[daepp]

Anyone else been frustrated by trying to keep the CEL out?

My 17 year old daughter drive my old car. A 2001 MB SUV with a small V8. I put nearly 200K miles on it before passing it down to her.

The first time the CEL came on was due to a worn out Mass Air Flow sensor. The dealer wanted nearly $700 to fix it, but by using another forum I was able to find the OEM Bosch part for $105, bought a special $5 socket, and the problem was solved on the cheap!!!

However, a few months later, the CEL came on again indicating a bad cat. CA law requires that you buy OEM, so this cost me $725 installed (and there remains one more that can go bad!!!)

Last week it was a bad EGR valve. I could have done this one, but it was a busy week. Labor was only around $100, but parts totaled $160.

My biggest beef is that there is no margin or slippage built into this OBD system for high mileage car. How can they expect a 200K+ mile engine to perform like new for its entire life???