LS430 Exhaust Blow

[DaKa]

I can hear a blow at low revs from my exhaust on my 2001 LS430.

It's almost certainly going to be an MOT issue when it is due the start of April 2018.

There is an exhaust specialist near me 'Pipecraft' based in Basildon who I have used before on my classic cars, but they are always too busy!

Therefore, I've taken a £157 punt on a system from eBay sourced from Poland for both sides and I wondered if anyone on the forum has done likewise? My plan is to get the specialist to fit them.

[cruisermark]

Hi

yes one member bought one recently - if you look for a thread entitled ls430 bug in the exhaust - he was quite happy with it - I have also made a note and if mine ever needs doing then I will be buying one aswell - I just wonder how long the chrome lasts on the tips?

btw what mileage is yours at and is it the back boxes which are gone?

 

[GrahamG]

Is the Polish exhaust stainless steel?

[cruisermark]

Quote from the advert:

"

PRODUCT DESCRIPTION:

 

- Replacement piece (equivalent to the original piece)

- High Quality

- Well muted. Our muffler are silent.

- Made of High Quality Germany aluminum - coated steel, manufactured by Thyssen Krupp
- All items that we sell are brand new

- 2 Years Warranty"

 

[DaKa]

Yes this look the same description - here's the link:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Exhaust-Rear-Silencer-Muffler-LEXUS-LS-430-4-3-V8-32V-00-06r-PAIR-L-R-Duplex/112343548826

My view was that at that price I can afford a mistake!

 

[DaKa]

P.S. My mileage is circa 130,000 and I've owned the car since 83,000 for the last circa 11 years.

[cruisermark]

The original thread is above

Going by the mileage mine has not got long to go at 140k miles

[bobjol]

One of the back boxes on my ( 05 ) LS430 started to blow recently.  My local garage suggested I replace both back boxes due to the age of the car (95,000 miles). They said they were happy to fit any exhaust part for me, as it was a straightforward job.  They also suggested that I source two new rear height control linkage sub assemblies as the current ones were showing signs of deterioration and may collapse and cause a sunken rear suspension. Had trouble finding new linkages and eventually sourced a couple of genuine parts in USA at a reasonable price.  They are only 100mm long and weigh 160g together. It took 14 days for the small package to arrive.

Decided to go for the two rear exhaust systems from Poland as mentioned on this post.  I had read about this supplier on earlier posts and decided to go for it.  A well wrapped package arrived from Poland within seven days of ordering, and it weighed about 25kg, and that's delivery to Scotland !!    I will get the parts fitted some time next week

[DaKa]

German made exhaust bought through Polish supplier (eBay link above £150) arrived Monday and I'm getting it fitted by Pipe Craft based near me in Basildon Essex.

The packaging could have been a little better (e.g. some bubble wrap on the silencers) but aside from a few inconsequential scratches dents it looks like a quality pair of exhausts to exacting LS430 specifications.

Fitting will be a breeze providing the old one separates!

That's why I'm using a specialist to fit as they have the joiners needed if the pipes have to be cut.

Will update once complete with time/effort/costs and ease of fitting.

 

[cruisermark]

I would be interested in some picturs of the fitted exhaust particularly the chrome tips as i want to compare them with the existing set up please.

[DaKa]

Exhaust now fitted, and for an after-market item the fit was pretty good, just 25 mm too long perhaps meaning that the exhaust specialist trimmed a similar amount from the flange on the exhaust pipe on the car as shown below.

My LS430 did not have chrome tips, just as shown in the second image - just a minor adjustment for alignment done after the picture was taken.

I just want to take a moment to convey to forum members that Pipecraft (exhaust specialists based in Basildon - Dean and assistant) are simply awesome. They listened to my needs and concerns and got the old system off and the new one on, now better than new in about an hour.

They have done work for me before a few years back on an old classic car and they have the tools and skills to custom build whatever you need.

Buying this imported part was indeed the right decision as  my old box had indeed holes on the top of the rear silencers (impossible to spot from underneath) and the inner contents of the near side rear silencer were shot and rattling about.

The cost to buy and fit here was minimal and I can only suggest that members with an exhaust problem of any type on any car get themselves down there and experience experts at work - contact them on 01268 285535 if needed (I promise that I'm not on commission) but good service and cheaper alternatives need recommendation.

 

[bobjol]

My LS430 is booked in tomorrow (Friday) to have both rear sections replaced. Will post a report on the outcome over the weekend.

[DaKa]

I hope that you are as pleased as I was today.

Basically, the dirty end of the tapered exhaust on the car (shown in the picture above) needed circa 25 mm cut off it to make for a better fit where the bend in the new pipe just before the silencer was a bit too close to the car.  

[cruisermark]

14 hours ago, bobjol said:

My LS430 is booked in tomorrow (Friday) to have both rear sections replaced. Will post a report on the outcome over the weekend.

Hi Bob

Hope it all goes well - can you please take some pictures of the chrome pipes once fitted (since you have a facelift 430) - just want to see how they compare - also want your opinion on the exhaust noise under normal local driving condition - many thanks

[DaKa]

From my point of view the noise level on the new system is very quiet and compares with the original - obviously much quieter now that the blow previously heard particularly at low revs in the driveway (sound bouncing of the house wall) has been eliminated.  

[rz1c13]

Glad to see you guys getting on well with that. Since I changed mine and created the post about the "bug in the exhaust" everything is fine. The new Polish exhaust on my LS will be 1yr old in June.

The actual boxes are made on request and welded in Poland from sheets of alluminum coated steel imported from Germany. I do actually know the owner.

I didn't have to cut anything, it all fitted perfectly straight from the box, and nothing is sticking out. What might have helped though, was that I measured the old boxes best as I could and sent that to them with a ton of pictures. Just a note that my LS has the end pipe straight, as opposed to the pre 2004 that is slightly bent downwards.

Btw, I will have a few more questions about other stuff such as air suspension, so I'll start a separate topic soon. Hope I could get some more info/help.

[bobjol]

Hi All,

Eventually got my rear exhaust sections fitted yesterday. Would have been sooner but got snowed in for a week.  The LS430 is ok in snow using the Snow setting as long as you get some momentum and it will drive fine, but if someone in front slows down, you lose your forward motion then its a no go situation.  Past experience has taught me to leave car at home in snowy conditions.

Got the car to my local garage with replacement exhausts still in original wrapping spread across seats, so no idea what they looked like.  Had to leave car with them so they could fit in  with other customers. The garage is only a 2 man and his dog business, but used them before to my satisfaction.

Picked up the car late Friday afternoon and the fitter wanted to speak to me. He asked how much I paid for the twin system?  Told him it was £150 which included 7 day delivery from Poland. The expression on his face said it all-----"You have bought a great exhaust system at a good price". He commented on the quality and the good coating and said it was easy to fit with no modifications required.   BUT !!!!  Both tail pipes do not fit centrally in the arches of the rear bumper....they are offset slightly, but still fit into the gap. He was able to fit the old chrome tailpipe surrounds to the new exhausts.  As my car is now 13 years old this was not a problem to me as its only a cosmetic change.

Thanks to all members for their interest and advice.

[rz1c13]

8 minutes ago, bobjol said:

BUT !!!!  Both tail pipes do not fit centrally in the arches of the rear bumper..

yes, this is precisely (off centre) how it ended up on mine. It looks a bit worse comparing to the original IMHO, but.... I just wanted to get the car back on the road rather than investing time to do the necessary mods to make it look like the original.

Good luck and enjoy.

[bobjol]

Forgot to mention that Garage said the old back boxes were original but nearing end of life. They asked me about both back boxes showing a large cutout and reinstatement being carried out sometime in the past on the underside section. It was nothing I knew about, but reminded me about previous posts where a spring flap on the inner wall of back box was subject to corrosion.

This old repair may be linked to that problem where an attempt was made to free the rusted flaps. Last year I had error codes coming up occasionally telling me catalyst problems, and I cleared them, but they reappeared now and again. I was told to floor the throttle when starting up and it cured the problem. 

My local garage wanted £20 for fitting the exhausts, but I disagreed with them and ended up paying £30.

[DaKa]

I gave feedback to the eBay seller about the minor adjustments needed to make the fit perfect and they acknowledged saying that they would contact the manufacturer.

They are indeed a great price - the custom exhaust specialist that I used to fit mine advised me that for them, to make the same twin system, it would have been minimum £300 + vat.

 

[rz1c13]

On 11/03/2018 at 9:44 AM, DaKa said:

the custom exhaust specialist that I used to fit mine advised me that for them, to make the same twin system, it would have been minimum £300 + vat.

Well, definitely the cost of life in the UK is much higher than in Poland, therefore the price difference IMHO.

[dendonc]

On 2/23/2018 at 3:38 PM, cruisermark said:

by Thyssen Krupp

Krupps are a very good quality German manufacturer, they used to make guns & other armaments, in WW2 USAAF lost 650 men (22%) in two raids attempting to destroy the Krupps works facilities at Schweinfurt.