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?Exhaust system repair recs? ('89 Corolla)

Hi, I have a 1989 Corolla SR5 coupe, 146k miles, California emissions, meticulously maintained, looks and runs great. Would appreciate your thoughts on a needed exhaust job:

I bought it in '99 at 90k miles. It had just come from California (I live in Boston) and had its original exhaust system. Starting in 2001 I did a lot of short-distance driving, and the muffler rotted out in

6/2002 at 120k miles. Took it to one of those "foreign auto experts" shops which replaced the muffler with one that looked like the OEM one though was not OEM (in retrospect, wish I did it at the Toyota dealership for warranty purposes, but was afraid to spend the extra $ at the time).

Continued to drive lots of short-distances. In 1/2004 at 130k miles, the pipe leading to the muffler (midpipe) broke through completely. Was desperate to get it fixed quickly so took it to an independent shop down the street, and was surprised/dismayed later to find that the mechanic had replaced the mid-pipe and muffler with a cheap quality "one piece cat back exhaust."

Now at 146k miles the muffler is shot again (and unfortunately it's in one piece with the "cat back exhaust" as described above). My options are:

  1. Toyota dealership-- when I called and told them the car has a non-OEM one-piece exhaust system on it, they said that if I want the exhaust system replaced with OEM dealership parts, that I'd need to replace the catalytic converter too. So, they recommended I not do it at the dealership. Even if the dealership could do it, would be concerned about the cost, esp. given the age of the car.
  2. ask an independent shop to replace it with a 1-piece exhaust system like it has now, as this is probably the cheapest option
  3. ask an independent shop to replace it with separate midpipe and muffler, if they are able to do this, so that future repairs will be easier; suspect this may be expensive
  4. last and unlikely option-- see if a shop can just cut out and replace the muffler part of the 1-piece assembly on the car right now.

The Corolla is in good shape but is feeling its age and costing about $1000/year in repairs (driven about 4k-5k miles a year), so I'm trying to limit how much I put into it, esp as I just put $450 into a couple months ago for something else. It's probably more cost effective to buy a newer used car, but the '89 has some sentimental value and I'd like to hold onto it for a couple more years.

Anyhow, sorry for all the verbiage-- which of the above options would you recommend I pursue, in terms of a good compromise between cost and quality of repair?

Thanks, John

Reply to
johnyang97
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If the catalytic converter is the original one and has not been modified when previous exhaust work was done, then you can have a genuine Toyota exhaust installed at a Toyota dealer. If you are going to keep the car for more than 10,000 miles, get one installed at a Toyota dealer and take advantage of the lifetime warranty on parts and labor. The reason your exhaust is rotting so quickly is that it never gets dried out on short trips so the condensate sits in there and rots the pipe.

Reply to
Ray O

Hi Ray, Thanks for your help. Any idea what a ballpark figure on replacing the exhaust system (muffler and midpipe) would be at the dealership? Also, do you know if the warranty is transferrable? I might be moving out-of-state in a year and a half, and would probably give the car to a buddy or sell it at that point. Or, my dad or little brother might want it. Would the new owner be able to take advantage of the dealership's warranty?

Thanks again, John

Reply to
johnyang97

Hi Ray, I just called my local Toyota dealership and was quoted: $165 muffler $193 center pipe $294 labor

So it looks like about $650 out the door.

Hmmm... I wouldn't mind spending it if the car (1989, 146k) is still good for a long time, but it has been springing a fair # of repairs ($$$) after

120k miles and I'm afraid that one day in the near future it'll bite the bullet for good... I should've gone to the dealership back in '02 when the muffler first went out, but it is too late now. Given the age of the car, I might just take it to my local independent mechanic instead...

John

Reply to
johnyang97

Sorry, I can't help you with the price becuse I have never had to replace an exhaust part on one of my vehicles.

The lifetime exhaust warranty is to the original purchaser of the exhaust and is not transferrable to another owner, but you would be covered at any dealer in the U.S.

Reply to
Ray O

I don't know if this will be of any help or not but...

For my Supra I found a huge price difference at the local Toyota parts counters and ended up only spending about $200 for the entire "cat back exhaust" and gasket.

I don't think it took more than a half hour in my driveway to install it. Raised the back of the car on a couple jack stands. Then it was just two bolts at the converter plus the a few heavy duty rubber band type hangers the whole thing hangs from.

GL Dan

Reply to
Danny G.

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