Bad Luck??

AndyJ

All within roughly the last 4 months i have found out my exhaust manifold is cracked, baffles have gone in my Powerflow exhaust and now my downpipe is fcked (its blowing from the flexi somewhere). Could these all be interlinked or is it just bad luck? Needless to say my car sounds like sht at the moment and i haven't got a lot of money to spend with my first baby on the way!
To top it off i hit a pot hole last night which has buckled my offside front wheel so need to buy a new one this weekend and i was also hit by a Polish HGV a month ago on a roundabout when on my way home from work! 🙁 I don't hold much hope of claiming my money back from the local council or of the HGV driver admitting fault so thats something else i'll have to repair out of my own pocket!

I was hoping to buy the DBilas exhaust manifold but can't really afford it at the moment nor do i want to fork out £300 for a new standard downpipe and CAT. I was thinking of just replacing the powerflow back box as i don't see the point in replacing everything from the CAT back, would this be ok? Also, what are my optins RE the downpipe? How much would a custom downpipe be and could i weld in my existing CAT?

The guy at my local garage recons the reason my flexi/downpipe has gone is because the powerflow exhaust is so rigid and isn't allowed much movement, does this sound about right?

sdbutler10

the powerflow system should have life time warranty on it so they should judt replace it tbh.
get a custom down pipe made will be a lot cheaper.
and for the manifold if it only a little crack you can do a temp weald on it which will hold for a while so u can get some money together to buy a new one.
and thats bad luck with the wheel i cracked 3 of mine in a space of about 1 month bloody pot holes.
and bloody polish drivers i hate them sooo much.

MikeS

surely excessive movement in the engine [engine mounts] would cause the flexi to stretch and crack, as for the manifold m8 i am surprised that vxhall kept using em considering the x20xev engine had the exact same problems, they are awful, the cracked manifold wont make much difference, it might be a bit louder and knock the mixture out a bit due to the leak

as for your powerflow exhaust perhaps some metal from the flexi ripped your internals or some sealant these garages use but shouldnt

you can pick up a new cheap cat with downpipe for about 80 quid and a 2nd hand manifold for 30 quid

online automotive sells the cats

ebay for the manifold

AndyJ

Thanks for the response guys.

The powerflow exhaust was fitted by the guy i bought the car off and the guarantee is non transferable unfortunately 🙁 bit of a con if you ask me!

Where would i be able to get a custom downpipe made and would it be possible to weld my existing cat into it?

I think i'll just have to put up with the manifold until i can afford the Dbilas one, either that or scout on eBay for a bargain!

ephid0r do you think i may need new engine mounts? I think the guy at the garage was trying to say that with the powerflow system being so rigid and because the engine moves about, especially when i boot it, this has caused the damage to the flexi.

MikeS

the powerflow could be just a shite fit

wouldn't be surprised if some dickhead put sealant on the downpipe flange and it got sucked into your exhaust components, fastest way of fucking up silencers

i seen on ebay some place in nottingham selling militek centre sections with new magnex back boxes for under 200 quid

i was tempted but put off by the sound of centre sections

Sjdickso

If you are on a budget, get a new flexi welded in then look at getting a remus SS and new back box or similar. I would also get some poly bush mounts to help.

As well as this if you need i have a standard Mani forsale if you can not get yours welded up.

AndyJ

I was looking at getting this if i can stretch to it, http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll? ... 0278857240 either that or just the back box and the race pipe at a later date. What do you think, are these good quality?

How much would you like for your standard mani Sjdickso, where abouts do you live?

MikeS

race pipes only cost 70 quid m8

you can pick up full magnex systems for around 200 quid new

Sjdickso

Sent you a PM about mani have you seen this as a package i presume you have a coupe.

http://www.lmfvauxhall.co.uk/store/prod ... 925&page=2

nd then this SS

http://www.lmfvauxhall.co.uk/store/prod ... 925&page=1

AndyJ

I've got the Astra SRi not the coupe, i'm presuming the box won't fit mine? 🙁 Are scorpion pretty good?
Got your PM and replied, cheers mate 🙂

ephid0r where could i get a full magnex system for that price?

Sjdickso

I thought you had a coupe as you where looking at a coupe exhaust on the ebay link

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll? ... 0278857240

Here are a few options for the hatch and scorpion are pritty good.

http://www.lmfvauxhall.co.uk/store/prod ... 927&page=3
http://www.lmfvauxhall.co.uk/store/prod ... 927&page=3

and the Remus SS should be fine.

Other then that you could have a full custom system cat back for around £300 from

http://www.blueflameperformance.com/car ... hausts.asp
http://www.exhaustsuk.co.uk/
http://www.powerflowexhausts.co.uk/

Hope this helps

AndyJ

Didn't realise that was for the coupe :oops:

My powerflow at the moment is an oval one so may go for something like the Monza style this time. Got a price of £190 fully fitted for a custom backbox today which i didn't think was too bad, would probably be better to get a full custom system though, either that or the scorpion back box and remus race pipe.