Acura MDX Check Engine Light - Finally Fixed?

So my last 2 posts have been about the check engine light on my 2007 Acura MDX. I don't know why, but I assumed that every time the light came on, it was for the same issue. It wasn't until I looked at the Information Center / Messages portion of my car's computer, that I realized my car was suffering from various codes. The oldest one on here (P0420) dates back to April 2, 2014. The last time I took it into Acura of Bellevue was in February 2014.

I figured I better have the lights looked at. I've read that the catalytic converter has had issues, and if so, it should be covered under an extended warranty. A friend of mine who was a long time mechanic at Acura of Bellevue confirmed this.

The thing I hate about Acura of Bellevue is that the fee just to have your car looked at is close to $150 after taxes (They call it a diagnostic fee and charge $129 + tax). On Acura forums, I've read that the fee is closer to $50 in other states. So I avoid taking it in at all costs and prefer to do the work myself.

Anyway, I figured, if I get a new catalytic converter out of this, $150 is well worth it.

Of course, that wasn't the issue. After about 5 hours in the shop on a Saturday, I got a call saying that one of the Oxygen Sensors failed. I had a hard time believing that the O2 sensor is going to cause ALL those check engine codes to go off, but the service tech assured me that was the issue. He said none of the codes were related to the catalytic converter.

Already, in my mind, I was thinking, "This sucks, I could buy an O2 sensor for anywhere between $50 and $175 and do all the work myself. But then I'll still have to pay the diagnostic fee."

I asked what they're going to charge to do the work... $513. Ouch. It was just under $300 for the part, the rest for labor and tax. But I decided to just have it taken care of and they finished it in under an hour. If I bought an Acura/Honda part elsewhere and paid for the diagnostic fee, I would already have spent well over $300. And this way, if another check engine light comes on anytime soon, I can try to have them look at it without paying another fee.

That was 11/15, and 2 weeks later, things are just fine. I've been used to driving with a check engine light on at all times, so I'm glad it's been almost 2 weeks without any issues.

Follow Up to Previous Post - Acura MDX Check Engine Light

About 6 months ago, I posted about the Check Engine Light / Check Emission System / SH-AWD errors on my 2007 MDX. Unfortunately, the lights have all sporadically come back over the past month, even though I have made it a habit of tightening the gas cap one full turn (at least 5 clicks).

The car now has 68K miles, about 6,000 more than the last time I wrote.

The lights seem to go on and off at random but I can't find any consistent pattern, except that the Emission System light seems to turn on after I go to Costco for gas (something I rarely do these days, only twice in the past 6 months), and my MDX really dislikes STP Fuel Injector Cleaner. After using a bottle in August, I noticed the transmission would jerk when shifting gears. The same thing happened in April and back then, I couldn't figure out why.

It's frustrating to own a car that seems so nitpicky about gas caps, gas quality and so on. I've gone back to driving my 1994 Ford Ranger as my daily driver and mainly use the MDX on weekends if I'm going somewhere with the family.

I will post again with updates.

Other things of note: My MDX has averaged 17.6 MPG during the time I've owned it (close to 10 months). I did an oil change myself at 66K miles in July. No other parts have been replaced yet.

2007 Acura MDX check engine light

Just wanted to share, in case others have the same issue with the 2007 Acura MDX SUV. At 62K miles, the Check Engine light came on with a note that said Check Emission System - Error P0420. I read several websites about this and it appeared to be related to O2 (oxygen) sensors, the catalytic converter, or simply not tightening the gas cap enough. I noticed that the previous 5 fuel fillups had been at either Safeway or Costco. Actually, the check engine light came on about 30 minutes after filling up at Costco on a road trip up to Vancouver, BC. So my first two thoughts were, maybe I didn't tighten the gas cap enough and maybe my vehicle dislikes Costco gas. But as I drove longer, the light eventually turned off (during the same road trip). Maybe the car warmed up, who knows. Unfortunately, after letting the car sit for a few days, the light came on again the next time I drove it. And it remained on for the next 10 days or so. The next chance I had, I fueled up at Chevron and tightened the gas cap many clicks past what I normally do. The light seemed to go off almost right away. So either my car loves Chevron or it really was the gas cap. It has remained off for the past 2 weeks, even after letting the car sit a few days. My goal was to avoid taking it into the dealership and to wait it out. The last time a check engine light came on (for the 4WD system), I was told that all they did was clear the codes and that it looked like nothing was wrong. I was still charged a $120 diagnostic fee. So anyway, hope this helps someone out there. 62K miles seems really soon to be replacing the catalytic converter, so I was hoping it was a much simpler, cheaper solution.

4G coverage for Virgin Mobile USA

So I've been with Virgin Mobile USA for a few years now, preferring prepaid monthly service and full priced phones. I recently upgraded to a phone with 4G / LTE capabilities. Virgin is still rolling out 4G coverage in the state of Washington (Bremerton and Tacoma are currently covered, Seattle and Bellevue are currently not). But with that said, there are pockets of areas in Issaquah and Bellevue where my phone registers a 4G / LTE connection. I wonder if this is happening to anyone else. Often times, I'll have coverage when standing at my front door, and will lose it when I move from that spot. Anyway, it's still worth the wait for me since I'm saving so much money. In 2013, I only spent $455 on cell phone service, and the phone I've been using for almost 2 years just sold on eBay for $220. The amount I spend in 2014 is already set to double, since I bought a new phone, but that still PALES in comparison to the $2,300+ I spent on T-Mobile in 2010 for 2 lines (and that does not include the phones I bought that year).