i purchased my car used 4 years ago. it was my first non-hand-me-down car. so i was trying to find ways to improve performance and gas milage, etc... the one thing i did was to install a high performance ignition coil and high performance spark plugs. the car has been running fine since. past nys inspection et al.
thursday i took my car for repairs at my local mechanic whom i've used for years. he needed to replace the header bearings that were going and making noise. in the process of diagnosing that problem they discovered a "pinging" and said my timing belt needed to to be replaced, so i said ok for $200. after they did that they said the pinging is still there because of this ignition coil. he said it's not the right one and it's causing the "timing to advance". it's my understanding that all the coil does is build up the charge and provide electricity for the spark. and it's been working and passing inspection for 4 years. its not like its firing out of sync and discarding un-spent fuel, otherwise the inspection should have picked that up, right? the other thing is they want to charge me another $200 for the stock part an labor, which, to me, seems a bit high when the part costs ~$40 and it should take a half hour to hour to replace.
can someone clarify this situation for me?

-ty mike

 

also, i was under the imperssion that the engine in my car is a mitsubishi engine.

 

Let us know what you have (coupe/sedan, trim level, engine size) and we'll be able to tell you for sure if your engine is mitsubishi or dodge.

It sounds to me like your mechanic is looking to throw parts at a problem he does not fully understand. If he's looking at specs for a sedan, and you've got a coupe, that's a HUGE problem, as they are not even remotely the same car...

Depending on your mileage, he may have needlessly changed the timing belt too...