Cheap car exhaust off ebay, will I regret it?

The Back box has all but fallen off the OH’s Fiesta (it’s held on by the rubber mount and some good will).

Ebay and other aftermarket sites have back boxes for £32 and centre sections for £26.

Ford ones are about £200

I’m not expecting miracles for £50, a couple of years would do. I can’t imagine we’ll keep it much longer than that, and at 12 years old it’s next owner will probably be 17 and wrap it round a tree.

Prudent money saving, or a whole world of grief?

Don’t buy a ford one, well overpriced.
Nothing wrong with pattern parts, although ebay might be risky in quality.
Have you tried a middle ground like euro car parts?

Just ring your local exhaust specialist for a quote. Probably be somewhere in the middle.

mattyfez
Have you tried a middle ground like euro car parts?

Through trial and error over the years I’ve noticed some ECP stock is twice the price as the exact same product on ebay for half the price.

Well you’ll obviously have to check the price of a particular part..But short answer, yes.
Worth also, as said getting a quote from an independent exhaust centre.

Got one from ebay for my old bus.

Fit is fine, does the job. Will get a few years. SOrted

Galaxy back box from Ford/my garage = £100+, ebay £42 delivered in two days. it’s been on 70k miles now.

Ford part lasted 12 years….. if you aren’t going to keep it that long don’t bother!

Even if you have to fit 2 cheapies in the next couple of years you are still quids in.

Only things to watch with Ebsy / DIY route is that cheap pattern replacements can be a lot noisier. Also removal and refitting of something ferrous that gets hot in a wet and salty environment (oo-er) may be pain….

I bought a back box off eBay. Probably only had the car for less than a year after that. But it was fine. Dead cheap. Easy to fit. And the 2 exhausts I had before that (from a local tyre fitting chain) lasted less than 2 years.

My back box is off eBay

The original lasted 4 years/40k The cars now 10years old and has 110k on clock.

I make that an eBay win

Mine has a cheap ebay stainnless system on it- it was a total pain in the arse to get fitted right, and the exhaust rubbers were pretty poor and started to split after only a few months, but other than that it’s been fine. It was a stopgap til I put a quality system on it but I’ve never bothered.

Got mine from eBay 80k+ ago and still going strong. The rubber mounts lasted less than two years before falling to bits so if you do go down the eBay route use the old rubbers or splash out on some new ones. Or wait for the eBay ones to rot then replace.

You’ll be fine. I approve! 😀

I got a full (inc. downpipe & decat) exhaust for my T4 from ebay, a seller in Poland. £97 delivered. Construction a little crude in places but very solid. One hanger needed trimming slightly – a few seconds with the angle grinder. Fitted well. Hasn’t gone wrong yet. Amazing value for money.

You know those jobs you REALLY wish you hadn’t started?

This is one of them.

1) Remove original back box (nice and easy, it’s held on by rust and a bit of good will)

2) Locate bolts joining exhaust to cat, realise there is absolutely sod all chance of undoing them with any sort of normal tool as they’re inaccessible. Nevermind the pipe itself looks in OK condition, I’ll leave it and just replace the box.

3) Determine that the actual failure was the weld between box and pipe, not the pipe itself. The new back box has about 9″ of pipe attached to it which clamps over the new (or I guess existing) pipe.

4) Realise that like the front and the bolts, there’s no space to get a hacksaw in to cut the pipe to make it short enough.

5) Go looking for angle grinder

6) Realise angle grinder is 160 miles away at mum and dads, along with your Midget with it’s lovely accessible exhaust and stainless bolts, I miss my Midget.

7) Have a cuppa and rant on STW.

Run out of milk now so off to the shops and to ask at the local garage how much to finish the sodding job.

Can you release Exhaust rubbers/clamps further down to the front of the car to drop the back to make it accessible?

Last time i replaced the one on my old 307 i used a pipe adaptor for my recip saw. Made life a lot easier if you can pull it far enough out the way not to start cutting into the car

Exhausts wear out??

Rachel

edit

crap joke

£40 and the garage is going it tomorrow morning. Even though I’m unemployed, the remaining skin on the back of my knuckles along with my sanity is worth that.

Can you release Exhaust rubbers/clamps further down to the front of the car to drop the back to make it accessible?

No, the original exhaust is actually all one piece, the back box is welded to the centre section which is one continuous part all the way to the cat. And it runs inside the crossmembers/subframes so even though it’s only attached at the car it can’t drop down any further than the channel it runs in. I guess in the factory the exhaust must go on first, then the rear subframe go in unless it’s easier than it looks to poke the whole lot through from the back with the bumper removed.

The new one’s in 3 pieces so would be a doddle to fit.

Last time i replaced the one on my old 307 i used a pipe adaptor for my recip saw. Made life a lot easier if you can pull it far enough out the way not to start cutting into the car

I figured there would be a tool like that for the job, either that or one of those tiny air powered cutter/grinders. Even if I had my grinder on me, I’m not sure I’d be comfortable cutting that close to the petrol tank anyway!

edit

crap joke

I LOLedchuckled quietly inside

“I’m not sure I’d be comfortable cutting that close to the petrol tank anyway!“

You can also get chain pipe cutters that wrap around the pipe. Never used one myself but the principle will be the same as the dinky little cutters you use for domestic plumbing:

Grind the clamp ring itself or bolt if accessible and hammer chizel it off then slide the exhaust back or forward to give you enough room to cut where needed.

In your situation (one/two-piece) remember you can drop the whole thing at the downpipe manifold junction and pop it off it’s hangers. There will be a bit of manoeuvring back and forth and cutting required. Grinder (even a cheapo will do) and hacksaw is all you need. Sometimes you will have to half hacksaw a bit, half grind when it’s in a safer position to do so, wallop with a hammer and cold chisel, bend or snap it at a weak point/rusty section/semi cut section. Doesn’t matter what damage you do to the old exhaust as it’s getting replaced so don’t be shy of man handling it 😆

Always get gun application joint sealant not the DIY tub stuff (high temp silicone) Bosal was the trade sealant of choice but for some reason they stopped making it :?. so Autogem (which isn’t as good) now.

Oh and don’t forget new sealing rings (sometimes you can reuse them) at the spring loaded expansion joints i.e. downpipe to manifold junction most common. DIY’ers lose or forget these and then wonder why the exhaust blows like **** 😆

And I don’t mean a junior hacksaw 😉

It’s 1 piece (well it was until the box rusted off), so unless I take it off the cat/manifold there is no movement and if I could get to those bolts whilst lying on my back, I could just fir the new pipe.

One of those situations where I could spend another £40 on a second angle grinder, and still lose half a day lying on the driveway getting covered in crap/sparks. Or hand it over to the garage and they’ll do it on the ramp quicker than I can make a cup of tea.

and they’ll do it on the ramp quicker than I can make a cup of tea.

while fleecing you for having had the temerity to try and save a few quid in the first place…….

1 piece exhaust on a fiesta ? Is it ken blocks gymkhana fiesta ?

1 piece exhaust on a fiesta ? Is it ken blocks gymkhana fiesta ?

Nope, standard on most Fords, I guess it’s easier to build on a production line as it means the whole thing is only 2 bolts.

Although it currently sounds like it without the silencer on it, like an angry god of thunder having his testicles ripped off!

while fleecing you for having had the temerity to try and save a few quid in the first place…….

£40, so I’m still ~£100 in profit Vs kwikfit prices

The real lesson learnt here is, measure once, then fit a cherry bomb.

You said there is a joint at the cat or are you referring to the expansion chamber? Therefore it’s two piece as there will be a short section of downpipe between the cat and the joint at the manifold.

Is the joint at the cat a clamp ring or double clamped sleeve joint which can be cut and forced off on the under side regardless of bolt position.

You can’t reach the downpipe manifold junction with a long extension bar (about 8 quid for a 10″ pro one) or a few extension bars joined together? It’s just two nuts with springs and cupped washers behind them, usually 10 mm which are rarely corroded on because of the dry location next to the engine. That’s the whole exhaust free from the engine.

You can get cheap shit grinders good enough for a few jobs for 15 quid.

No shame in admitting you have given up/haven’t got the tools for the job that’s what professionals are for.

I wouldn’t touch anything car part related off of eBay. I want somewhere where I’ve got comeback for any issues, warranty or damage that part may cause

What will you do if your eBay part fails?

You said there is a joint at the cat or are you referring to the expansion chamber? Therefore it’s two piece as there will be a short section of downpipe between the cat and the joint at the manifold.

The cat is bolted to the manifold and sits behind the engine, it’s not under the car. From there onwards the ford part is all one piece. Yes if you’re being pedantic, it’s not welded to the cat, and that’s probably not welded to the manifold, but the length of the car is 1 piece, not 2 sections of pipe and a back box like most replacements are to allow them to be fitted without taking half the car off.

Is the joint at the cat a clamp ring or double clamped sleeve joint which can be cut and forced off on the under side regardless of bolt position.

Flanged joint with gasket. Can’t tell if they’re coach bolts or studs in the cat but the only way of getting them off is from above (downstream) but whilst under the car (hence the comment about I can’t get at them lying on my back, elbow won’t twist that way). There is no access form above because the engine block itself and the bulkhead are in the way/above it.

You can get cheap shit grinders good enough for a few jobs for 15 quid.

I have grinders and a selection of attachments, it’s just 160miles away as I was rebuilding the Midget and didn’t anticipate needing it this month (that said I’ve needed it three times now as is always the case).

No shame in admitting you have given up/haven’t got the tools for the job that’s what professionals are for.

Ohh there is! This will be the first time I’ve ever taken a car to a garage that wasn’t to fix a problem under warranty (the second will probably follow shortly because the midget’s suspension needs a bit of welding).

What will you do if your eBay part fails?

It’s a £30 bit of aluminised steel pipe and a £30 back box, even if it completely fails to do the very basic job of being aluminised steel pipe I could replace it again and not lose sleep.

Where will it fail? After along day on a Sunday afternoon 50miles from home. How many hours until you got home then?

I’m a tight bugger but on mechanics I don’t muck about.

It won’t fail on your driveway or 50m’s from a garage.

It’s an exhaust pipe Hora, what exactly would the mode of failure be?

It’s either going to rust, or crack. The first is going to happen slow enough (hopefully) that the car’s scrapped before it’s ever a problem. The second, mehhh, drive it home noisily and replace it again.

It’s hardly like tyre and exhaust places are fitting tianium works of art like below, it’ll be the same mandrel bent, seam welded tube as just landed on my doorstep yesterday.

Are you as paranoid about everything in life hora ?

[Quote]I’m a tight bugger but on mechanics I don’t muck about.
It [/quote]

But is that because you feel it does a better job or you don’t understand it ?

For me I’ll go genuine on seals /water pumps / belts and pulleys

The rest I believe there are better options -some more expensive some cheaper. Exhausts fall into the latter. Alloy gear linkages fall into the former.

Exhaust failures rank about bottom in my give a shit ometer.

I’ve had one fail on the road in my life time. I’ve heard them starting to give and I replace them before it’s a n issue

The one that did fail. I bunjied to the underbelly and carried on.

I’m more worried about the custom pipes bends I made for another of my cars to make the pipe exit neater 🙂

I like somewhere with comeback

What comeback are going gonna have in 3-5 years time when it fails ?

I do all my own maintainance as far as I can as even with “comeback,” the effort involved in “comeback” is more effort than just doing it right my self the first time.

and how is having a warranty going to help with the 50 mile drive back once it’s failed.

Some form of comeback, on eBay = none and what quality or QC. Buy wise and buy somewhere you can go back to.

You hardly buy an exhaust every 5mins so why not buy a good one?

I’ll leave you penny pinchers to your devices

hora – Member

Where will it fail? After along day on a Sunday afternoon 50miles from home. How many hours until you got home then?

Probably about 1, depending on traffic conditions.

hora – Member

Some form of comeback, on eBay = none

Rubbish.

thisisnotaspoon – Member

The new one’s in 3 pieces so would be a doddle to fit.

Doddle to get onto the car. Potentially non doddley to get it gastight and all in the right place, not looking stupid or rattling against a subframe or suspension member. They are devious 3d puzzles sometimes.

Plenty of mild steel rubbish available from motor factors, may as well buy it for the cheapest price. Only time I spend more is foe something more specialist like sports or stainless.
Octavia ended up with custom stainless, was cheaper fitted than the pattern part off the shelf due to the 4wd system.

After 3-5years at 30 quid back 200. I’m looking for. No comeback off no ine.

3-5years out a 200 quid exhaust I’d be wanting blood.