53 plate KA exhaust issue

Ellejmorgan

Hi everyone..

I bought my 53 plate KA in September, the back bit of the exhaust was new...
Have done around 3,000 miles in it exhaust sounds really raspy..sounds to me like a hole somewhere...


Wheres the best place to take it and how much am I looking at ??

Stigy

Ellejmorgan wrote: »

Hi everyone..

I bought my 53 plate KA in September, the back bit of the exhaust was new...
Have done around 3,000 miles in it exhaust sounds really raspy..sounds to me like a hole somewhere...


Wheres the best place to take it and how much am I looking at ??

Any fast fit place will do it for around £50 all inclusive, although they might try and flog you brakes, shocks, tyres and a service while you're there! Any decent garage will do it for around the same price. I took my Fiesta to a local garage and had the whole system from behind the cat replaced for £94.

Ellejmorgan

Also should they be replacing the whole thing or certain sections..
It is quite loud now and I think it will drop if I leave it...

Stigy

Ellejmorgan wrote: »

Also should they be replacing the whole thing or certain sections..
It is quite loud now and I think it will drop if I leave it...

Most exhausts come in sections for ease of fitting etc, but Ford have been known to fit a single unit from the cat back to the rear silencer. I'd imagine this was largely so dealers could charge through the roof to fit whole systems when only the middle or rear requires attention. On some Fiestas this was the case, although the rear axle was fitted at the factory after the exhaust, meaning you had to cut the old exhaust anyway, and fit a new one in two parts. Certainly if it's one piece, the auto-factors the garage use will stock it in sections as a default so don't worry. Might mean a bit more in labour of the garage has to get an air chisel on the old unit though!

s_b

exhaust might have broken on the cat before the flange
very popular
you could buy a repair flange but suppliers seem to have stopped doing them so you need a new cat
a proper independant can most likely do a proper weld if it is here though so be aware before you get dropped for a 2er

Ellejmorgan

s_b wrote: »

exhaust might have broken on the cat before the flange
very popular
you could buy a repair flange but suppliers seem to have stopped doing them so you need a new cat
a proper independant can most likely do a proper weld if it is here though so be aware before you get dropped for a 2er

I don't know much about cars can you explain this please

forgotmyname

Unless your going to crawl under the car to inspect the exhaust just take it to the nearest exhaust centre before it drops off and leaves you stranded or the fumes kill you.

Strider590

Probably just a loose exhaust clamp/bracket......

Ellejmorgan

forgotmyname wrote: »

Unless your going to crawl under the car to inspect the exhaust just take it to the nearest exhaust centre before it drops off and leaves you stranded or the fumes kill you.

Bit harsh it's stood right now I have asked where to take it, you haven't answered the question....

jbainbridge

When I was in your position I went to Kwikfit. They lifted it up and showed me that both the mid and back sections of the exhaust needed replacing - for an Astra it was around £220. I thanked them for their time and rang round - a small independant did it for £120.

Joe_Horner

Ellejmorgan wrote: »

I don't know much about cars can you explain this please

Working backwards from the engine you have the manifold (bolts to the engine), then a section of pipe (the downpipe), then the catalytic converter (CAT). It's not unusual for exhausts to crack from vibration around where the downpipe joins the CAT but rust-through in this area is fairly unusual because it gets hot very quickly, which tends to drive any water out.

Apparently (sb knows recent models a lot better than I do!) there was a specific repair piece available for this area on the KA, but any half-decent garage should be able to successfully (and permanently) weld a break here as long as it's a stress crack rather than rusted through.