|
Installed a Starla cat back exhaust in June 2005, that I bought from FCPGroton. (At lease it was advertised as Starla).
After hearing suspicious sounds, and finally seeing exhaust escape from the wheel well, I investigated this weekend. Stuffed a rag in the tailpipe, and then crawled under the car to inspect the exhaust for leaks. I found:
- black soot at the rear of the cat, a leak blowing straight back from the body of the cat (couldn't see it though)
- a leak from the tube coming out of the rear of the front muffler
- a leak from the bottom middle of the rear muffler, where the hanger strap contacts it
- the hanger itself had failed last summer, so I had to McGuyver that with another metal strap
So the only parts without obvious leaks were:
- axle pipe
- tail pipe
Don't get me wrong about FCPGroton. I think they're great. But I would have thought that more pieces of my cat back install should last more than the 3.5 years it's been. The cat isn't a surprise - probably original, and I barely passed NOX the last 2 times, although all other readings were quite good.
I'm wondering if I should just accept this as Canadian winters, although, my 2001 Olds Intrigue got written off in 2008, and it still had the original exhaust, with no signs of problems. There may be other explanations for that. I had a Corolla once whose factory exhaust lasted forever (I think it was more or less one-piece, which factory installation allowed?).
Anyway, I'm wondering if I should just order another Starla cat back (plus the CC - which is Bosal from Groton), or consider another aftermarket manufacturer. I think the concensus might be that Bosal cat back is better, but I might have confused feedback on just the catalytic convertors. I would appreciate some opinions. Given that I may not have the car by the time a second cat back fails (3.5 years), I don't think I can justify what is likely twice the price for OEM, even if it is significantly better. (Cat back plus CC from Groton is about $335)
--
David Armstrong - '86 240(350k km?), '93 940T(270k km), '89 240(parts source for others) near Toronto
|
