Is it worth patching a whole in my Exhaust or buying a new one?

Question

The hole is on the bend half way down the car. Only half a centimeter in diameter at the moment.

Answer 1

Patching it is only temporary. The shear heat of the exhaust will eventually break it loose. The way you describe it is that it is the pipe that has the hole and not the muffler itself. If your exhaust pipe is not too corroded then they can just weld the hole up. I think they can also cut up the corrode section of the pipe and weld in the new section. Go to a couple muffler shops and ask around.

Answer 2

I would suggest speaking to your local garage. Patching can be OK, but if a bracket holding the exhaust in place is broken, then a repair may only last a few day's.

Ask around at different exhaust fitters, and get quotes. I'm not allowed to give you names but be kwik!

If your car has a warranty, it may be worth checking this.

Also, I will mention, that sometimes it can work out cheaper to replace the whole exhaust, rather than just one section.

Hope this helps you..

Answer 3

I would recommend replacement to avoid dealing with it again in the near future . Plus you can have the rest of it examined for possible problems at the same time . I just had a resonator muffler and the regular one replaced for 132.00 . The parts at autozone sold for 49.99 each so the labor was cheap and they welded instead of using clamps which loosen after a time . Quality muffler was the dealer I used , I'm not sure if it is a franchise muffler shop or not .

Answer 4

I'd say to patch it. It should get you through the winter, which is when the exhaust system is exposed to the worst elements. The old "cutting up a tin can and holding the piece on with a couple of hose clamps" trick will only cost you a few bucks, and will stand up pretty well. Then replace it next spring. That's sure to gain you another year's life on the new one.

Answer 5

Exhaust leaks are dangerous, and can introduce carbon monoxide into the vehicle. Once a hole forms, you can pretty much bet you have rust going on and more holes are to follow. For safety it's probably best to fore go the patching and just get the needed components replaced.

Answer 6

Depends on the car. Typically, if you have an old beater or something that you're not going to keep, get it patched.

If it's something you're going to hang on to, you have a little money set aside, and it could stand a horsepower upgrade, go with a new custom exhaust system - go headers back! Get the OEM manifold replaced with shorty headers, get a new pipe back to high-flow cats, and get a new muffler (like Borla or Flowmaster or Bassani, or something like that). The car will sound better, you'll see a noticible horsepower gain, and it will become more fuel efficient as well.

Good luck!

Answer 7

If the rest of your exhaust is still in pretty good shape, I would probably try to weld up the hole, or maybe use a little JB Weld if you can't do that. If it looks like it's starting to rust through in some places and the tubing walls are getting thin, I would probably replace the whole system.

Answer 8

If it's that small you should be able to patch it. That will only work for a short while. Try and get someone to weld it. Any muffler store can do that for you. No they shouldn't try and sell you an exhaust. Depending on where the hole is of course.

Answer 9

It does make you wonder why manufacturers do not fit stainless exhausts in the first place.
Ah, but then there would be no exhaust suppliers & fitters.
It is a massive con to rip the motorist off.
Patch will only be temporary, so buy a stainless next time !

Answer 10

I have had the very same problem. I tried putty, a patch and tape (Hermatite is the brand that specialise in this sort of thing), but nothing worked. I still sounded like a boy racer with fumes coming in through my window. Best to get it replace i think.