The Check Engine light in my car is on. After scanning the error code, AutoZone told me I had a bad oxygen sensor, which monitors the exhaust and tweaks the fuel-air mixture to make the engine burn fuel more efficiently. According to the Internet, the part should be $50-70, but I didn’t know how to install it. So I called a local Christian auto repair shop. Since they made a big deal out of being Christian, I hoped they would be honest with me. When I called for an estimate, they recommended an $86 diagnostic inspection (just in case the 10-year-old sensor hadn’t really failed). Then they told me the part cost about $240, and the labor would be $70-100. So in total, they wanted to charge me about $450 to install a part I could get for $50. I decided not to give them my business. Instead, I went back to AutoZone, bought the part for $50, and installed it myself, thanks to the Internet, prayer, and PB Blaster corrosion dissolver. It’s fun to stick it to the man. =) Unfortunately, the light is still on, but the AutoZone guy said it might take 300 miles of driving for the computer to realize that a new sensor is in place. Stay tuned… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Check Engine light in my car is on. After scanning the error code, AutoZone told me I had a bad oxygen sensor, which monitors the exhaust and tweaks the fuel-air mixture to make the engine burn fuel more efficiently. … Continue reading