Technical Stainless Steel Exhaust Advice

[frupi]

i think you lot worry too much...

Mmmm, a bit too much deep thought for me as well on that one! In the last three years of ownership of my wife's last little number, it never caused an issue and this included an insurance repair to bodywork which didn't seem to bother the insurance assessor. But as always, wise to check!!

 

[RobinPJ]

Of course, there is a theory that you should always memorialise the opposite of what you say, on the basis that you might want to say the opposite at a later date. But that would be wholly dishonest and inappropriate.

 

[jrkitching]

Reading through this thread reminds me of one of my first posts on the forum:

https://www.fiatforum.com/500/236780-exhaust-backbox-corrosion-issue-3.html?p=2498748

& sadly it would now seem that my predictions about the likely life of the 500 exhaust may be coming true.

Even 20 years ago, most new cars left the factory with at least an aluminised exhaust, good for at least 4-5 years in the UK climate, but the current 500 fitment is just fabricated from mild steel with no corrosion proofing whatsoever.

It is absolutely shameful that manufacturers do not fit stainless exhausts as standard; it wouldn't add much to the production cost & the saving to the owner(s) over the life of the car would be substantial.

 

[306maxi]

I would have to question whether you need any written confirmation tbh.

I think we're going down the route of declaring a different brand of tyres or headlight bulbs. If we were talking some Jap-style drainpipe exhaust with a burnt tip then perhaps they could reasonably say that you're making your car a target for thieves by attracting attention to it with fart noises and by looking like a berk......

But what's the difference between replacing a crappy steel exhaust with a stainless one and using a Bosch air filter rather than an OE Fiat one?

The only area where you may run into issues in the event of a claim for a rear end impact which damages the box is that the insurance company is well within their rights to replace said stainless box with a standard steel one, though I'm sure you could reach a settlement with the insurance company and pay the difference.

All IMHO of course

 

[frupi]

Of course you have to keep the replacement parts business alive somehow don't you?

Most people don't want to spend 200 + on a stainless steel back box when the original is finished, purely because for many, the idea either isn't there in the first place or it's too much trouble to go to someone other than your local fitter down the road. I had a previous car for ten years and went through three middle and back boxes over that time. On balance, it would have been cheaper to buy a stainless replacement once the original was finished.

There's always a way for vehicle manufacturers to keep costs down for the masses or take short cuts from what we were used to years ago. Look at the temporary spare wheel scenario, utterly useless in my humble opinion if you're stuck out in the middle of nowhere over a weekend with no prospect of getting it fixed until the next working day. That may be ok for the vast majority, but just not for me, that's why I've chucked the skinny spare out of our 500 and replaced it with a full size wheel, cost with decent tyre and rebalance, 30 quid from a well known auction site. But back to the exhaust business, it probably would cost too much money on balance fitting every new vehicle with a decent stainless steel pipe, so in the meantime, I guess if one is interested in the stainless replacement route, it's a personal choice thing again.

 

[306maxi]

Reading through this thread reminds me of one of my first posts on the forum:

https://www.fiatforum.com/500/236780-exhaust-backbox-corrosion-issue-3.html?p=2498748

& sadly it would now seem that my predictions about the likely life of the 500 exhaust may be coming true.

Even 20 years ago, most new cars left the factory with at least an aluminised exhaust, good for at least 4-5 years in the UK climate, but the current 500 fitment is just fabricated from mild steel with no corrosion proofing whatsoever.

It is absolutely shameful that manufacturers do not fit stainless exhausts as standard; it wouldn't add much to the production cost & the saving to the owner(s) over the life of the car would be substantial.

Nobody likes a knowitall

Actually I do and I always enjoy reading your posts because they're pretty much right on the money each time

Sadly it's pure costcutting to not put stainless exhausts on. With the 500 I figure that within the first 5 years I'm going to have to replace the exhaust as well as pretty much all of the wear items in the suspension and possibly steering as well as the dampers. I'm comfortable with that and I'll be fitting parts which should last much longer, or simply for the life of the car

 

[Neil Surrey Labs]

I've got a few of these up for grabs.

Stainless Steel straight through pipe for the FIAT 500

£195 with free P&P for this week.

email me if you want one.

[email protected]

 

[frupi]

Have you got any that aren't noisy? Some of us are over 40 and have sensitive ears you know!

 

[306maxi]

Have you got any that aren't noisy? Some of us are over 40 and have sensitive ears you know!

Neil does indeed do some ones which aren't straight through and I'm sure he'll be telling you how much they are rather soon.

 

[frupi]

Maxi, you mentioned noisy berk's earlier on, my brother in law after numerous tellings off by his local law enforcement team for having an exhaust that was too noisy, eventually got a ticket and three penalty points (so he tells me) for being a berk. He has now replaced his idiotic noise maker with something far more serene! Tells me he hasn't been pulled by the boyz in blue for some weeks now! (Not sure I believe the three penalty points thing, but he still needs to grow up!)

 

[306maxi]

Maxi, you mentioned noisy berk's earlier on, my brother in law after numerous tellings off by his local law enforcement team for having an exhaust that was too noisy, eventually got a ticket and three penalty points (so he tells me) for being a berk. He has now replaced his idiotic noise maker with something far more serene! Tells me he hasn't been pulled by the boyz in blue for some weeks now! (Not sure I believe the three penalty points thing, but he still needs to grow up!)

Never see the point in making yourself a target We've put a stainless exhaust on our Subaru, but it is only a little noisier than standard and it gives it a bit more of a warbley unequal length headers note but it doesn't make people turn to look at it, but then again it's generally not driven up the high street at the top of first gear bouncing off the limiter.......

 

[frupi]

That was what I liked about the stainless job we put on our old MX5, there was barely any difference in noise, but what there was, made all the difference to the general appeal of the car.

Very tempted about stainless replacement for the 500, but as you've already pointed out, pointless replacing something as yet, which has probably (hopefully) got 3 to 4 years of perfectly useable life left in it (i'm boring and stupid but not financially inept).

 

[RUI]

Have you got any that aren't noisy? Some of us are over 40 and have sensitive ears you know!

I do one that is not noisy

http://cartel-parts.com/products/stainless-steel-fiat-500-exhaust-back-box

 

[frupi]

Out of the one's I've seen, yours does look nice. As our 500 is also black, just like the one in the photo, I think I could be swayed. What about the middle section? Do you do a replacement fit for that also?

 

[jrkitching]

Nobody likes a knowitall

Actually I do and I always enjoy reading your posts because they're pretty much right on the money each time

Sadly it's pure costcutting to not put stainless exhausts on. With the 500 I figure that within the first 5 years I'm going to have to replace the exhaust as well as pretty much all of the wear items in the suspension and possibly steering as well as the dampers. I'm comfortable with that and I'll be fitting parts which should last much longer, or simply for the life of the car

Thank you. And it's good having you around because it makes me think carefully before posting some half-baked, ill-thought through comment.

It wouldn't cost that much extra to beef up all of the items you mentioned so that they'd last the life of the car, but manufacturers don't do it because most new car buyers trade in after about 3 years, and those buyers wouldn't see any added value in doing so. Folks like us who keep a new car for most of its life are very much in the minority, which is why we sometimes need to 'think outside the box' in order to get the best value out of the system.

 

[Neil Surrey Labs]

Neil does indeed do some ones which aren't straight through and I'm sure he'll be telling you how much they are rather soon.

No I don't so no I won't. It's a hobby for me I am a Management Consultant by profession.

Loud? Never. and yeah and I'm 50

 

[Lloyd71]

This is how loud you want it:

 

[Loujam]

Out of the one's I've seen, yours does look nice. As our 500 is also black, just like the one in the photo, I think I could be swayed. What about the middle section? Do you do a replacement fit for that also?

I'm another one that's over 40 and dont want one with too much noise, but then in a few years when my hearing starts to fail, then I guess it wont really matter.

Hi RUI, when I do go for a replacement, ideally I would like to do the back and middle at the same time too, so would also like to know if you do the middle section.

Neil, those back boxes of yours really do look top quality, but I think it will be too loud for me.

 

[Neil Surrey Labs]

Neil, those back boxes of yours really do look top quality, but I think it will be too loud for me.

How can you say that without hearing it?
There is a cat in the system still which quieten things up. Then there is a long pipe to the rear with a few bends in it. Then the rear box. No it isnt that loud.
But whatever it has to be better than the sound that the FIAT 1.2 currently makes

 

[RobinPJ]

How can you say that without hearing it?

Perhaps Loujam read your signature.