It was all going so well

[mgolder81]

So, despite my dash not working (I have been making do with one of those Econavigator devices connected to the obd, works brilliantly really), my ownership has been event free, which is great after my T4 which was a big expense.

Anyway, on my way home today, the noise of the van suddenly increased, with a quick thought being the exhaust was blowing 'a little'. Got home, and the noise when out of the van was a lot louder than normal.

Had a look underneath, and . . . .

[Image: IMG_20130719_150236_zps68f68e14.jpg]

Damn. Basically.

After thinking I may need a bigger van soon anyway, a fault, even possibly a small one like this may be enough to tip me over the edge into 'sell it' territory. Unless it is a really cheap fix?!

[ron]

Exhausts don't last for ever & not a good reason to sell it.It's 12 years old so bound to be fraying at the edges.
Shop around for prices & at least a 2 year guarantee.alut:

[Gadgetman]

your exhaust lasted 12 years?

Dang!

I'm lucky if it lasts 6 or 7 years.
Salted winter roads, cold and dry changing to 'warm' and wet...
Salt water from driving the Atlantic Ocean Road during stormy weather, any of the over 2 dozen ferry routes in my county in 'less than calm weather'...
(Did mention the Atlantic Ocean? What calm weather? )

Thankfully, exhausts are easy to replace on these cars. Imagine how it is on certain American cars where the exhaust is ONE PIECE(welded everywhere, not a clamp in sight)

[mgolder81]

I presume I could just go for a decat pipe couldn't I? And then cash the old cat in too I guess. Or do I need a different part of the exhaust?

I'll admit the selling has been on my mind a while, due to the size of the van not being quite enough right now, this is just a little bit of a reason to add to the selling argument.

---

your exhaust lasted 12 years?

Dang!

I'm lucky if it lasts 6 or 7 years.
Salted winter roads, cold and dry changing to 'warm' and wet...
Salt water from driving the Atlantic Ocean Road during stormy weather, any of the over 2 dozen ferry routes in my county in 'less than calm weather'...
(Did mention the Atlantic Ocean? What calm weather? )

Thankfully, exhausts are easy to replace on these cars. Imagine how it is on certain American cars where the exhaust is ONE PIECE(welded everywhere, not a clamp in sight)

Well, I can't with any certainty say it is the og exhaust, to be honest the back part looks surprisingly new and even has a very readable sticker on the 1st silencer still. Something about it all seems to suggest a bad repair previously to me.

[Gadgetman]

Its quite possible that the rear muffler has been replaced at one time.

The most common failure points, after the muffler just rotting out of course, is the welds on the pipes in my experience.
And that break seems to be in a factory weld, not a repair.

[evdama]

Im not so sure about you keeping it-if as you say its not meeting your needs then theres a good reason to change while theres some value left in the vehicle.
You could also get into a downward spiral of not wanting to sell it because you've invested in a repair only to have something else fail,and then something else after that
In the end all that dosh could have been put toward a better suited vehicle.
IMHO,cut your losses now -do a tidy temp repair on the pipe (but be honest about it) and sell it before you get any deeper.

[mgolder81]

Im not so sure about you keeping it-if as you say its not meeting your needs then theres a good reason to change while theres some value left in the vehicle.
You could also get into a downward spiral of not wanting to sell it because you've invested in a repair only to have something else fail,and then something else after that
In the end all that dosh could have been put toward a better suited vehicle.
IMHO,cut your losses now -do a tidy temp repair on the pipe (but be honest about it) and sell it before you get any deeper.

I think this is about as close to how I'm thinking. I have bought some Holts Gun Gum Flexiwrap, that has a clamp and such, which looks like it will do a temp fix to get it sold to a new buyer and let them know in the listing. It's a shame, as I can't expect even a newer bigger van to get over 50mpg like I'm getting out of my Berlingo. It has genuinely surprised me I'll be honest.

[Gadgetman]

There's no way that Holts Gun Gum Flexiwrap will hold that.

Maybe 'Holts Flexiwrap Ends and Bends' an do it, but really, I doubt it.
It's not really deigned to hold together something that has been broken in two.

If you really want to do a temporary repair, you'll need to weld a couple of strips of metal to the pipes, straight across the break. Then you can wrap it or seal it however you like. But frankly, it's such a bodgejob... you probably have to remove the damaged bits from the car anyway, to do the welding, so you might as well just go head and replace it with a new part.
and that's if the metal hasn't rusted to nothing already.

And if a potential buyer doesn't have the inclination or tools to do the replacement, the thought of having to have it done by a mechanic may be a deterrent.

[mgolder81]

There's no way that Holts Gun Gum Flexiwrap will hold that.

Maybe 'Holts Flexiwrap Ends and Bends' an do it, but really, I doubt it.
It's not really deigned to hold together something that has been broken in two.

If you really want to do a temporary repair, you'll need to weld a couple of strips of metal to the pipes, straight across the break. Then you can wrap it or seal it however you like. But frankly, it's such a bodgejob... you probably have to remove the damaged bits from the car anyway, to do the welding, so you might as well just go head and replace it with a new part.
and that's if the metal hasn't rusted to nothing already.

And if a potential buyer doesn't have the inclination or tools to do the replacement, the thought of having to have it done by a mechanic may be a deterrent.

So, would just buying a decat pipe on ebay be the best bet then? Is that the only part I would need? I could cash the cat in then at least I guess.

[Gadgetman]

Decat pipe?

Now, why would anyone do something like that?

Have you seen what a catalytic converter for a Berlingo 2.0HDi goes for on the Bay of E?