My '96 SE at 86K miles had the check engine light go on. Dealer claims the front precat and maybe the back precat are bad and need to be replaced (including $135 for diagnostic hookup to determine the CE code). Total cost for both precats is ~$1500! Parts cost is around $650 for the front cat and $250 for the back cat. Seems pretty excessive to me.
Is this a common failure? Cost appropriate? Should I be concerned about the main cat - while everything is apart should I just replace that also? Have I heard correctly that precat replacement requires removing an axle? That makes me nervous, CV joints being what they are ...
Also, I've replaced brakes every 25K miles - pads AND rotors! Granted, I'm not easy on the brakes, and I live in steep hills, but that still seems like excessive wear to me. And no, I don't wait until it's metal-on-metal.
Unrelated, but since it seems to be a common failure: Water pump died at 70K, and replacement at 80K. Dealer now claims to have put in a new-style water pump, that Ford has determined that the old style ones had a high failure rate (duh).
I'd have to say that my 'tour has not exhibited the same reliability as my former cars (Toyota and Honda - the 'tour has had more minor failures which I haven't mentioned here) - but it's a lot more fun to drive!
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