Foo - WHAT? Tell me this clerk was lying.

I went to get some of that PB Blaster penetrating oil to help me out a bit with stuck bolts. Anyways, next door was this place "Robins auto parts". Now this store is your performance store. Not just some autozone, they have access to everything. They do automotive machining out back. So I figure if I have a question and am looking for an answer, this is the place to go. Well I have been considering replacing my exhaust system with a full stainless steel setup. The thing is, all of the ones I see are aftermarket, and look obnoxious. A 5" tip is NOT appropriate for a little car like mine. If I drove a mustang or some v8 real sports car, I would say put on the biggest tip I can find and let it be heard.

SO I asked, is there a replacement stock exhaust system that is made from stainless steel? A discrete looking, basic setup. The simple answer
"No".

Then the most disturbing part came. I asked about getting the least intrusive, most discrete, aftermarket stainless setup. He said I'll be looking at probably 400 dollars for a basic. Alright, not awful I guess. Winters here give the undercarriages a beating, and if it lasts for a long time, then it's worth it. But then he mentioned one thing:

It's stainless steel COATED!!! WTF? He paid 675 for his setup, and it's farking coated? He said if I wanted a true stainless setup, it would be a long wait and cost upwards of 1000. Is this true? If it is, I think I am in the wrong business. THe market on these parts is obscene.

I went to get some of that PB Blaster penetrating oil to help me out a bit with stuck bolts. Anyways, next door was this place "Robins auto parts". Now this store is your performance store. Not just some autozone, they have access to everything. They do automotive machining out back. So I figure if I have a question and am looking for an answer, this is the place to go. Well I have been considering replacing my exhaust system with a full stainless steel setup. The thing is, all of the ones I see are aftermarket, and look obnoxious. A 5" tip is NOT appropriate for a little car like mine. If I drove a mustang or some v8 real sports car, I would say put on the biggest tip I can find and let it be heard.

SO I asked, is there a replacement stock exhaust system that is made from stainless steel? A discrete looking, basic setup. The simple answer
"No".

Then the most disturbing part came. I asked about getting the least intrusive, most discrete, aftermarket stainless setup. He said I'll be looking at probably 400 dollars for a basic. Alright, not awful I guess. Winters here give the undercarriages a beating, and if it lasts for a long time, then it's worth it. But then he mentioned one thing:

It's stainless steel COATED!!! WTF? He paid 675 for his setup, and it's farking coated? He said if I wanted a true stainless setup, it would be a long wait and cost upwards of 1000. Is this true? If it is, I think I am in the wrong business. THe market on these parts is obscene.

Drop an H22 in it, turbo the guts out, and then put on the huge tip. Then smoke every Mustang you see:D

I hate a loud and obnoxious exhaust system :(. Sometimes I wonder if people get a large and obnoxious exhaust to compensate for a small penis and generally small self esteem. If that's true, I don't want to give the wrong signals.

I hate a loud and obnoxious exhaust system :(. Sometimes I wonder if people get a large and obnoxious exhaust to compensate for a small penis and generally small self esteem. If that's true, I don't want to give the wrong signals.

The exhaust in one of my cars is very loud. However, it's because it's a virtually straight pipe. The car is driven every day, but it's built as a racecar. We didn't try to make it loud, we made power.

While I can't speak for exhaust systems, I can speak for the use of the material stainless steel. A good portion of the product I can get for my customers will cost at least 2-3 time more expensive if made out of stainless steel. This is a general across the board the increase spanning not only the type of product but also different manufacturers. The most influential factors affecting costs of these solid stainless products is the material itself and the associated production cost of manufacturing smaller quantities of what ever they're producing.

I went to get some of that PB Blaster penetrating oil to help me out a bit with stuck bolts. Anyways, next door was this place "Robins auto parts". Now this store is your performance store. Not just some autozone, they have access to everything. They do automotive machining out back. So I figure if I have a question and am looking for an answer, this is the place to go. Well I have been considering replacing my exhaust system with a full stainless steel setup. The thing is, all of the ones I see are aftermarket, and look obnoxious. A 5" tip is NOT appropriate for a little car like mine. If I drove a mustang or some v8 real sports car, I would say put on the biggest tip I can find and let it be heard.

SO I asked, is there a replacement stock exhaust system that is made from stainless steel? A discrete looking, basic setup. The simple answer
"No".

Then the most disturbing part came. I asked about getting the least intrusive, most discrete, aftermarket stainless setup. He said I'll be looking at probably 400 dollars for a basic. Alright, not awful I guess. Winters here give the undercarriages a beating, and if it lasts for a long time, then it's worth it. But then he mentioned one thing:

It's stainless steel COATED!!! WTF? He paid 675 for his setup, and it's farking coated? He said if I wanted a true stainless setup, it would be a long wait and cost upwards of 1000. Is this true? If it is, I think I am in the wrong business. THe market on these parts is obscene.
Is this your first car? I so, I think you'll find that whatever cheapo exhaust system will hold up just fine through a few winters. If it dies while you still own the car then replace it. Or go to Midas or Tuffy or whatever they have in your neck of the woods and have them do it for you and get the lifetime guarantee if you are really worried about it.

Thing is Midas et al only Lifetime the muffler, the pipes, resonator(s), hangers and labor aren't covered.

Thing is Midas et al only Lifetime the muffler, the pipes, resonator(s), hangers and labor aren't covered.

Place I used to go to in Toledo covered everything. I bought a used car, found the warranty in the glove box, and went and got my exhaust all fixed up. The warranty was in a woman's name, so I said it was my GF.....it was a chain, Tuffy I think, but I might be mistaken. I know it wasn't Midas.

Cool! :D

^^^

Jaa, I was pretty happy with the whole affair.

I hate a loud and obnoxious exhaust system :(. Sometimes I wonder if people get a large and obnoxious exhaust to compensate for a small penis and generally small self esteem. If that's true, I don't want to give the wrong signals.

The exhaust system in my truck is pretty loud, probably because of the massive amount of holes in it. I can fit my whole head in the muffler.:)

The exhaust in one of my cars is very loud. However, it's because it's a virtually straight pipe. The car is driven every day, but it's built as a racecar. We didn't try to make it loud, we made power.



Racecar for the street? What you got?

Place I used to go to in Toledo covered everything. I bought a used car, found the warranty in the glove box, and went and got my exhaust all fixed up. The warranty was in a woman's name, so I said it was my GF.....it was a chain, Tuffy I think, but I might be mistaken. I know it wasn't Midas.


I did a lot with Tuffy on my work vans when I was in Toledo. Reputable, I must say. Midas on the other hand...

Go make friends with the local muffler shop that works on real racecars, not wannabe racecars, and have them weld you up a stainless exhaust w/ pre-bent mandrel bends. Buy your own stainless muffler and resonator and have them do the rest. It'll be as expensive or cheaper than buying a pre-made set-up but will be everything you wanted since you can choose the muffling and get exactly what you want.

Racecar for the street? What you got?

It's built to rally, specifically Targa Newfoundland. It gets driven every day because its fun:)

It's a Honda Civic hatchback (I know, I know) with a 200-horsepower JDM B16B2.

Raw materials costs are up. I have no idea how much it is coming into play in your case. But we have seen a 50-70%+ increase in our cost of stainless steel sheets and SS wire mesh in the past year. I would look for a second price quote, or just get a decent stock system and replace it every few years.

Aaron:)

What you need to do is to locate a local, independent exhaust shop and have them fabricate the system you want.
Guaranteed to be cheaper than a kit, and, if you find a somewhat reputable shop, similar quality as well.

As to the stainless thing, I don't know.

I think I am just going to order the stainless tubing I want and ask a muffler shop to bend it for me. I'll machine the flanges myself, that's very easy for me to do at work, and I know it will be true stainless steel. It should only take 15 minutes or so per mount to machine. I'll have the OD of the tube (already accurate with stainless steel) press into the flange, then just have the muffler shop weld it together for me. I think this might be the cheapest way to go, and I like the satisfaction of knowing that I made something :).
Then I'll just stick on a premade stainless muffler (easy to find).

I don't know what kind of car you have but do you really think it is worth using SS? If you are going to end up using a shop to bend pipe that you bought yourself, it is still going to cost you about as much as it would if the shop did the whole job themselves. Those prices that were quoted in your first post actually sound fair. Good luck.

I don't know what kind of car you have but do you really think it is worth using SS? If you are going to end up using a shop to bend pipe that you bought yourself, it is still going to cost you about as much as it would if the shop did the whole job themselves. Those prices that were quoted in your first post actually sound fair. Good luck.

It's worth putting SS on because:
1. It looks nice, and gives me peace of mind that I won't have to do anything under there again (related to the exhaust).
2. Winters in NH give punishment to the undercarriage of any vehicle, in particular the salt.
3. The car is parked outside year round, which can further exacerbate the problem of rusting.

Material costs for a system except the muffler are looking to be around $110-120. I will machine a flange myself, so it can bolt right onto the catalytic converter. I am sure getting pipe bent won't cost 300 dollars.

It's built to rally, specifically Targa Newfoundland. It gets driven every day because its fun:)

It's a Honda Civic hatchback (I know, I know) with a 200-horsepower JDM B16B2.

You race the Targa? I love watching that when its on tv. It looks like alot of fun.

You race the Targa? I love watching that when its on tv. It looks like alot of fun.

I don't drive. My dad drives, a friend of his navigates, and I crew the car. Here's a timeline of our Targa runs.

2007: Car # 801, yellow Subaru Legacy-??

2006: Car # 1008, yellow Subaru Legacy-1st in division

2005: Car # 1008, red Honda Civic hatch-3rd in division

2004: Car # 1008, red Honda Civic hatch-11th in division

And, FWIW, it's awesome. Just be prepared to listen to the guys who have done it a few times and know what they're doing, and you'll be golden. And, trust your navigator!

I think I am just going to order the stainless tubing I want and ask a muffler shop to bend it for me. I'll machine the flanges myself, that's very easy for me to do at work, and I know it will be true stainless steel. It should only take 15 minutes or so per mount to machine. I'll have the OD of the tube (already accurate with stainless steel) press into the flange, then just have the muffler shop weld it together for me. I think this might be the cheapest way to go, and I like the satisfaction of knowing that I made something :).
Then I'll just stick on a premade stainless muffler (easy to find).

That's the way to go. When I worked for an aerospace company we fabricated a stainless exhaust system for one of the foreman. That tubing is probably still going stong 25 years later.

Find a local shop that has been there for a long time and let them put in a system for you. No need for stainless steel if it has even a five or ten year guarantee you are probably fine. How long do you plan to keep this car?

PC2,

Just get a regular exhaust system, and replace it as needed.

Even in Indiana, with all it's road salt and rust woes, we still only had to replace a few select components ever other year or longer.

Yes rust happens, it's the one truth of automobiles....that $1000 can go to something else.

And part longevity is not a concern on a first car....trust me, a few years later you will want something nicer, and then you won't get squat for the parts you put into it....that's the bad thing about parts, depreciation is insane on "mod" parts.

Mod it if you plan on keeping it for at least 5 years after it's paid off.....otherwise it's best to leave it stock.

Find a local shop that has been there for a long time and let them put in a system for you. No need for stainless steel if it has even a five or ten year guarantee you are probably fine. How long do you plan to keep this car?

I agree.

Robbins Auto Parts is pretty good and the guys in the Portsmouth store are pretty knowlegible (I haven't been in the Somersworth store).