Hey all, last October, my check engine light came on and I took my 06 to the dealer where they said the codes show all 4 O2 sensors have gone bad. I'm not a mechanic by any stretch of the imagination..but that seems highly unlikely for all four to go bad at the same time. Anyway, they wanted to replace all four. At the time, I had just gotten my emissions/tag renewal done the month before and honestly wasn't at all interested in dealing with the hassle at the time. This may be stupid, but other than maybe some decreased gas mileage, I didn't think it would hurt much to just wait.

Now it's mid August and I need to renew my tag/have emissions done again for September and now it's time to take care of whatever the issue may be. Before I go to the dealer and get ripped off/look at them like they're talking to me in another language, I'd like some opinions on what you think could possibly be going on. Any ideas or tips can help me.

Also, I don't know if this matters, but about a week before the car started throwing codes, I had to replace my old battery. I went ahead and disconnected the battery in hopes of resetting the CIL, and it did turn it off for about 3 days.


I'm right at 99K miles now as well (I feel like a parent...where has the time gone?), so I figured while I'm at the dealer this evening I might as well get the oil change I know the car is ready for. Any 100K mile maintenance work I need to get done? I know they're going to give me a list of things, some more necessary than others. What would you have done?

Thanks, y'all for any help you can give me. I hate to say it, but I'm such a typical woman when it comes to maintenance work...

 

1 probably went bad and they want to change all 4 to make more money. Your manual has a scheduled maintinence guide. They're ripping you off and it sounds like you know it. So why did you go back there?

 

i'd take it somewhere else, and see if they say all 4 are messed up.

 

My mother works there in the sales department, and I worked there as well in college. So it was the convenience factor + the employee discount that keeps me around. I guess since it's just so rampant for dealers to do things like that, I knew it was probably going to happen, yet hoped they wouldn't do it to their own damn employee.

If that is the case, obviously I will insist (once agian to them) that it can't possibly be all 4. But I don't know how far we're going to get if we're just going round and round with that conversation.

 

Yeah, I was thinking I'll go back to my dealer again today and see what we can come up with since it's been so long. And if they're saying the same thing then that's exactly what I'll do.

 

why not try to find a different dealer, or a different reputable independent garage?

 

Ask for the readout paper when the codes are read.

 

Get the codes read for free at your local auto parts store, source the sensor if required, get an estimate from several shops to install. Avoid stealerships whenever possible.

 

Z1 Motorsports in Carrolton is a good place
Balanced Performance Buford
Forged Marriatta
AutoZone - Everywhere

I even have a code reader..where you at in GA?

 

A lot of "techs" confuse reading codes and throwing parts at cars with diagnosing cars

 

Don't rule out an ECU issue. My 03 has had an SES light for the past three months, and kept throwing individual O2 sensor codes. I went ahead and replaced them because at 80k I figured it was preventative maintenance regardless. After replacing all O2 sensors, and even returning some, a good friend of mine who is my mechanic at the local Nissan dealer, kept wondering if it was the ECU. I was in luck, as the detail manager at the same dealer, another friend, has had a wrecked 03 in the back of the shop for multiple years. He gave me his ECU three days ago and boom, no more SES light! Free fix that worked, so I really can't complain.

 

They're insane if the thing is throwing codes for all four sensors all at once and they want to replace them all. At the least get it checked at Autozone and see what codes are actually there. Buying 4 O2 sensors for that is a complete waste of money.

It could definitely be an ECU issue, however the FSM shows a single 15A fuse that powers all four sensors. I'd check that first. It could be a loose ground or shorted wire as well. The most expensive problem parts wise is going to be an ECU replacement. Otherwise, you might have to pay a tech all day to chase down a loose or shorted wire.