Any Wisdom on OEM-type Catbacks?

[billr99]

40K kms or 3 years ago, I ended up having to replace the original exhaust on my '02 XC. Looking at pricing and never really having problems with any replacement exhausts over the years, I went with a Bosal intermediate pipe and a Starla rear muffler as the cheapest overall setup. As far as I am aware, both Starla and Bosal are Walker subsidiaries and Walker used to be, and may still be, the OEM supplier of North American, at least, exhausts so I was reasonably confident of decent performance and reliability. I wish that had been the case. Back in August, the rear muffler rusted thru the weld where the inlet pipe meets the case of the muffler. I had that fixed by a local shop that replaced the whole inlet pipe. Now the Bosal intermediate pipe has rusted thru the weld at the flange where it meets up with the downpipes/cat. I realize that basically naked mild steel sitting in sea air 7/24 is going to rust but the thickness of the pipe stock used by Bosal/Starla is thin; apparently, way too thin to survive very long in my environment. In addition, the vibration that the whole system has to deal with running over the roads I drive on just fatigues the metal at the joins causing it to crack when those joins have rusted as they have.

The right answer, maybe, is to go straight Volvo-labelled replacement, but at about a 30% premium over US pricing plus 15% sales tax, that takes a OEM system to close to $1000. That is half the value of the car which BTW actually still works pretty well. So at a loss as to how to proceed, I place the question before the community here as to suggestions. I'm pondering whether a custom built system might be a better price/reliability option but am concerned by fit and sound when finally done. Anyway, any helpful suggestions?

Thanks in advance for any words of wisdom.

Cheers,

Bill

[Astro14]

Bill, I just saw an ad in an e-mail from IPD. While really pricey, they are selling a performance downpipe and cat back system now. You might check their website as performance systems tend to be stainless...and decent quality stainless...

[JRL]

EST touring exhaust

[Antherzoll]

The factory system is mandrel bent and 2.25" mild steel, any decent muffler shop can fab up a system with crush bends and mild steel for cheap. SS and mandrel bends increase the price, but by then it may be a better option to go with the EST touring.

[billr99]

Thanks, guys for the feedback. In regard to the EST system, what kind of material is used in the welds? In both the OEM, Starla and Bosal pipes, it was the welds that went first with the pipes and canisters still looking pretty reasonsable. The problem was that even trying to fix the breaks just seemed to promote more rusting in the same areas right at the joins. Then with the jolting from the roads, the pipes would snap again.

It's actually an interesting engineering problem as it just isn't Volvo exhausts that have the problem here. Guess that's one of the reasons that VW states that Nova Scotia is one of the worst environments for rust in the world. Aluminized pipe means next to nothing here and even lesser grades of stainless don't hold up as you would expect.

Thanks again,

Bill