$900.00 Exhaust Pipe

Other options might include; welding the crack closed if the metal is good enough, visit the junkyard, go to your local muffler shop or Midas, Tuffy, etc. $900 seems a little excessive even if it included the catalytic converter which you can pick up for $100-300. Is it covered under the 5 yr warranty?

paul wrote:

Thanks JP.

The price they gave me was just for the front exhaust pipe, not the converter. The price is 897.68 for the pipe, Plus 20.00 for gaskets and plus labor which will be about 200.00.

I will definitely shop around.

Paul, it sure sounds as if the dealer figures he's found a big fish. The estimate sounds outrageous. I doubt that the pipe is worth 97.68, let alone the other 800 bucks!

The reason this pipe is $900 is that it includes a catalytic converter. If your vehicle has under 80,000 miles on it, it should be covered by the federally mandated emissions warranty (presuming you're not in California).

Factory catalytic converters can rarely be had for $300. The primary reason for aftermarket converters being less expensive is that they have less of the precious metals that are necessary for the catalyst to be effective. This results in either a less effective converter or a shorter converter life, or both.

If you can find a used one in good condition that's not a bad option. But with a 2002 vehicle, unless you have a tremendous amount of mileage, I'd recommend against aftermarket. If you go with aftermarket, you're likely to have more problems down the road.

The problem was just with the pipe not the converter.

Anyway I took it to Meineke today and they were able to repair the section of the pipe that had the leak. (It was the flexible mesh looking section). Total cost was 150.00 and I was out the door.

Big difference in price. As always, this newsgroup has been a big help. Thanks everyone.

I'll be back for the next repair :>)

"The problem was just with the pipe not the converter."

Yes, but since the pipe and converter are both the same single component, the warranty cannot be restricted to only the warranty on the pipe. If you needed a rear converter, you'd receive exactly the same component. Calling it a "pipe" doesn't change the fact that the component is also a catalytic converter.

(It was the flexible mesh looking section).

I've seen that part, does anyone know what it is? Someone told me once it was a "pre-cat" whatever that is. I though at the time that he was making it up, but I didn't know enough to challenge. it.

The mesh is just an outer covering, but that section is indeed a flexible pipe. Its purpose is to actually flex as the engine moves so as to reduce vibration transmitted to the body via the exhaust hangers.