I went to have get an exhaust leak fixed today so that I could take the e-test. The mecanic I took it to, is telling me that the piece of the exhaust that needs to be replace cost $1200 and that I should buy it right now because there are only 3 left in Canada and nobody can manufacture them. So once these 3 are gone the car is basically good for the junkyard.
Now I really have the felling have the feeling that this is a load of but so far he has pretty honnest with me. So could anybody give an advice ?

 

Hmmm right... only 3 pieces of exhaust parts left in canada...

most be some rare piping/gaskets you got there...

that's a load of crap. It doesn't matter if its the headers, y-pipe, single cat/dual cat, intermediate pipe, muffler tips, 3 left in canada??? geez

I'd give the finger and get a new mechanic.. but that's me. I and a lot of people on this board actually do most or all of the work on our cars ourselves. A few people have a trusted mechanic, a few (koff EasySpeed) should find new ones...

Talk to Kev87Ta or copperchick about the mechanic's they talk to.

I wouldn't trust anyone that tells me I had to spend $1200 on my exhaust due to a leak...

With $1200 I can get new heddman headers with air tubes, AND a 3 inch mandrel cat back stainless steel with high flow cat... or get SLP headers with air tubes lol...

Heck even Palric with his dual cats could get his system more or less replaced for that cash. If you did have dual cats, the piping can be more or less repaired depending on condition.

 

If it's the dual cat take down then he's right, nobody sells them prefabbed other than GM. I'm surprised that it's only $1200. Any decent exhaust shop would be able to build you a new one though.

 

Try Carline Auto on Victoria near River. They are really good, do custom work and only charge $50/hr. They are exhaust/brake specialists...they dont' do anything else

Tracey has had awesome experiences there with both the Camaro and Sunfire.

We trust them...

Good luck!

 

Just got the car back from the mecanic, So he said that I need new Y-pipe and new manifolds because there is a hole in the Y-pipe. Isn't it possible to just plug the hole with something ? As a temporary measure just to get the e-test ?
Also if I really have to spend $1300 I prefer to get a set of headers of cat back. So now I would need the help of some people around KW that would like to help me choose the headers and exhaust and mostly teach me/show me how to instal all of that !

 

If you have a y-pipe on the headers, odds are you have a single cat too, right?

If so, that should come close to costing that much. I've priced hedman headers and y-pipe with air tubes for only $600 installed from a muffler shop near my place. I'm sure I could find better if I was serious about getting it soon, but till that times comes, I'm just asking general prices.

Most decent shops depending on the job at hand can fashion you a new y-pipe and cheap headers for far less than what he's charging you.

the problem with welding in a new piece is the clearances you have to work with. There's not much space there for a socket wrench let alone trying to weld in a replacement right beside the engine. In his opinion if you need a new set, you should get it replaced, just not at that cost.

 

Actually I have two cats

 

Ok dual cats, its still cheaper to have them fabricate you new piping instead of going to generous motors...

You can only weld in repair patches if the area aforementioned is easilly within reach, if not, the whole piping has to be removed (depending on how bad at the headers even). At this point, if you already have it down and out, ask yourself, is it worth it to repair it or replace it? He's probably telling you to just replace it for an aftermarket system because its out already AND an improvement over stock.

My opinion, suck it up bend over and enjoy, you're not going to get any better pricing on dual cat systems do to the fact if its not from gm, it has to be fabricated for you. Some exhaust guys like making custom piping, you may want to hunt them down before paying that much and see if they can swing you a deal. Offer them the fact that if they doa good job, there are a lot of f-body/thirdgen/kwf people that will flock to him for exhaust work (koff *Kev*)...

If it were me, I'd go the do it myself route for a simple reason... you're gonna get the headers, cats and cat back so once out, bolting up brand new exhaust is hell of a lot easier.

Go with some nice headers to an h-pipe to dual cats to dual exhaust. (I'm not sure if the h pipe should be before the cats or after, someone please indicate) You should be able to do most of the work yourself with some welding done by a local shop for cheap.

 

Hey ThierryC. First off....Welcome to the board! Now as for the exhaust....$1200 for dual cat system...hmm Not all that bad of a price actually. Depending on the age of your existing exhaust, the shop is probably quoteing you for the full system right? So new manifolds,y pipe extension pipes 2 cats., one muffler or two? Is it true duals that you have? Is it the manifolds that are leaking or the Y pipe? If it is the manifolds..I have a good set for $100, emission tubes are all there and in good condition. Back to your problem. My Safari van costed me $800 for complete original exhaust...and that was with my shop discount. If you change over to headers,two cats and true dual. It will cost you around the same money. Headers $200-300, 2 cats $200-300, 2 Mufflers $150-250, and all the extension pipes and custom work to install, another $200-300. Well, well, well! We are right on the money.

ThierryC. Like Slade1 said;
That's about right. Sorry we couldn't lower the price, but hey. My friends RX7's exhaust complete costed him $3300 cdn, so don't feel bad. These are the joys of owning a car.

 

why is the 2 cat sys so much more than the singal cat?

i just got a set of hooker 2055 and came way under $1000 and they came with the Y. even with a new cat i will be under $1000

could he not just convert to a singal cat?

 

He wants $1200 just for manifolds, and he told me that there are only 3 left in Canada, and they are not made anymore, so I have to buy them now because once these three are gone my camaro will never been able to get manifolds and thus will be good for the junkyard or part
I am thinking of going for header, the Y pipe and a nice muffler, the cats are only 1 year old so I will keep them. I might as well gain a few HP for that price :-)

 

Indeed............THREE cats.........! But man, do those cars open up withOUT them....

 

Theres some confused people in this thread I tells ya...
Ok, $1200 is obviously a rip for whatever he is telling you to replace. It doesnt even matter what it is, just by saying its gm (only 3 left) and its an exhaust part I can tell you its a rip...
If its manifolds and y pipe, you can have both of mine for $100 bucks this winter heh. If its just a crack heres what I would do in your shoes. Take it to an exhaust guy if anyone you know can recommend one. Just tell him you want the leaks welded up for emmissions and it shouldnt be more than 50 bucks unless its reaaally bad.
Then this winter just replace your exhaust with headers, y-pipe, cats if you need em, and catback. You should be able to do that for around a grand plus labour. Its pretty important you find a good honest exhaust guy before you start though, cause with the dual cats you will need one. And from my searching, dual cat stuff isnt usually that much more expensive, its more like some brands dont make it so you have to buy either a better quality brand or go custom. Dont hate the dual cats, cause if your not emmissions exempt you still need em and they are good for a fair bit more flow. hope some of that helps...
greg

 

just so you guys know, if your looking for cats, I can get Magnaflow High Flow cats for a pretty good price, If i remeber correctly the mirrored stainless cats go for around 170 to 190 can, depending on what size pipe........

 

Try National Exhaust, 905-451-4111. If you can find a better price anywhere, they'll be the ones to do it. You'll probably want to speak to "Al", tell him what you're looking at price wise from another shop and see what he can do for you.

 

I'm not sure if the manifolds are the same as with single cat. I would think so. I've been told they are very expensive.
I have a real clean set of manifolds from an 87' single cat. If they fit and you're interested, get back to me. They're not alot of money.
Martin.

 

Ummm... 1200 eh!!?? Thats what I paid for my custom 3" stainless mandrel bent exhaust system from t-pipe back!! This guy is blowing smoke out of his a$$

 

Looking at a picture of the 1989-1992 TPI vehicles (dual cat versions) the only "proprietary" parts are the y-pipe BEHIND the cats and the pipes from manifolds to cats- everything else is available from the aftermarket.

Looking over the diagram I have (Walker catalog)- it appears that the y-pipe behind the cats could be fabricated by a good exhaust shop as well as the individual pipes leading from manifold to cats (these are NOT y-pipes but 2 separate pipes). Not the easiest fabricating job- but possible.

First off- what a ridiculous system- 2-into-2-into-1-into 'fake' dual tailpipes coming from a single muffler. WTF was GM thinking? How to rip off the consumer once system fell apart? Even the G-bodies (i.e. 442's and Monte SS's) had a better design- stock y-pipe to single cat and dual pipes out of cat all the way back.

Anyways- forgetting the stupidity of it all- I think what a few others are saying is the best option: Dump this system and go with proper headers and dual pipes to the back- you may still be forced to push it all through one muffler at the end- but you can use 2.25" pipes to muffler and the exhaust gases will have plenty of room to contract on their way down/back. You already have 2 cats and the tailpipe assemblies- so all you really need are the headers, some intermediate pipes (header-to-cat and cat-to-muffler) and a new muffler with 2-in and 2-out (yours will have 1-in and 2-out right now). I think this could easily be done for $1200.00 and you'd have a much better exhaust system (performance-wise) and keeping the 2 cats should translate to not violating any emissions BS.

Of course- if you are trying to stay "all original" then I guess you're stuck with the GM parts. However- you might want to think about having your $1200.00 pipes coated or something before installation to avoid this happening again in another 10 years...

 

The dual cat setup still utilizes the single inlet to dual outlet muffler (cross flow)... the major difference in systems is the y-pipe section. Have you checked to see what slp has? www.slpeng.com

 

Oh Thierry, I can't emphasize this enough, try Carline on Victoria. I trust those guys implicitly. Heck, tell 'em I sent ya. They baby my car when I go in there and their prices are from the 70's! Seriously! Sorry i didn't see your post sooner bud.

 

A lot of OEM exhaust parts are made from 400 series stainless (usually 409) steel, giving them excellent longevity. A lot of custom muffler shops use 18ga aluminized mild steel tubing (crap). I've had both on my vehicles in the past, and there is no comparison, the Aluminized stuff is dying within 3 years. Be careful of what material a custom guy will be using for the system if you want it to last. $1200 for a 409 sst OEM part that bolts on and lasts 10-15 years seems like a deal compared to a $1000 custom job made of CRAP that will be swiss cheese in 3.

IMHO....

 

..which is why you hang onto that guarantee they give you when you have the work done.

 

So how long do they guarantee it will last? Do they cover the labour as well as the material? My experience with guarantees is that you still have to pay the labour, but if that's covered, then it is just a matter of for how long. Something tells me that it would be 5 yrs or less against failure due to corrosion. If the shop uses that ultimate **** 18ga aluminized tubing (not saying that all do) it would not last even that long.

On another note I have on my car right now mild steel tubing exhaust piping, it is 14 ga (.075" wall) and has held up very well (it is aluminized) So wall thickness is an important consideration as well...

 

I'm not looking for another debate. I'm saying I have faith in the shop I recmmended because I have been there and they have treated me very well. If you don't agree, that's fine. Obviously the guarantee will depend upon what you buy. But, even if it only covers the part, and the part last a long time, that's fine. In fact, I'd say that's about all you can ask for from a muffler shop. Somepeople only care about the part anyway because they plan to do the install themselves. Carline sells name brand components (Dynomax, Magnaflow, etc. which have their own guarantees regardless of where you buy) and do some custom work too. .. or you can go somewhere and pay more and get the same treatment or worse. Doesn't mater to me. I don't own the shop. I'm just saying they treated me well and I live in the same town as Thierry.

 

Because it gives you more POWER! hahahaha

 

C'mon, debates are second only to flame wars in sheer entertainment value . Just for the record, I was not dismissing your mechanic, I actually think you are extremely fortunate to have someone you trust to do work on your car (especially exhaust). My comment about Crap exhaust pipe was not directed at you, or your mechanic, or your car, rather it was my own experience that I threw out for what its worth. This place you go to sounds like a good place, obviously you are happy with them, but a little knowledge before hand could save an individual from an expertly installed P.O.S. quality exhaust system. Sorry if I'm wrong sensing a little defensiveness, if I am just tell me to **** *** and I'll be on my way...