Has anyone else made the same observation? Have a '95 Escort. But I could be talking about almost any car. When the exhaust started getting noisy, we had it replaced at the local tire/exhaust/brake shop. We purchased the car when it was almost new, so I'm sure the exhaust had never been replaced. The original lasted for seven years and 130,000 miles. Replacement cost, not including the first two feet or the catalytic converter, was $308. It did include that stainless flexpipe and the rest of it all the way back.
Here it is, two years and 40,000 miles later, the replacement pipe is completely rust and falling apart. Apparently, they galvanize them and THEN weld the seams and all those hangers and stuff to them. The system rusts quickly along all the welds. If you go back to the garage, they will INSIST that the replacement pipes are equal or better than original equipment. They'll replace the $40 muffler for free but you're still stuck for the rest.
I'll do the damn thing myself this time. Where's the best place to order exhaust parts for my Escort where they use some actual Quality Control?
Scott snipped-for-privacy@aol.com