Audi exhaust questions?

[idosubaru]

A friend of mine has a 98 A4 6 cylinder Audi. Each header has a 3 inch portion of flex pipe that is leaking.

 

The car isn't worth the insane amounts of money for replacing the exhaust. Not sure if it's been worked on before but the exhaust from the engine looks like an enormously long piece?

 

I told him to take it to a shop since I'm not set up or good with my welder. And they should be able to weld something in - they quoted him $1,600!??! He doesn't want to put that into this car.

 

Is it possible to weld in a section of flex pipe or does that only come on existing exhausts? I've never seen any for sale but never looked either.

[GeneralDisorder]

Is the part of the exhaust that is leaking something like this?

 

http://www.amazon.com/Megan-Racing-Stainless-Steel-11112/dp/B000PVA608

 

If so you should be able to source the size and length he needs through the usual sources online - jegs, summitracing, etc.

 

Stainless welds really nice too .

 

Being an Audi - well anywhere you take it is going to see $$$$ floating over his head so you aren't likely to get any decent quotes for a repair on something like that. If it were a '76 Ford Pinto and your guy were wearing coveralls the price would drop by 80%

 

The other option, and one that my friends with Audi's have used in the past when they needed genuine Audi parts on the cheap - start calling Audi wrecking yards. They will probably be out of state but such is the cost of ownership, etc. They can usually hook you up for a reasonable amount.

 

Another option is to start researching "performance" exhaust systems for that car/engine combo. The A4's with the 6 are popular in the aftermarket and you might be able to get a "perfomance" header or whatever section it is he needs cheaper than a genuine replacement, etc.

 

Troll some of the Audi forums - those nut jobs are always doing custom exhaust work and buying rediculously priced aftermarket junk to try and make 25 more HP with their track car. Cast-off stock exhaust peices probably don't command much price. Wrap the pokey-bits in cardboard and shrink wrap and UPS will ship them bare with no box .

 

GD

[davebugs]

GG,

 

PM me for info or (now I forget - Borla) replacements local to me.

 

The Audi's get pretty expensive to fix pretty quickly. That's why I stay with the VW's.

 

I hope to be around next week and may know some folks who know some Audi folks..... But I'd need to know specifically what was needed.

[idosubaru]

GD - exactly that is the part that is leaking. I found some on ebay for $20 and hopefully they won't be stainless.

 

Any way to determine the right diameter before we cut it?

 

Are there any clamps we could use instead of welding?

 

I'm not seeing any way I could weld this. How does a shop do it? Do they lower the exhaust, then weld? Or do they have the ability to weld it with the exhaust still in place? The top portion doesn't look accessible at all. But my cheap wire feed welder and lack of skills won't do this job so i guess it doesn't matter.

[GeneralDisorder]

You would have to drop the exhaust - no way to weld it on the car (and it's potentially bad for the electronic's anyway). That's probably why they quoted so much.

 

An inexpensive wire-feed could do the job but you would want sheilding gas for sure. For sheet metal and exhaust work the 110 welders work great with sheilding gas and good power supply (often overlooked is the wire sizing for any extension cords used - no less than 10 AWG for a small MIG in my opinion).

 

I think you could do it Gary - with the addition of sheilding gas (maybe he will help out with the cost) it's pretty easy. Basically you setup the machine on some scrap and then weld up the joints. Getting them cut and fitted right is important and often with thin material like that you have to just do a series of tack welds rather than running a continous bead. With gas it's possible to do such things as there will be no slag so no potential for slag inclusion in your welds.

 

If you were closer I would give you a lesson on it .

 

GD

[idosubaru]

I'm not good with welding and have no clue how to go about even using it or setting it up. As far as I know mine didn't come with any options of a gas kit when I bought it, but I have no idea how it works so don't know if that matters.

 

I've welded exhaust with it before but it was ugly as crap with lots of slag and it was only my car.

 

are there any "clamps" that work? Like get a clamp and seal the nuts out of it?

[GeneralDisorder]

You could possibly get an "exhaust pipe expander" from like Harbor Frieght and expand the ends of the flexible section then slip it over and clamp it on the existing exhaust.

 

GD

[lostinthe202]

I've used those stainless flexible sections you can get from the auto parts store before that clamp in place with decent results. If welding is really out of the question you could maybe add some straps to help with flex. Those clamp in pieces work as long as they don't have to absorb too much flex, that's what takes them out eventually.

 

Will-

[idosubaru]

looks like a fairly #*!&*&*$&$ design, not that i'm surprised with all the other goofy problems from this thing.

 

the exhaust seems very rigid - no wonder they need that flex pipe.

 

good call on the clamps - i'm betting they'll take a beating, but we might try it since it's cheap. and the pipes right there aren't that bad except for the flex joint.

[armandjones82]

Is the part of the exhaust that is leaking something like this?

 

http://www.amazon.com/Megan-Racing-Stainless-Steel-11112/dp/B000PVA608

 

If so you should be able to source the size and length he needs through the usual sources online - jegs, summitracing, etc.

 

Stainless welds really nice too .

 

Being an Audi - well anywhere you take it is going to see $$$$ floating over his head so you aren't likely to get any decent quotes for a repair on something like that. If it were a '76 Ford Pinto and your guy were wearing coveralls the price would drop by 80%

 

 

The other option, and one that my friends with Audi's have used in the past when they needed genuine Audi parts on the cheap - start calling Audi wrecking yards. They will probably be out of state but such is the cost of ownership, etc. They can usually hook you up for a reasonable amount.

 

Another option is to start researching "performance" exhaust systems for that car/engine combo. The A4's with the 6 are popular in the aftermarket body parts and you might be able to get a "perfomance" header or whatever section it is he needs cheaper than a genuine replacement, etc.

 

Troll some of the Audi forums - those nut jobs are always doing custom exhaust work and buying rediculously priced aftermarket junk to try and make 25 more HP with their track car. Cast-off stock exhaust peices probably don't command much price. Wrap the pokey-bits in cardboard and shrink wrap and UPS will ship them bare with no box .

 

GD

Will it be better to get an Audi genuine performance exhaust systems parts or OEM parts in aftermarket shops??? I don't know the difference...

Edited May 15, 2011 by armandjones82