Dreaded exhausts

[meth]

Celica T-Sport 2003 - 76K miles

Original exhaust system.

MOT fail due to emissions caused by cracked weld around rear silencer - allegedly.

Downstream o2 sensor showing ECU fault - possibly caused by lack of pressure due to above hole in exhaust.

New sensor purchased - not yet fitted.

New rear section of exhaust (system is in 2 parts) - circa 400 squids fitted.

No thanks!

Patched up with some gunge to pass MOT - might last anything from a few days to weeks to months.. anyones guess..

ECU codes reset - o2 sensor should now be happy as the gunge is holding the exhaust pressure right?

Fault codes appear shortly after leaving said MOT establishment. Unsurprised is I.

Interesting suggestions emerge from MOT establishment regarding a local bloke that does custom built stainless steel exhaust systems! Potentially cheaper than OEM or 3rd party replacement parts, and being stainless steel will probably outlive the lifetime of the car itself and possibly me too!

Peaked interest is.

Attempt to contact said Stainless Steel artiste via website form leads to no response...

Further investigation of Stainless Steel man's facebook page reveals he is allegedly booked up for the next few months, hence the lack of response perhaps? (or maybe he just doesn't check his mail )

Wondered if anyone has experience of custom built exhaust systems on their cars and whether it's worth going this route or just forking out for some crappy aftermarket effort with only 12 month warranty?

I plan to keep the car forever - have owned it since 2004. So a decent long lasting solution would be welcomed.

 

[kindai]

Just grab an off the shelf one.

 

[meth]

This was my initial thought - but 400 notes for half an exhaust for something with only 12 months warranty doesn't sit well with me..

Previous cars were a Golf mk3 Gti and a Volvo 480, and I recall having to replace various exhaust bits rather often...

So a more permanent solution would be of interest... less time spent at a garage etc...

 

[kindai]

Well if you want one custom made you'll be paying a lot more than 400 notes.

 

[meth]

I realise that. Off the shelf stainless sports exhausts start at around 1k plus.. Any stainless system should last better than a 3rd party bog standard steel exhaust - they only offer 12 month warranties so they clearly don't have much faith in their own products!

From what I'm told, this custom system may be around the same price or possibly cheaper than an off the shelf system, which seems to good to be true? I've not had an actual quote at this stage so can't confirm this. Hence why I'd like to hear from anyone that has had a custom system built.

The companies facebook page shows a number of custom car type vehicles, though there was even someone with a Fiesta commenting it was cheaper to get a custom exhaust vs. off the shelf parts!..

What i'm not entirely clear on is what happens with a custom exhaust regarding the catalytic converter and the o2 sensors?..

 

[Diagro]

https://www.fensport.co.uk/parts/toyota/celica/t-sport-190bhp-vvtli-zzt231/exhaust-system/

 

[sovietspybob]

Can you get one on eBay? It's a fairly old car now so there must be lots being broken for bits so you could get a 2nd hand stainless system for not much?

I managed to blag a brand new stainless catback exhaust for my old Subaru for £110 when the original fell apart, was just a case of watching a few over a couple of weeks and being lucky.

 

[vanpeebles]

Get someone to weld it up for some beer tokens.

 

[acemastr]

Can't imagine a hole BEHIND the O2 sensor would cause problems with emissions or ECU. As above, quick weld and done.

 

[meth]

Can't imagine a hole BEHIND the O2 sensor would cause problems with emissions or ECU. As above, quick weld and done.

Hmm, that was my initial thought too, but the garage I used reckoned that's what was causing the sensor fault (I'm sure it'll probably turn out to be just a faulty sensor) and they were adamant the exhaust couldn't be welded, maybe they just didn't want to do it! Perhaps I should take it somewhere else for a second opinion?

Here's a quick pick of the offending area - it's simply that the weld is cracked around the pipe as it comes out of the silencer, you can't really see it now as it's slathered with paste.



Why the underside of the silencer looks like someone's taken a hammer to it, I don't know!

https://www.fensport.co.uk/parts/toyota/celica/t-sport-190bhp-vvtli-zzt231/exhaust-system/

These Cobra systems are surprisingly cheap if that's a complete system? Any idea how much a garage might charge for fitting something like this?

Can you get one on eBay? It's a fairly old car now so there must be lots being broken for bits so you could get a 2nd hand stainless system for not much?

I managed to blag a brand new stainless catback exhaust for my old Subaru for £110 when the original fell apart, was just a case of watching a few over a couple of weeks and being lucky.

I hadn't considered looking for second hand on ebay, thanks or the tip! I'll certainly look into that .

Another question that's just sprung to mind, would a stainless exhaust effect the insurance premium? Would this need to be declared as a modification?

 

[meth]

Having now looked at ebay - there's quite a variety of options available for a lot less dosh than I thought. When I searched online before I was coming up systems costing 1K to 1.5K! Must have been looking in the wrong place!

 

[hominid]

You can't weld metal that rusty, they welder will just blow more holes into what metal is left and cause even more issues.

People don't like replacing just half of an exhaust because usually the rusted bolts are a major pain to remove, most even needed oxyacetylene to heat them or an angle-grinder to get them off so it's not worth the aggravation especially for a client provided item.

Ebay will be the cheapest of the cheap, but it depends on if you are going to keep the car for years or not.

 

[ReAPeR101]

Be very careful when buying cheap exhausts off eBay.
They tend to not fit correctly or not fit at all.
Then the supplier of purchased product goes very quiet when messaged.

Cobra is very good. I had one on my Scooby for 5 years sounded great. Plus the welding on the exhaust was first class.

 

[eviled]

I replaced my old CRX exhaust with a stainless one for only a fraction more than a mild steel jobby

well worth it for a fit and forget part

 

[snapdragon69]

About 15 years ago, I had a https://www.powerflowexhausts.co.uk made for my Omega Elite. It was not dear and while aimed at chavs I just said I wanted one that was quiet and with normal sized outlets.
The man showed me all these awful rice-burner embellishment tailpipes and was quite shocked I didn't want them - he thought I was crazy. He did a good job and it was a great price.
https://www.powerflowexhausts.co.uk

 

[~Dockie]

Toyo are pretty decent and reletively cheap, picked up a new stainless one for my RX8 for £180 delivered. Not sure if they make one for the celica though.

 

[eviled]

Power flow were notorious for using crush bent pipes that restricted performance

 

[meth]

Ended up ordering off ebay - £160 for a new rear section.. Will get this fitted at a local garage, for hopefully not too much. I'll then look into a stainless system later.
Cheers all for your advice, has saved me many stresses and muchos moolahs

 

[Puzzled]

Ended up ordering off ebay - £160 for a new rear section.. Will get this fitted at a local garage, for hopefully not too much. I'll then look into a stainless system later.
Cheers all for your advice, has saved me many stresses and muchos moolahs

Be interested to see how you get on as I need to do the same to mine. Think mine has been welded in the same area so must be a weak spot.

 

[eviled]

spray it with hammerite paint before you fit it and you'll get another 12months or so out of it