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YACT : How much does it cost to fix a hole in the exhaust.....

The Stigenator

The Stigenator

Lifer
my dad is coming back tonite and i promised to have the hole in his exhaust fixed before he gets back from reno. Its 1999 Saturn SW2.

The dealer said 250 bucks to patch the hole... im thinking a local mexican place in vannuys would do cheaper. I got to price shop.. but in the mean time any ideas?

I have no idea where the hole is or what not... what kind of places should i visit? and what should I avoid? places like mineki (sp?) midas, discount muffler?
 
Most exhaust shops could fix a minor leak for around $20.

Edit: The dealership most likely wanted to replace the part that had the hole in it.
 
Got a pic of the hole?

Sounds about right if they have to replace the whole cat-back. If they need to do a simple welding job, then that seems way too harsh.
 
it really depends on if the hole is something that is rusted through, or if it's a broken mount.
 
Originally posted by: Quixfire
Most exhaust shops could fix a minor leak for around $20.

Edit: The dealership most likely wanted to replace the part that had the hole in it.
Click to expand...

I agree. But who cares? It can wait. Not gonna kill the car to drive with a leak.
 
Originally posted by: NutBucket
Originally posted by: Quixfire
Most exhaust shops could fix a minor leak for around $20.

Edit: The dealership most likely wanted to replace the part that had the hole in it.
Click to expand...

I agree. But who cares? It can wait. Not gonna kill the car to drive with a leak.
Click to expand...

Not if doesn't rust out.
 
Originally posted by: Regs
Got a pic of the hole?

Sounds about right if they have to replace the whole cat-back. If they need to do a simple welding job, then that seems way too harsh.
Click to expand...

Well if its teh whole exhaust, i still think 250 is quite a bit. Even so shouldn the emmission warrenty from GM which is 8 years unlimited if im right cover it?

the car has 100K or so of mileage so far. In first gear it barely pulls.. you can hear the exhaust leaking out.

As for pics i will see what i can do.
 
Cheap fix.

Get a 3x5 index card cut it a little over the size of the hole, tape it, then get some epoxy like JBWELD and lay about a 1/4 inch layer over it. This will resit heat up to 250F and last about a year.

Proper fix.

Cut out bad, splice with good. A muffer shop will do this cheap about $50.
 
WTH?

I was getting exhaust systems from the converters back on my G. Marquis' and Town cars for $150.00 installed. Rainbow muffler is one place that did 'em for that. Another small shop I went to, matched their prices. He used Walker pipes and muffler as I recall.
 
Originally posted by: NutBucket
Originally posted by: Quixfire
Most exhaust shops could fix a minor leak for around $20.

Edit: The dealership most likely wanted to replace the part that had the hole in it.
Click to expand...

I agree. But who cares? It can wait. Not gonna kill the car to drive with a leak.
Click to expand...

but the loss in power makes it useless until it warms up enough and the sound disappears (well seems like it)
 
Even so shouldn the emmission warrenty from GM which is 8 years unlimited if im right cover it?
Click to expand...

Call them up ASAP. It's 2:30 eastern here in NJ, you should be able to inquire this and find out quickly.

And find out where the whole is. For all you could know, it could be in the manifold, and they end up charging you an extra 80 dollars for a hour of labor. Exhaust doesn't have to be a tail pipe or a muffler.
 
Originally posted by: Ornery
WTH?

I was getting exhaust systems from the converters back on my G. Marquis' and Town cars for $150.00 installed. Rainbow muffler is one place that did 'em for that. Another small shop I went to, matched their prices. He used Walker pipes and muffler as I recall.
Click to expand...

Well i did a double check. To get just the muffler, it's like 75 bucks. To get the whole shibang with the cat and everything is like 450. I have no idea why the dealer would charge 250 unless it's a 175 installation fee or a really good price
 
$50-75 for muffler
$100-200 for Cat Converter
$50-100+ for piping

1 hour labor min
 
Where's the leak? If its in the piping I wouldn't worry about it. If you're saying it has problems warming up and its losing power, sounds like something more serious to me.
 
It's a 1999, and you're in California. The exhaust must still look new. It must be just something loose. Don't you have a mechanic you can trust to find the leak? Probably only 30 minutes labor to tighten it.
 
jus go to meineke. For regular manufacturer's parts, it should be cheaper then dealership(unless warranty) and they should charge you around 50 bucks + installation costs for a new muffler. The prices i was listing before were aftermarket products. I'm all confused in this thread, sorry. Going to get off the internet for a while....
 
Originally posted by: Lazee
jus go to meineke. For regular manufacturer's parts, it should be cheaper then dealership(unless warranty) and they should charge you around 50 bucks + installation costs for a new muffler. The prices i was listing before were aftermarket products. I'm all confused in this thread, sorry. Going to get off the internet for a while....
Click to expand...

Lazee, you're failing to notice that TheGoodGuy does not know where the hole is. A muffler does not constitute the entire exhaust system.
 
Originally posted by: shekondar
Two words... DUCT TAPE

😀
Click to expand...

yup

but on a more serious note, like someone else mentioned, if this "leak" is causing you significant power loss, it's probably a problem before the cat (could be the cat itself, or the exhaust manifold). Anything after the cat (like the muffler) shouldn't cause significant power loss even if there was a hole in the piping, should just cause some excess noise.
 
Originally posted by: TechnoKid
but on a more serious note, like someone else mentioned, if this "leak" is causing you significant power loss, it's probably a problem before the cat (could be the cat itself, or the exhaust manifold). Anything after the cat (like the muffler) shouldn't cause significant power loss even if there was a hole in the piping, should just cause some excess noise.
Click to expand...

If the cat or muffler has collapsed internally, the back pressure could cause the power loss.

Most muffler shops and/or Sears can check it for you at no/little cost. The shops may also try to sell you an expensive fix depending on what the problem is.
Use your judgement on what they quote you and ask for detailed documentation/explanation. Then get a couple of estimates on solving the problem.

 
$250??.....Woah....when the back box went on my car it cost me like £70 to have the whole thing replaced.
 
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