Just wondered if they last a lot longer now because my Passat's is entering the 6th year of its life and it still looks and sounds fine.
No doubt it will fall off tomorrow now.
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Original equipment such as exhausts and batteries always seem to last very much longer than their eventual replacements.
My VW Bora, registered in November 1999, still sports the original exhaust and battery.
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What\'s for you won\'t pass you by
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If you use a car mainly for short journeys, the exhaust will rot through a lot quicker as it doesn't get warm enough to dry out the moisture inside caused by the cat converting all the nasty stuff into H20.
Prior to the introduction of the Catalytic converter, exhausts used to last a lot longer.
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Approx 1 pint of water is produced for every gallon of fuel used if I remember correctly. This was true of before cat vehicles too. Its an acidic content too so very aggresive on metal !
But agree if vehicle is used for short journeys so this water doesnt evaporate etc then all exhausts will rot from inside out quicker than outside in.
If vehicle is used for regular long distance exhausts will last for many years .
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As above - cold short runs will not help the life of an exhaust.
I think Honda gaurantee their stainless pipes for 8 years so would expect normal life to be between 8 & 10+ for a stainless - although have seen lifetime warranty advertised.
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The Astra exhaust has just been changed - original one had lasted since May ´99. It had been wired up to the subframe and chassis for the last year though to stop the back box pulling it cleanoff :-)
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The original factory fit exhaust on my old 405 managed to get to 7 years old before needing replacing, after that they didn't last 18 months even if you fitted OE stuff on it.
Was still on the original cat though at 10 years old & that surprised the mot tester, stuck a new lambda sensor in only because it was a bargain for a sealed Bosch unit of Ebay £10 & as the original was 10 years old I thought it was worth treating it to a new one.
The factory fitted exhaust failed at just 3 years old on my 206, had a custom stainless steel system made for it, 206 exhausts are well know in the trade for rotting out.
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<< although have seen lifetime warranty advertised>>
"Lifetime warranty" are weasel words. Lifetime is usually deemed to be the lifetime of the component or tool- so essentialy meaningless.
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Transit Diesel with 2.5 litre non-turbo engine did just on 70,000 miles in 6 years before the original equipment exhaust needed the front pipe changing, but the rest of the system is still OK (no cat fitted).
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<< although have seen lifetime warranty advertised>> "Lifetime warranty" are weasel words. Lifetime is usually deemed to be the lifetime of the component or tool- so essentialy meaningless.
Quite a few years ago I bought an exhaust with one of these warranties from a big chain of exhausts / tyre cos.
The proviso was that it applied all the time I owned the car.
As I "run em into the ground" I had a further two exhausts fitted so it was a really good deal.
I guess they bank on people changing their cars very frequently.
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Exhausts on diesel vehicles generally last far longer than those fitted to their petrol engined counterparts. This can represent a significant cost saving in addition to all the other benefits of a good diesel, taken over a vehicle lifespan.
Peugeot 106D 9 years on original system apart from back box, replaced recently.
659.
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Prior to the introduction of the Catalytic converter, exhausts used to last a lot longer.
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Err no Dave. If you look at aftermarket sales of exhaust components, volumes have gone down considerably in the last ten years overall mainly due to better construction and materials. The average OE system now will last at least 6 years. Same goes for shock absorbers.
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My wife's 1995 306 1.8 Sedan only needed the exhaust replacing for the first time last year; 11 years of usage, and even then failure was of a solitary weld; knock any part of the exhaust with a spanner and it "rang" nicely, no lacey ferrous oxide in sight. Fitted a genuine Pug system as replacement and a year on it is showing no signs of surface corrosion; it looks like it was fitted yesterday, so omens are good that it is of decent quality too.
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Nissan Sunny's system lasted 9 years. Fast Fit replacement 18 months before it was blowing again.
Hyundai Accent was 6 years and counting when I wrote it off. Had a look at it at the last service, barely any rust on it at all.
I would suggest that if the car is used regularly and gets plenty of decent runs, I'd be disappointed if it didn't last at least five years, and preferably a lot more than that.
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Replaced at 8.5 years on my MB E320 Coupé -- the joints were going, but the boxes looked fine. I know that car was not used much during its first four years before I acquired it. However, the exhaust on my Golf VR6 was still going strong when I sold it 10 years after I bought it new, and that one had too many short trips during its early years when my partner at the time had primary use of it. I nevertheless agree that short trips must shorten the life of exhaust components.
My Capri 2.8i system lasted 20 years and 63k. However, that includes an interval of 14 years when it was not in use.
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I read an idea on this forum some time ago about drilling a 1mm hole in the exhaust boxes to let condensation out. I did this and its amazing at the amount of water that drains out. The hole is so small that its almost invisible and doesn't blow exhaust. It can easily be filled with a bit of something come inspection time, then cleared again. You have to drill carefully and slowly though. 1mm bits are very easy to break. Drilll at the lowest point obviously.
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That's exactly the modification Peugeot has done to the 206 exhaust systems, except they rot out even quicker now.
The system has a designed in water trap so it rots away merrily
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All the motorbikes I've ever owned have had a small hole at the lowest part of the exhaust system to allow water to drain out. On my Honda CB125TDC one of the holes blocked up on the twin exhaust. Guess which side rotted out and had to be replaced.
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SWMBO's Pegeot 106 diesel is on its original backbox after 13 years. The rest of the system was not so durable: mid section lasted 10 years and front pipe 12 years.
madf
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All the motorbikes I've ever owned have had a small hole at the lowest part of the exhaust system to allow water to drain out. On my Honda CB125TDC one of the holes blocked up on the twin exhaust. Guess which side rotted out and had to be replaced.
A common trick to do to Rover P6 backboxes was to drill a small hole at the lowest point. I did this to one I owned and about half a pint of rusty water came out. No wonder they didn't last long.
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