New Exhaust

[AlaskanWolf]

After reading everyone's suggestions here, I decided to go with a custom cat-back system with a flowmaster muffler. I decided to try to goto the small time names first, and was sort of surprised..
One place quoted me $375-400 and wouldn't budge, sayin that anyone who did it for less then that were giving their services away, and another said around $500! So I decide to call Meineke and see what they say, and they tell me $200, which is more what I was expecting.. I hope there wasn't some sort of mis-communication on what I wanted! 2.5" pipe cat-back system with a flowmaster 40-something which I could supply if they couldnt... Try to give the business to the small co's...ha!

(I take back anything bad I said if its me who is confused)

TJ -
been frequenting site for 2-3 years, this is my first post. Thanks!

 

[DocVijay]

Don't pay more than $200.

I just got mine put on today. I got a Flowmaster Delta 50 and 2.5" pipe all the way. Total cost was $200 including an nice chrome tip. Anyone who quotes $500 is full of $hit.

I took mine to Midas, and their exhaust guy has been doing this for 21 years. He did an awesome job. No rattles, no leaks. My exhaust isn't goign anywhere. Keep looking, someone will do it for $200.

 

[AlaskanWolf]

Re: Don't pay more than $200.

I took mine to Midas, and their exhaust guy has been doing this for 21 years. He did an awesome job. No rattles, no leaks. My exhaust isn't goign anywhere. Keep looking, someone will do it for $200. [/B]

Oooh, my midas did even better. :exp: Guy started talking about how he said it would be hard to get a 2 1/4 pipe under there, let alone a 2 1/2 inch, then proceded to tell me a quote of $600

TJ

 

[DocVijay]

Hard to get 2.25" under there, huh? So what size did he think was under there fromt he factory?

Well, this just proves that you have to shop around. Sometimes you get lucky and find a great shop, and other times you get what we're talking about here. Keep looking.

A little trick I use when shopping for anything, especially electronics, is to learn everything about what I'm looking for. Then I go to a shop and "play dumb." That way I'll find out if the guy is going to shovel bull$hit or actually help and explain things.

Example: When I was shopping for a CD player for my truck, a guy at one store told me that a certain HU had 240 watts of power. You're lucky if you really get 40 watts from a HU. I said thank you and left.

Another thing, usually when a salesman says that you need to buy something else, or your "whatever" won't work right, they are usually full of $hit. I went to buy speakers for my truck and the guy asked what I had. I hadn't put in anything yet, it was still sitting at home in the boxes, so I told him I had a factory system. "Oh, well then you need to buy a new head unit and an amplifier and you need a capacitor so you don't overload your electrical system and you need this kind of wiring (the most expensive) and you need to get a new battery (which they conveniently sold) because yours won't be able to handle the drain (he didn't know what battery I had of course), and the list goes on. That was the only time I've been blatantly rude to an idiot trying to bull$hit me. I went in to buy some speakers. He tried to sell me over $3000 of stuff because I "needed" it.

OK sorry to spout. Anyhow, just search this board and see what goes into an exhaust. Many people have them, so you can get a good idea of cost. That way when you go to a shop, you know what to look for.

 

[Robert]

Originally posted by AlaskanWolf
. . .So I decide to call Meineke and see what they say, and they tell me $200. . .

Be sure and drive your $200 job back to the other two places to give them a dose of reality

 

[RvExplorerRV]

200??!?!

Whats up guys?

Man theses explorer exhaust stories are pretty bad.
Down here in the country, we all go to muffler works. They quoted from 150-200 dollars for the complete set. I mean for my sport they said they have to bend pipes but the price doesn't change. I wonder why these places charge so much? I bet its because half of them don't know what there talking about. The other day when i went to get my oil changed they told me i had to pay for a new rear windshield wiper, the price $50, and this is at Firestone mind you.

Keep searchin man, you can find exhaust for less then 200!

G.

 

[DocVijay]

Yep.

My install is a single 2.5" pipe all the way back. This guy bent it perfectly by eyeballing the old pipe he hacked off. Man this guy was good. And it still was only $200.

 

[RTStork]

Yep mine was $250, and that includes 2 mufflers, pipe, and chrome tips.

 

[AlaskanWolf]

Well, Im going into Meineke to actually let them look at it and tell me a price on Thursday, over the phone they said it would probably run $200. Have the x in the shop today for an 80k tune up..

 

[JDraper]

Ya know, you can buy an aluminized cat back Flowmaster exhaust system from Dead Link Removed the link to the part # for your truck is FLO-17227 . It sells for $159.95 and bolts in easily. I had that system on my old '92. If you are even somewhat handy with a set of socket wrenches and a hacksaw (helps get the old one out), you can install this in the garage or driveway in a couple of hours. There is no cutting/bending/fabrication involved.

 

[AlaskanWolf]

Ya know, you can buy an aluminized cat back Flowmaster exhaust system from Dead Link Removed the link to the part # for your truck is FLO-17227 . It sells for $159.95 and bolts in easily. I had that system on my old '92. If you are even somewhat handy with a set of socket wrenches and a hacksaw (helps get the old one out), you can install this in the garage or driveway in a couple of hours. There is no cutting/bending/fabrication involved.

Yes, thanks! However, add shipping to that, and then if something goes wrong, (if it is waranteed), I have to take it off, pay for shipping back for a replacement, whereas I can go up to Meineke and say, whats the deal, my exhaust rusted out!

 

[JDraper]

That exhaust won't rot out for quite a while. I had it on my '92 for 5 years or so before the X was wrecked. At that time I could still unbolt it and remove it easily. I then sold it to another member on the board who has it installed now.

Summit has free UPS ground shipping and the Manufacturer's warranty does apply.

 

[Robert]

Originally posted by AlaskanWolf


Yes, thanks! However, add shipping to that, and then if something goes wrong, (if it is waranteed), I have to take it off, pay for shipping back for a replacement, whereas I can go up to Meineke and say, whats the deal, my exhaust rusted out!

Doesn't Meineke just warranty the muffler only? My Wife had one of those lifetime exhaust warranties an had her muffler rust out. The place had no problems supplying amother $19.95 muffler but then again they wanted to charge $60 to put it on.

 

[Tekeman]

If I remember, mine ran $450 for everything. Delta 40's were $140 alone from Summit and all stainless parts from headers back, custom bending of 2.5 in tube, relocating O2 sensors. Parts were like $120, labor $180.
Reasonable?

 

[AlaskanWolf]

Hmmm, I'll have to see what Meineke says about waranties, I did read somewhere that they got screwed by Midas or Meineke, (I forget which), by only having the muffler waranteed. If that's their plan, then I'll order a pre-bent cat system. I mean, with 82k miles, being my primary vehicle, it gets alot of mileage and I've started to worry about how long it will last now. Thanks!

 

[AlaskanWolf]

Sorry to spam my own post, but I started thinking..(which might be dangerous as it leads to pointless worries) I bought my X used, with a hitch on the back..the existing exhaust exits on the side. Did the stock exhause go out the back originally or the side like it is? (passenger side) Im worried that they had a new system put on and its stuck on or something.. I'd check, but its in the shop after going in for a tune up/check up tonight, with a leaking intake manifold, leaking water pump, and a broken fan blade. Thanks in advance, nice to meet friendly responses here!

TJ

TJ

 

[Robert]

The stock exhaust should come out the back, not the side.

 

[lonewolf68]

My 99 XLT stock came out the side behind passenger tire. The duals they ran side by side out the back passenger side. I paid $489.00 for 2 1/2" pipe, an H-Pipe, dual vortec cherry bomb muffler, and custom bending. At Mineke.

 

[blazedchimp]

hey wolf
glad to see a fellow alaskan, i havent install a cat back exhaust yet becuase im having a financial trouble but i was planning to put one so i myself also started asking about installation cost for flowmaster 50 and the cheapest quote i got was $200 (2 1/2 pipes welded w/o chrome tipis)...
I think the best thing to do is buy a muffler from summit racing and pick up a yellow pages and call a shop........cuase i was going to do that but my money ran out.....

 

[Asugolf14]

Hey AlaskanWolf-

I just installed the same exhaust that JDraper was talking about, and it is great. It took like 2 hours to install, and it was increadibly cheap in cost too. I have seen a great increase in horsepower and gas mileage has been doing pretty good too (a little increase). So I would definitly also recommend that flowmaster to you. Just my $.02