I am about to take delivery of a new diesel Ford Transit with the 140 PS engine and this vehicle like my previous Transits has an aluminiumised exhaust system fitted.
I have had my earlier unturbocharged diesel Transit for 6 years from new and the exhaust has lasted well, with only the front pipe requiring to be changed (last year). There is little rust and the aluminium coating is mostly in place.
Looking under more modern turbocharged Transits the exhaust pipes are much rustier than mine and I wonder why this should be, is it due to greater heat, or poorer materials?
What I would like to know is, are there any materials, such as aluminium tape that I could wrap around the new exhaust so as to prolong its life? Any ideas?
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Yeras ago I use to coat new exhausts in heatproof aluminium paint, but it never made much difference as they rust from the inside, not outside. They are much better now anyway. I would make sure it hangs well with no stess, and that is about all you can do. If it goes 6-7 years, that's OK.
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You CAN do something.
(I had experience in after market exhausts..)
Most pipes have a welded seam along the length. Rust froms here... easily visible seam as the aluminising is broken.
All welded joints at joins to brackets rust due to welding heat breaking down/removing the aluminised cover.
Wire brush when new and apply heatproof paint and check every 2-3 years and repeat.
Internal corrosion? Can't do anything.
I practise what I preach. Wife's 106 rear box is original (14 years old) Front pipe and mid section replaced at 12 years..
Did same to all cars I own.. costs about £1-£2 and 20 minutes on a ramp or over a pit.
madf
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Dear madf, can you let me know what sort of paint you used?
Thanks ......... spospe
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>Spospe
I use Carplan HeatProof Aluminium paint.
(It's cheap, lasts about 2 years. The VHT paints are much more expensive.. and last about 2 years:-)
madf
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Proper grade stainless steel. Fit it once, forget about it.
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Thanks madf
A stainless steel exhaust costs quite a bit of extra money and it would be difficult for me to justify throwing away a perfectly good new system in order to replace it with another; all I want to do is prolong its life as much as possible as cheap as possible.
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A stainless steel exhaust costs quite a bit of extra money and it would be difficult for me to justify throwing away a perfectly good new system in order to replace it with another;
This is why eBay was invented!
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Diesel exhausts last longer than petrol in my experience , suppose its the condo, or lack o,f in the in the fuel. my VW van exhaust lasted ten years no trouble- never had a petrol last longer than six( original) and teh replacements are always thinner.
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Avoid short runs - everything needs to get upto full operating temperature on a regular basis to evaporate all the condensation in the exhaust. Painting would be futile because exhausts tend to rot from the inside out. As someone's already said, stainless steel is the best option.
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My advice is based on reality: no change of exhaust (defeats the purpose!!), short runs are a fact of life, modern good OE systems use some s/s in internals but the weakest parts are the welds in pipes and all joints.
You can do nothing about short runs or condensation.. you can do something..about welds etc..
When painting you have to repaint every two years or so.. cos it does not last.(as I said already)..
In the end, it's only delay... but if a new exhaust costs £100 and you make it last 7 years instead of 5, that's the equivalent of £40 saved for the outlay of less than £5 on paint...
You could buy a new s/s system for £250 --- yes that makes good economic sense... not:-))
madf
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I thought it was the norm on diesels for exhausts to last at least 7 years, due to the lack of condensation and the presence of unburnt fuel in the exhaust. My dads Passat exhaust lasted over 10 years and this was with mainly short journeys. I would be dissapointed if a diesel exhaust only lasted 6 years due to rust.
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In my opinion, exhaust life varies dramatically but has improved over '90s lifespan and is related to the number of cold starts, rather than time or mileage.
My son and I both have petrol mk4 Astras - mine is 7.5 years old / 94,000 miles, his is 8 / 88,000 - both are still on their original aluminised steel exhausts (I've had mine from new). On both, the outer of the two skins on the rear silencers has corroded through but they're still gastight and pass Mot's.
Exhaust replacement is no longer a significant part of vehicle operating costs - fuel, routine servicing, tyres, brakes etc are all more significant.
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Some years ago I saw adverts for a heat insulating tape that could be wound around the exhaust pipe. The idea behind the tape was that it reduced heat loss from the system and thus kept the exhaust gases moving more quickly and this in turn made for better extraction & more power.
Does anyone have personal experience of this product, does (did?) it work and does it reduce corrosion?
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