, I did not ask them specifically what process they went through. Probably a question I should have/can ask. At this point I haven't had the work done. I just bought the thing, so I have to replenish my reserves a bit to fork over the $2300.

A blind guess, but I'm thinking this might have been the reason the previous owner parted with the car.
 
On the Infiniti site it lists No Open Recalls on my VIN.

If I look up all recalls for the QX56 in my year, it lists an airbag issue and a fuel leak if certain bolts aren't tightened down enough. Nothing about timing chains or Catalytic converters.
 
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@gpschmist - is it an AWD model? If not, I had a local muffler shop weld off/on new cats for just under $1K. I bought new sensors from Amazon that they installed afterwards. Apparently this weld job is *way* tougher on the AWD models.
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I replaced my drivers side cat/manifold about three years ago when I bought my 2006 used. I had to remove the motor mount and broke 3 out of four of the bolts off in motor block(aluminum) took me six hours of welding nuts on what was left to get them out. That was the hardest part of the job for me. I had it on my lift so at least I wasn't on my back. I would spray them weeks in advance. I still have the passenger one in the box.
 
Why isn't there a recall on the CATALYTIC CONVERTERS??? There are so many complaints about these and they aren't cheap to fix. I plan on contacting Infiniti Consumer Affairs but I'm not expecting that they will do anything.
This is a high end vehicle and should not require expensive repairs like this. So frustrating.
 
It is frustrating when a manufacturer doesn't stand behind their product. I'm glad I didn't buy mine new, or I'd be fit to be tied. $2200 later, my Cat is replaced. I'm holding my breath on the left side not crapping out. Not to mention the timing chain remaining quiet......
 
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