shutterbc Posted March 13, 2010 Share Posted March 13, 2010 Hi, I'm a total newbie with respect to performance mods. OK, got that out of the way. Short version: if your factory exhaust mid pipe broke at the flange, would you consider this a good opportunity to just upgrade the exhaust system? I'm not even sure how much a weld costs to repair it. The back story: So, I got a bit of a surprise this evening when driving over a bridge on the highway and heard a pop followed by really loud engine noise. I just got an oil change the day before and I instantly thought of my turbo (since I don't know exactly what it sounds like when it blows). Immediately called for a tow just to be safe. I noticed as the car was lowered off the flatbed that my exhaust was broken. What a relief -- relatively speaking, of course. So... here I was thinking I'd have to get some major engine diagnosis going on, pull out my checkbook, and hope for the best. Broken exhaust is still not great either, but I'd rather fix that than replace an engine. The cause: I'm sure it was rusted, but I did get an oil change yesterday at a tire place that put it on a lift. I did hear louder-than-usual engine noise immediately afterward. I'm going to talk to them tomorrow to see how nice they are... anyone ever had similar experience and left with something to show for it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ssej Posted March 13, 2010 Share Posted March 13, 2010 Welding it will probably be cheaper, but if it were me, I would upgrade to a nice stainless steel exhaust that won't rust. When my clutch went out, I upgraded it with a better clutch...and I will probably do that for the rest of the parts on my car, as they break, I will buy new, better parts for it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MadMontie1 Posted March 13, 2010 Share Posted March 13, 2010 if that's a photo of your midpipe (and not your downpipe). upgrade it. you dont need a tune or anything else to change your cans and mid, a couple of the low end systems, such as the cxlighting (off ebay) or the gimmick catback you can get for under $400. the oem pipe is $350 and from the looks of that photos, i doubt you're gonna weld anything Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aqueous Thought Posted March 14, 2010 Share Posted March 14, 2010 I agree, upgrade. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shutterbc Posted March 14, 2010 Author Share Posted March 14, 2010 Yeah, I'll get a quote on Monday for repair vs. new. The photo is of the midpipe, from what I can see the break occurred at the rear cat (flange is broken off the midpipe). Dent Sport Garage just so happens to have a Legacy SPT exhaust lying around... kind of tempting! Any opinions on that kind of exhaust? So, the pipe appears to have been damaged by the tire place that did the oil change. I spoke with the manager and he admitted it could happen (read: has happened) with the lift they use sometimes. I looked at the lift and it barely clears a 4th gen Outback midpipe flange so I'm pretty sure it easily bumped and cracked. The manager said he'd rather have solid proof that they caused the damage (of course). The manager asked me to bring the car to their shop to evaluate and possibly do the repair at some discount, but then I probably don't get to upgrade... and I'd have to pay for another tow to get it there... bleh. I know I shouldn't really ask the Internet for this kind of advice, but I'm wondering if it's worth going back to the tire shop manager and ask for some sort of compensation... or if I should just drop it and do my own thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MadMontie1 Posted March 14, 2010 Share Posted March 14, 2010 to me it looks rotted and was simply going to be a matter of time. going back to the oil change place will probably frustate you and waster your time/money. the SPT exhaust is the tits. however, it's expensive and you'll be overspending if your not changing out your downpipe as well, IMO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shutterbc Posted March 14, 2010 Author Share Posted March 14, 2010 Yep -- fortunately the SPT is discounted or I wouldn't even consider it. I realize that while this is all going on I should consider getting a catless uppipe, which in turn means I should consider getting a downpipe as well. You're right about the rot -- there's enough rust that it would have gone anyway in the near future. (Thanks MassDOT and DPW!) I think the lift just accelerated its plan by a few months to a year and allowed for a clean break instead of starting with little holes. If anything, the circumstances were just purely inconvenient. I can also see how one could get carried away! While we're at it I could do sway bars, struts and a new turbo. Eh, I'd better draw the line somewhere reasonable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snow05gtRI Posted March 15, 2010 Share Posted March 15, 2010 dont go cxlightning living in MA. we have too much salt, people say it rusts quickly. i've heard good things about the SPT. its a much less involved process to just swap the CBE versus the DP or UP. which way is the back of the car in your picture? left or right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shutterbc Posted March 15, 2010 Author Share Posted March 15, 2010 Back of the car is to the right. I'll hear from DSG later today, but I'm afraid that the flange is broken on the DP side? Sorry, I'm taking a crash course in exhaust systems It appears that the SPT and cxlightning / X02 are made of the same material, T304 stainless steel. Maybe one has better after treatment than the other? In any case it appears that if I'm lucky enough to get the SPT anywhere near half price it wouldn't matter. Oh, and good luck with all the flooding in Waltham today... even my basement up the hill is taking in a little water. Crazy weather. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snow05gtRI Posted March 15, 2010 Share Posted March 15, 2010 yes, your DP flange is busted. not the CBE flange. screw the CBE (unless you want the sound, and I do love the sound of our motors with a nice upgraded CBE) and just buy an aftermarket DP, get a cheap STi UP and call it a day at stage 2 ....I hear the ERZ catted DP's are good price and good quality. i have a cobb DP on mine and the fit and form is perfect, although you're paying for it... yes, the cxlightning/xo2 claim they are the same stainless steel, but for some reason there are complaints. look around the "Intake/Exhaust" forum at least, before you make the decision. yeah - i drove to work in sudbury this afternoon from waltham....they closed a section of rt 20 because it was so flooded, i got looped around to 27/126 and came back up north to 20. at the intersection of 20/(27/126) it must have been nearly knee deep. i was worried being lowered and having an AEM CAI (which dips into the fender) i was going to have trouble but i just kept very close to the car in front of me...they dispersed all the water and i just drove in their path Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonoco Posted March 15, 2010 Share Posted March 15, 2010 You can still get the SPT/Bosal Version 1.5 CBE from Mike at Bosal Performance for $450. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shutterbc Posted March 16, 2010 Author Share Posted March 16, 2010 Thanks for all the input. Since the break occurred on the downpipe and we didn't have a replacement DP to put on (and I had to use the car a little sooner than I thought)... all it took was a quick weld job. It looks like the CBE should last a lot longer. It definitely broke because the lift caught and bent it, so I may not have to replace it until it actually dies of natural causes. However, now I'm really thinking about what my options are for a better up/downpipe in the near future. Looks like the Perrin catted is a decent deal, if I'm reading forum posts correctly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snow05gtRI Posted March 16, 2010 Share Posted March 16, 2010 read around on the perrin. i got the impression it can have some fitment issues. btw, i just found out yesterday, apparently not having the stock CBE can make you fail inspection in MA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dftank2 Posted March 17, 2010 Share Posted March 17, 2010 passed mine last month and i have a turbo back exhaust and im in MA. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snow05gtRI Posted March 17, 2010 Share Posted March 17, 2010 thank you for that counter-point. i had only heard one person saying it wouldnt pass. what kind of CBE do you have? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dftank2 Posted March 18, 2010 Share Posted March 18, 2010 Gimmick. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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