P1281: Cat Efficiency Below Threshold (Bank I)
I recently bought a Dodge Durango from a private party and took it in for an emissions test in Califonia and it failed the functional test. Didn't know that having a check engine light is an immediate failure else I would not have spent the $45 for the test. The mechanic said that he would have to spend 3 hours to do more additional testing which would cost $90 to pinpoint the exact problem. He told me that without testing he could only assume that the cat and o2 sensors need replacing which would cost anywhere between $700 to $1000. I felt like I was being ripped off. So to sum it up again. The emissions report fault says "P1281 Cat Efficiency Below Threshold (Bank I). Mechanic is confident that replacing the cat and o2 sensors will fix the problem. But the P1281 error is for the thermostat, right? Maybe I need both the new thermostat AND cat/o2 replaced?
