Exhaust Crack

[outhuntin]

Hey All,

I purchased my 2009 lite last winter with 500km on it. When i tested it out it sounded pretty loud but i was unsure as to what was the "norm". I brought my sled in this fall for a pre-season check and the dealer called and said that i had a cracked exhaust. It had been welded once already and cracked on the weld. $1,000 for the complete exhaust system...ouch. My question is, is this a common problem? If not i could not understand how it would even crack in 500 km. The sled was owned by an elderly couple, with no signs at all of an accident. So question is: is this common? how could this of happened in 500 km of driving, and is there an aftermarket exhaust that is cheaper as the dealer said that the entire exhaust would have to be replaced.

 

[Snowmixer]

It's hard to say for sure what would need to be replaced without knowing where it is cracked, but I'm very confident that you would not need to replace the entire exhaust. I can somewhat understand the dealer's thinking, if the crack was on or near the flex joints, then they would probably want to replace everything from the flex joints back, as it is all one piece (I'm guessing the VL & MP are the same as Phazers in this regard). I know I have seen another type of flexible exhaust joint that looks like braided stainless wire on the outside, which could likely be welded in place of the original joints, and certainly for less than $1000!
There are at least a few companies that make an aftermarket muffler that would fit but I'm not sure a dealer would want to go that route. As far as I know, Hindle is the only company making a full exhaust pipe system for the Phazer, which could probably be made to work on your VL. Even that system would be less than half of what your dealer quoted.
As far as whether this is a common problem, I do recall hearing of a few others on here having a similar issue, so hopefully they'll chime in with their own experiences!

 

[Mooseman]

Mine broke right at the Y. I had it welded and it's held up well. Probably because I instructed the shop to reinforce it.

Can exhaust be fixed/welded?

 

[outhuntin]

What is the typical cause of them breaking? Seems like a real poor quality part. Pretty disappointed.

 

[Mooseman]

Like I said in my original thread, welding shop was of the opinion that it was a bit thin for the heat it is subjected to. If you can, get it welded and gussetted to prevent it from happening again.