Muffler/exhaust system repair advice for 2k Maxima SE

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hlemel 19 years ago

Hi all

Just looking for some advice. I was experiencing a new race-car growl from my Maxima and had it checked out.

Turned out that the muffler inlet pipe had opened up/separated/almost broke. The Nissan dealer here estimated that the repair would cost $460 including labor. This was for replacing the muffler and the piece of pipe leading into it. The intermediate pipe going further toward the front of the car would not be replaced.

Then tried Meineke. They presented me with two options: 1) a patch up job in which small sections of pipe at thge break point would be removed and be replaced by a new section of pipe overlaying the opposite ends of the broken pipe. They would also repair the front of the "intermediate pipe" which seems to be in a deteriorated shape, as well. This would all cost me $130

2) Replace the muffler& pipe assembly + the resonator and pipe assembly for the same price as the Nissan dealer was asking for only the muffler & pipe assembly.

Would option (1) from Meineke likely be a short-term fix and therefore a waste of money?

If I go for the more thorough repair, are there major downsides in going with Meineke and the parts it is likley to use versu the dealer??

Thnaks for any advice on this.

Harold

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JimV 19 years ago

Go with the cheap fix. The mufflers last a long time, it's the joint that fails.

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mike w 19 years ago

Keep in mind that the OE system is stainless steel, but just about anything you buy at a muffler shop is going to be cheap plain steel, or aluminized steel at best. Life is about 25% of stainless. Comes down to how long you plan on owning the car... Most quality stainless systems typically last 10 years+

-mike

snipped-for-privacy@yahoo.com wrote:

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njmodi 19 years ago

OE is not stainless steel AFAIK.

Nirav

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hlemel 19 years ago

Hi again

I really appreciate the comments thus far.

I do plan to keep the car for another 5 or so years, so I guess that my

decision would depend alot on how long the "cheap fix" could be expected to last.

The life that I got out of my original inlet pipe has been only 6 years, so I really wonder if I could really expect to get 10 years out of an OE replacement of the system.... and ... Any specific comments about Meineke's quality??

Thanks again

Harold

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codifus 19 years ago

I say go with Meineke option 2. The exact same scenario happened with My 99 Sentra. 1st, the inlet to my muffler corroded. The "Meineke-Like" shop I used replaced the muffler and the pipe all the way up to the resonator. Then, a couple of months later, my resonator went. Same freaking deal. Corrosion at the connection, not the resonator itself. And it was the front of the resonator, not the back where the shop replaced piping etc. If you ask Meineke, I think they will guarrantee their work for a long time.

CD

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JimV 19 years ago

As someone else said, the Maxima muffler is stainless. I just changed the one on my daughter's '97 with 166K on it. If you have it replaced, you'll get an aluminized one that will last about 2 yrs (unless you buy a Nissan one from the dealer). Have the flange joint replaced with a piece of pipe. It will last as long as the replacement system will.

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hlemel 19 years ago

Well, I finally made a decision. All the input provided helped alot. Thanks

I decided to go with original Nissan muffler+pipes because as stainless steel, it is likley to last longer than the 2 years supposedly typical of after-market stuff. Also closer inspection revealed no problem with the resonator+pipes so I don't have to replace that. My cost will be $390. The same repair with aftermarket parts would have been $200 from the same shop.

Thanks aga> snipped-for-privacy@yahoo.com wrote:

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Muffler/exhaust system repair advice for 2k Maxima SE

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