Okay, so here's the story. I had a check engine light for about a week. I've been really busy at work and stuff like that so I didn't have time to get it checked out. At first there weren't any problems, just the light. Then anything over half throttle would result in sputtering for lack of a better word. Idle was a little strange as well. I was going to have it looked at after Christmas. Well, Christmas eve it got worse. NO power, smell of gas, very rough idle... I knew there was an open recall on the O2 sensor, so I thought maybe that might have something to do with it. I took the car in yesterday and they call me at work with the news. It needs a coil pack and spark plug wires. Turns out the end of the wires were corroded and it was only running on 2 cylinders. That would explain the lack of power and the smell of gas. He gives me the total.... $402.86 The coil pack is 160.67 and the wires are 37.70. 180+ bucks in labor. Uhm....no.
So my questions are, if any of you have read this far...
What would have caused this in the first place? Normal wear and tear? Are there any of these parts I can get cheaper? How hard would this be to do myself? Anyone had any experience with this kind of repair? They are going to go ahead and replace the O2 sensor for free due to the recall. Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks.
So my questions are, if any of you have read this far...