Due to the mad rush of my holiday and getting my car ready in time last Friday I had to get a new back box. Took it to a fastfit they tell me I needed a complete catback consisting of a new mid box, new back box and new rubbers and mountings. The new box seems very very secure (I've had bad experience with this from other fast fit places with my dads cars). The infamous rear knocking noise caused by back box hitting the rear chasis is also cured however it still sounds like there is a little blow. I have done the back box preasure test and as far as I can tell its not leaking any where so I suspect its the silencer itself which is cheap and substandard. I am very happy with the work I am not so happy with the part so do I just put up with a noisy silencer or go back? I am not sure what the rules are as I am not desputing quality of the workmanship. Just a bit worried this could fail an MOT although it would still be under warranty if that was the case.
My original silencer was a Bossil with GM logo stamped on it and a 2003 date so I am guessing it may just be cheap copy which is not quite to GM standards and for £105 I didn't expect any more, just wish it wasn't so damn noisy!
Just wondered what peoples opinions are and if it is worth asking the fastfit centre to have another look or just live with it.
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Exhausts can take a while to quieten down - they soot-up on the inside and the glass-fibre packing often settles a bit - may take a few months.
No harm in having the fast-fit guys have another look at their workmanship, but don't be shocked if they notice some brakes/tyres that 'need attention' ;-)
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Thanks will see how it goes then. They actually did a report on my car while they were waiting for the rubbers to arrive. It read like this:--
Shocks visual check - good
Other suspension - good
Brakes visual - good
Tyres 6.5mm, 6.5mm, 6.5mm, 3mm
Exhaust N/A (as this was the job they were doing).
So they did seem honest :).
They say the report is a safety thing they have to do but really its just a sales thing but they in this case all safety defects had been fixed as I maintain my cars very well.
Edited by Rattle on 11/07/2009 at 02:03
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Tyres 6.5mm 6.5mm 6.5mm 3mm
WOOO
theres a 360 degree aquaplane induced spin in heavy rain at anything over 50mph waiting to happen.
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Because of the odd old tyre? That was a result of a tyre having a nail in it and it was down to 3mm so it didn't seem worth fixing so just replaced it, I could not afford to replace the second one. The back ones are both matching brands (Barum) the fronts are Cooper and an old Arrowfield which I will get replaced at some point probably with a matching Cooper.
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Pattern part replacement exhausts are invariably noisier than the car manufacturer's original. In a lot of cases they're downright antisocial. I always have genuine replacements fitted. They fit better, they're often not that much more expensive than pattern parts, and they generally last longer. Pattern part exhausts are a false economy.
Edited by L'escargot on 11/07/2009 at 08:44
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>>often not that much more expensive than pattern parts
I haven't really found that he case with exhaust or other parts, I tend to find main dealers at least 50% more expensive. On my old Audi 80 a replacement rear silencer was nearly £130 at a dealers when I checked. GSF stocked a Bosal part at £59 and had no problem mating it up, who cares if they only last 3-4 years. I do agree that the original systems are very good quality but on a second hand 10 year old car not very cost effective.
Edited by TimOrridge on 11/07/2009 at 23:43
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I imagine there must be a standard (thought it was illegal to fit a louder than standard exhaust but I must have imagined this). I have never found an exhaust for the wife,s car that is anywhere near as quiet as the original system (saxo). Tried the waiting till it quietened down (but it never has) routine. Its now on its 3rd system (all well known respected brands). I tolerate it because it is only a shopping trolley (my back can't stand more than 10 mins at a time).
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I bought a 'eberspacher' rear silencer/tail pipe for my no longer owned diesel MB.
Seemed very good quality and after about 2 years showed no rust spots at all, however it gave an unpleasant rasping note to the exhaust which sounded very sweet before...not helped by my too late discovery that the genuine MB part was only about 10% more expensive anyway.
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rasping note to the exhaust
Rasping is nice, esp on a 6 cylinder motor.
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Rasping is nice esp on a 6 cylinder motor.
Not in comparison to the original sound TO which if you imagine or possibly remember the lovely deep hollow exhaust note from the MGB but with a 6 cyl diesel auto for smooooooth...;)
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Sorry just a bit toooooo far back for me you know............... with not being born then!
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i thought i was the only person alive who remembers the original MGB exhaust note! Do you know if anyone still makes the original pattern?
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Rasping is nice esp on a 6 cylinder motor.
Not for pedestrians and local residents.
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I think Bosal make a lot of the originals anyway. I would have had a proper one fitted if I had the time but time was at a premium only had a an hour to get it all sorted and VX would have probably wanted at least £300 for the complete thing.
They wanted £250 just for the MAF which I got exactly the same Bosch one for £86.
Its not that loud its just at idle you can hear the back box rumbeling a bit. I don't think its leaking because if I put a piece of paper at the end of my exhaust the preasure just blows it away.
One thing I will say in favour of the fast fit centre when they discovered it also needed new rubbers they had to order the part in. An hour later (this is what caused the mad panic) a Uniparts van arrived they dropped off the rubbers but the fast fit said they would not charge me extra for this.
Paid £105 for a back box, mid box, all new mounting brackets and a new rubber gasket which holds the back box in place with the mid box. Also since they fitted this the knocking noise from my back has now gone (always suspected it was the back box).
Edited by Rattle on 11/07/2009 at 23:46
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I stopped buying the patttern ones for our cars years ago - they're invariably noiser and altogther lower quality than the original.
Many manufacturers have their own fast-fit type service bays and they're there or thereabouts the same price and you get the proper part.
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Erm I know Ford wanted just over £100 for a back box for my dads Fiesta which would have been a Bossal I think Kwikfit did it for £60 but since found out the place I took mine to would have done it for £38. We went to Kwikfit for my dads, a year later its still fine not blowing or rusting and given the car is probably facing its last ever MOT in August I am not sure it was worth shelling out for the original. If was a newer car though no doubt we would have got an original fitted.
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IIRC an earlier posting on this forum claimed modern exhausts have the packing in plastic bags. The bags disintegrate, leaving the packing to fill the space, thus accounting for the 'harshness' of a newly fitted exhaust.
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IIRC an earlier posting on this forum claimed modern exhausts have the packing in plastic bags. The bags disintegrate leaving the packing to fill the space thus accounting for the 'harshness' of a newly fitted exhaust.
Never heard this before, but if true then a good trash in third to get the exhaust nice and hot might do the trick.
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A small adjustment to the radio volume control might help :-)
Most of the (old) cars I had back in the 80s seemed to need exhaust replacement at regular intervals, but more recent ones have survived better.
A 1989 Jaguar XJ40 - stolen and trashed with 165k on the clock
Current Volvo S80 - 156k and still going strong,
both on their original exhaust systems....
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It depends how you use the car. If you do lots of short journeys there will be a lot of water left in the silencer from condensation. This rots the exhaust internally. If you do a lot of long journeys there is no reason why the exhaust shouldn't last years.
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I haven't needed an exhaust for about 8 years now touch wood, due to stainless ones being fitted by previous owner and from the factory on my current car. However, I decided I would never buy a pattern exhaust again, they are usually rubbish in every way. Many of the pattern parts are also designed to reduce catalogue inventory and so are designed to fit several applications by being the average of several applications.
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even worse is you obtain a pattern back box to fit a pattern middle box and they dont go together
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It depends how you use the car. ............
I understand that the rate of corrosion depends to an extent on the metal temperature and that there's a critical temperature at which corrosion occurs the fastest. Usually the most vulnerable part is somewhere near the back box. Upstream of that point the metal is too hot and downsteam it's too cool. I had an Escort where the critical temperature must have been right at the outlet end of the tailpipe, because bits used to drop off the end of the tailpipe leaving a jagged end.
Any metallurgists in the Backroom?
Edited by L'escargot on 12/07/2009 at 16:39
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I shall keep the receipt in the car in case plod mentions it. Its not that loud anyway certainly not boy racer loud was just the original was so quiet while it worked.
My dad had a Punto 1.1 (FIRE) once and I've always suspected the HG was slowly dying and we would get through about 2 back boxes a year on that!
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If you do lots of short journeys there will be a lot of water left in the silencer from condensation. This rots the exhaust internally
If you are worried about this you should drive a diesel. Consumption on short runs is much better than a petrol engine, and the soot prevents the internal rot you describe.
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If you are worried about this you should drive a diesel. >>
unless you buy a diesel with a dpf, in which case you will have all sorts of problems!
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I would rather just buy a new back box every year. The only diesel I would consider is the XUD and they are too much for me to insure. I only do 3000 miles a a year so petrol is a lot more suited to me.
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>> If you are worried about this you should drive a diesel. >> unless you buy a diesel with a dpf in which case you will have all sorts of problems!
or any CDI.......
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.......... you should drive a diesel. ............ the soot prevents the internal rot you describe.
I'd have thought that the soot would retain the moisture and prevent it from drying out and hence increase the rate of corrosion in much the same way as mud accumulated under wheelarches used to do before car manufacturers eliminated such mud traps.
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The main problem with my exhaust now is from cold my engine sounds awful until the ICV kicks the revs down to 750rpm to idle normaly which usualy takes a couple of minutes.
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The main problem with my exhaust now is from cold my engine sounds awful .....
Your neighbours have my sympathy.
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Its not that bad no where near as loud as a boy racer exhaust or a transit van.
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oi ------leave my transit van outa this ;-)
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I'd have thought that the soot would retain the moisture ..
I base my remarks on my experiences with several diesel cars which have not needed exhaust replacement for their first ten years. My rationale may be wrong, but the facts speak for themselves.
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I've been here myself.....new box from a reliable indy exhaust place. No problem with fitting etc but new box very noisy compared to the one it replaced. Took it straight back and got the usual "it'll quieten in time". Time then to bite the bullet. Bought a complete Bosal system off the shelf of distributor and trusted mechanic fitted it. Six and a half years on it's only just started to make it's presence felt.....something internally having given way, and it's got a bit raspy...and in that time it's been mainly short runs from cold. So - hand in pocket if it's troubling you enough - and get a Bosal. (That's BOSAL)...one 'S' and no 'I's.
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Did the generic replacement once on a Honda Accord 2.0i. It was a lot noisier than before but had to live with it. Lasted about 18 months before it drove me mad and I fitted a Honda exhaust. Sheer bliss. You usually get what you pay for. Concrete
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I've decided just to put up with it for a few months, if by the end of the year everything is still working ok I will get a Bosil fitted. I assume the mid box will be ok as they rarely go wrong and I can get away with just replacing the silencer.
One question is legally where do I stand? Even though it was cheap and I knew it was a cheap exhaust (didn't expect it to last long but at least wanted to be quiet) is there any come back? I just asked them to replace an exhaust, they charged me £105 (inc mid box) and its a lot noiser than the original Bosil one I had.
My Bosil on my old Fiesta failed due to a slight hole where it joined the mid box, yet even witha leak it was quieter than my brand new mid box.
Edited by Rattle on 15/07/2009 at 19:07
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I have a '95 Cherokee turbo diesel sport which is still on the original exhaust. I put this down to diesel exhaust lining the inside of the pipes with oil hence no corrosion. In my experience OEM exhausts are well worth the extra expense, car sounds as it should without any annoying bangs and rattles. I've never had a pattern exhaust yet which wasn't a disappointment.
Rattle, try fitting a Thrush sidewinder. They don't bang or rattle but they are a little bit noisier :-D
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This thread is now very out of date, somebody replied to a post above which has bouught this one down. Since fitting I had a safety check done and found the exhaust was missing some rubbers even though they replaced them when they fitted it.
Still not happy but simply cannot afford an OEM one due to other things I have had to get fixed.
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