ebay exhausts

[Thelongterm]

Few weeks back I fell into a massive pothole where later I had the check vsc eml showing.

Once cleared the EML with TechStream it never showed again, however when inspecting under the car I noticed that the pipe connecting the driver side back box silencer has a fair amount of surface rust.

And just today before going to work I noticed that the back box is now on the floor, sheared off where the back box is connected.

The other side of the Y is in fairly good nick with hardly any surface rust. So few questions to panel:

1. Can the back box get welded  back or is it not worth it considering there is surface rust on that side of the Y.

2. Is back box sections sold on the bay like this one https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/155591919531 are good quality items worth investing in?

 

 

 

[scudney]

Yes they are worth investing in, would personally go for a custom made stainless steel exhaust 

[Linas.P]

Custom made - yes. stainless steel has both positives and negatives, so you need to consider both. Sure stainless will outlast the car, but stainless is not good at suppressing noise, it amplifies it. Now if you want extra noise - fine that is win-win, but if you rather want quiet and comfortable ride then it will be compromise. Besides... arguably even new aluminised steel exhaust will outlast the car by now, unless you planning to drive your car past 30 years old. 

[Thelongterm]

No SS for me, I want it stock and quiet as possible.

Took the car to the local exhaust shop as I trust the old chap, once lifted and had a good look around I concluded that although it was the weld that got broken and there was no internal rust it will be almost impossible to put a weld there as the driver side box flange has very little surface to work on once you clean it up.

So, the main option will be to replace the Y section and boxes with good quality aluminised steel part.

It is about two hours labour at £60 a pop and the part is around £300, agreed £500 with the vat, is that a fair offer?

[Linas.P]

I think you can get pattern replacement part in same aluminised steel for ~£300. The quality of welds probably will not be as good. If the guy is making the exhaust from scratch then yes it seems the cost of £500 is reasonable.

In short - you can get it cheaper and maybe £50 for fitting, but it will not be as good quality. If your mechanic as good as you say he is then for £500 you will pay more but get better quality exhaust.

[McShmoopy]

The funny thing is that this exact thing has happened to me, unfortunately mine broke off altogether and my rear bumper took some damage. I did see this on eBay from the same seller and have put it in my watch list but I do need to get around to sorting this. I may drop him a message and see what he says about availability. 

 

[Thelongterm]

The odd thing about the exaust on these cars is that rust didn't form inside, just surface rust.

The first comment from the shop owner when he looked at the departed box was 'oh ye, seen these few times before on this model, and it always the weld that gives up the ghost after many years of service'.

So maybe Lexus of those years produced a very good part from a material point of view, but the weld is of a lesser quality. Real shame it can't be welded back properly. Not from the expense angle but I hate trowing away parts that still have a good bit of life left in.

[Linas.P]

Not really... it is kind of normal for welds to rust. Basically the pipes are aluminised steel specifically because the layer of aluminium does not rust, but on the place where it is welded the aluminium layer is burned trough in the process and they always give way either on the spot where the weld is, or just right next to it.

Same applies to repairs - they can weld the hole, but in 3 months time it is going to blow right next to the weld. To be fair - anything over 10 years for aluminised steel is good going, so I would not blame Lexus manufacturing on it.

[SeanR]

Does anyone know how long an original exhaust can last ?

Mines a 2010 and looks in really good condition. touch wood .

[Thelongterm]

Mine is a 2007 55k and generally just surface rust in the middle section. Like Linas said, age of the weld will play a role in answering the question.

I'd say the back boxes are fairly heavy if I compare it to other cars I previously owned, maybe this is another element?

[Spark plug]

This happened to me and a local welder, welded it back on for £60 and welded the rear mount which was broke off as well. He made a good job of it 

[Thelongterm]

On the balance of previous eBay acquisitions decided eventually not to go for something out of the bay and searched for a UK based OEM fabrication.

My choice was a quite aluminised steel unit with limited welds fabricated with mandrel bending.

The car doesn't sound the same as it was on the original unit, there is a deep low purring when idling from cold, but all becomes as quiet as the original once you drive it a few miles. Interesting and subtle tone which I really don't mind.

thumbs up to the manufacture GT Exhausts in Enniskillen for making such high quality product.

The part was £280 and fitting was another £200.

[cruisermark]

my 55 plate 430 is on its original exhaust at 165k miles🤞

[Thelongterm]

Few observations about the new GT back-end exhaust section:

• Compared with the stock section removed, this is lighter by about five kg.
• The back section gets warmer much quicker compared with the stock
• Engine temp gets to average temp much faster. My usual morning ride of six miles barely got the needle moving on the stock pipe. Now it's in the middle of the gage after three miles.
• Maybe it's in my head, but the gearbox is more responsive. Hoping to improve this a bit further with an up-and-coming fluid change (no record anywhere that this was ever done).
• Tad more aggressive note when the engine is warming up.
• Round tips instead of the elliptical stock. Not sure I like the look of these, but it's a minor issue.

[McShmoopy]

Bit late but I managed to finally get my new exhaust fitted from eBay, for the most part the fitter was very pleased with it as it was a perfect fit however t did need two clamps as it didn’t come with one! Bit sportier and sounds a bit meaner so can’t complain and looks good, got that placebo effect where the car feels faster but that could just be me!

linked the exhaust I ended up with, figured chrome tips looks more OEM

 

 

 

[Vintagesixtysix]

Same story for mine….

Literally a week before the first lock down on a short local trip lost the offside rear box sheared at the pipe.

It was in near perfect condition with only a line of surface rust on the box seam.

Yes they are a real lump, several kgs in weight. 

Took it to my indie and he gave it a quick clean on the weld looked at a couple of internal sleeves but decided that it wouldn’t hold…. He also mentioned the weight.

So at nearly 16 years old and 130k miles can’t complain…I figured time to replace.

Due to lock down looming and not knowing how that was going to pan out I made the decision to go for a mild steel rear section and with an eBay voucher it cost £148.

I ordered new spring bolts ( Toyota £14 lol) and hangers (generic).

Labour £35…. Original bolts came off like butter with a quick spray apparently much to his surprise.

The alignment was pretty poor to be fair with the tail pipes being slightly out. Noise/ note levels pretty similar to OEM.

The alignment finally niggled at me so looked how to get it sorted. 

I decided to get a custom SS piece made for the Y section ( a known week point) which I already had a small well done on the flange of the mid section.

It allowed a full alignment also.

Mid section then started blowing at the flanges onto the headers around another 12 months later ( the next weakest point I guess after fixing the back) I left it to within a month of its MOT.

I replaced that with Online Automotive

part including new cats.

£100 labour which was a bit of shame as they literally had to cut the sensors out the old exhaust.

I cashed in the old cats on my EMR scrap account for £95 so that covered it off.

Noise and tone a little throaty compared to OEM but not too obtrusive in the cabin.

I guess like everything age of your IS, budget, desired noise, total investment etc …. You pays your money and takes your choice.
 

Hope helps someone in their decision making.

* prices correct at time of repair 😁

[Domin007]

@McShmoopy

Do you have a video of the sound with this exhaust? 

My right back box fell off the other day and its either one of them, £770 OEM or custom made, so I just wondered how loud this one is? Louder is fine, droney is not!

[McShmoopy]

On 7/25/2023 at 4:26 PM, Domin007 said:

@McShmoopy

Do you have a video of the sound with this exhaust? 

My right back box fell off the other day and its either one of them, £770 OEM or custom made, so I just wondered how loud this one is? Louder is fine, droney is not!

I don’t think it’s too droney it’s definitely more pronounced and louder in the cabin but as an f sport vehicle I think this was always the case comparing it to my mums SE-L 

[McShmoopy]

On 7/21/2023 at 10:24 PM, McShmoopy said:

Bit late but I managed to finally get my new exhaust fitted from eBay, for the most part the fitter was very pleased with it as it was a perfect fit however t did need two clamps as it didn’t come with one! Bit sportier and sounds a bit meaner so can’t complain and looks good, got that placebo effect where the car feels faster but that could just be me!

linked the exhaust I ended up with, figured chrome tips looks more OEM

 

 

 

Sorry guys just realised that’s the wrong exhaust I got! This is the one I actually ended up buying