exhaust leak: post cat warraty replacement

[Scott Hughes]

A little while back, I posted about having my cat replaced under warranty
on a 99 OBS. Shortly after the work was done (couple days), I had an
exhaust leak show up toward the front of the car. I took it back to the
dealership that did the cat and they said, "it's the front Y-pipe, not
related to the cat job."

So next time I had it at my mechanic for an oil change, I had him look at
it. He said as soon as they had it on the lift, the could see that it
was NOT the Y-pipe, but rather the 2 gaskets on the front of the Y-pipe.
He said it is IMPOSSIBLE to replace the cat w/o removing the Y-pipe,
which means that they took the pipe off w/ the cat, took the 2 apart, put
on the new cat w/ new gaskets between them. Then they put the OLD
gaskets from the front of the pipe back on and put everything back
together. My mechanic showed me the 2 gaskets from the front of the Y-
pipe. They were CLEARLY in need of replacement. They only cost about $5
ea, but apparently the Subaru shop didn't think it was worth replacing
them. Oh, and when I first brought the car back to Subaru, they said
that it was gonna be about $300 to fix the non-existent leak in the y-
pipe.

So not only did they half-ass the initial job, they either half-ass'd the
inspection when I brought it back, or they flat lied to me about what the
problem was. And of the 2 Subaru shops semi-near me, this was SUPPOSED
to be the more reputable one!

Both the cars I have now are past any/all warranties, so it no longer
affects me for the time being, but it sure would be nice if you could go
to independent mechanics for warranty work...

-Scott

 

[Michael Pardee]

A little while back, I posted about having my cat replaced under warranty
on a 99 OBS. Shortly after the work was done (couple days), I had an
exhaust leak show up toward the front of the car. I took it back to the
dealership that did the cat and they said, "it's the front Y-pipe, not
related to the cat job."

So next time I had it at my mechanic for an oil change, I had him look at
it. He said as soon as they had it on the lift, the could see that it
was NOT the Y-pipe, but rather the 2 gaskets on the front of the Y-pipe.
He said it is IMPOSSIBLE to replace the cat w/o removing the Y-pipe,
which means that they took the pipe off w/ the cat, took the 2 apart, put
on the new cat w/ new gaskets between them. Then they put the OLD
gaskets from the front of the pipe back on and put everything back
together. My mechanic showed me the 2 gaskets from the front of the Y-
pipe. They were CLEARLY in need of replacement. They only cost about $5
ea, but apparently the Subaru shop didn't think it was worth replacing
them. Oh, and when I first brought the car back to Subaru, they said
that it was gonna be about $300 to fix the non-existent leak in the y-
pipe.

So not only did they half-ass the initial job, they either half-ass'd the
inspection when I brought it back, or they flat lied to me about what the
problem was. And of the 2 Subaru shops semi-near me, this was SUPPOSED
to be the more reputable one!

Both the cars I have now are past any/all warranties, so it no longer
affects me for the time being, but it sure would be nice if you could go
to independent mechanics for warranty work...

-Scott

I suspect they half-assed the job, and went for the most expensive
alternative when explaining the leak. That is all too common, but logical
enough. By presenting you with the highest estimate, they have room to fix
it under the original estimate without having to come back to you and say,
"It's gonna be more... a LOT more." Whether they charge you the proper
amount for the repair or they charge you the high-ball estimate is a measure
of their ethics. Do you feel lucky?

For future reference, you can check exhaust leaks yourself if you have
access to a shop vac. Connect the hose to the outlet of the (empty) vac and
run it a moment to clear the grit out of the system. Duct tape the hose to
the exhaust pipe and fire up the vac. Leaks are easily felt and pinpointed
with your hand.

Mike

 

[Jim Stewart]

For future reference, you can check exhaust leaks yourself if you have
access to a shop vac. Connect the hose to the outlet of the (empty) vac and
run it a moment to clear the grit out of the system. Duct tape the hose to
the exhaust pipe and fire up the vac. Leaks are easily felt and pinpointed
with your hand.

Thank you very, very much for that tip.

I've been trying to find and trying to
figure out how to find an exhaust leak
for months. I'll try it over the long
weekend.

 

[Mike Lloyd]

or run the car and blow some smoke from a cigarette (or a burning incense
stick, you get the idea -- this one will freshen your garage odor, too!)
near all the joints and any rust areas to check for leaks or corrosion
leaks.