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could have to do with the cat, but more likely they needed to twist the pipe a different way befor tightening it up. once the cat is on you'll have a better chance of getting it up there. Without actually standing under the car, its a tough call, even w/ pics.

Yeah, I had to just reach my arm under there and snap wildly to get any pictures.

Alright well, thanks for the help. I'll go in tomorrow first thing with my stock cat and tell them they need to reinstall the system while I'm there so I can watch what they're doing.

And then this is the last time I take my car to this self-advertised "performance shop"

-Tim

Ok, I just spoke with the mechanic. He tried to give me the song and dance, but I wouldn't take it. In the end he agreed to remove the additional pipe (turns out they didn't cut the exhaust system... whew) and install whatever CAT I brought him, be it the stock one or a hi flow cat, free of charge.

So I just ordered a magnaflow/carsound high flow cat, and I'll have them put it in while I wait. So I can watch them do the work.

-Tim

That's pretty lame. They used clamps? I had my whole exhaust custom done and every single damned joint was welded and it took them all of an hour.

Yeah, suffice to say I'm not going back to these guys after this.

In fact, I'm considering not even going back to them to fix this. I may just take the new cat to a new shop and say "look, these idiots f*cked this up here, here and here. Can you do it right?"

I mean technically everything is mounted. All they really have to do is remove that p.o.s. extension, and fit in the cat.

-Tim

It may be a good idea to take it somewhere else, but I still feel these morons owe you something. If you do take it back to the same place, make sure it's the last time you go there, bro!

That's why I do my own exhaust. I just finished welding up the y-pipe for my pacesetter headers to my exhaust & removed the cat. I'll be posting pics real soon!!!

If I had the materials I would gladly have done my exhaust myself.

I do feel these idiots owe me something, but I'm just not sure it's worth the risk of letting them touch my beloved car again. Money really isn't that big of an issue to me, so I would rather take it somewhere else and just pay for the labor, than have these guys do it for free.

It's a peace of mind sort of deal

Hopefully I can find a decent shop this time.

-Tim

wow, thats just idiotic!

They just welded the piping straight to the flange?!

s---, u should've specified that you wanted them to fabricate a flange so you could remove the header downpipe. now you have this long-a-- downpipe peice that is going to be very difficult to remove.

IMO u should take it somewhere else. have them weld a cat in with TWO flanges, one on each end. Will cost you a pretty penny though. My local shop, which is pretty cheap in comparison to otehrs, charges $10 per flange on top of the tubing. I paid $250 + tax installed for them to weld up flanges & install all of my stuff. Basically a flange on the universal cat immediately after the header downpie (i installed the headers before driving to the shop...downpipe just hanging under car). Flange after cat going to a strip of pipe. That same strip of pipe had a resonator I bought welded into it. The pipe ends at the axle-back and has anotehr flange for a shorter pipe that goes over the axle. Then that pipe ends w/a flange to my titanium muffler. 2.5" piping was used in teh whole thing & they did a pretty good job fitting it all.

In fact, I'm considering not even going back to them to fix this.

Take it somewhere else for sure. You'll feel better about it. Otherwise it will always be in the back of your mind, niggling away, that your exhaust is second rate. Yes it may cost a bit more for doing the job twice but you won't care in 6 months time.

Just had my cat back redone at the same shop that did it before(I worked there for 4 years). When I lowered my car it was too low, so it had to be fixed. When I first had it done, it cost me $100+muffler from one mechanic there. Today it cost me $45 dollars from a different guy and the work is 30 million times better!!! It could be just the shop in general, but IMO, it all comes down to the mechanic.

Gro Harlem wrote:wow, thats just idiotic!

They just welded the piping straight to the flange?!

s---, u should've specified that you wanted them to fabricate a flange so you could remove the header downpipe. now you have this long-a-- downpipe peice that is going to be very difficult to remove.

No, they didn't. There is a flange at the beginning of the catback system that meets up with the flange at the end of the header downpipe. The flanges are bolted together, but I can see how it looks differently in that picture. But there are two flanges there.

So the magnaflow cat that I got just has open ended piping... you suggest having a place weld flanges onto either side?

They're going to have to cut the exhaust down a but, to fit in the cat, so it will be two flanges on the cat, plus a new flange at the beginning of the exhaust. Am I right?

And no, I'm not going to even bother going back to the original place. Screw em.

-Tim

welding new fanges on the cat and if need be the pipe when it gets cut down, would be the proper way to do things. Any decent exhaust shop should have tons of universal application flanges. Hope it works out this time...

Why bother with the flanges? Just have them weld it straight to your exhaust system. A flange is just something else to leak down the road.

so you can remove it down the road.

Having your headers welded to your cat, welded to your main pipe welded to your muffler is just ghetto.

You will have to CUT the s--- to get it off if you ever want to swap out the headers, cat or muffler.

My exhaust is almost a year old now and its not leaking at all. I got a silencer that i put in my muffler that clogs the hell out of the system and I don't hear any leaks. its actually quieter than it was stock w/the silencer.