# Did I just get swindled?



## Joecarb89 (Nov 3, 2012)

I have a 97 Altima and it had some rust damage so the muffler broke off. I am not the most experienced with cars so I took it into a small muffler shop for them to replace the 2nd half of the pipe. (It was rusted pretty bad and all of the hangars had broken off) They replaced it with a plain piece of pipe, the stock one had two areas that were a little wider (the resonators?) and the actual muffler at the end is about 25% smaller than the original Nissan muffler. The mechanics let me stay in the work shop area as they argued and went at the pipes with a sawzall. Originally they wanted to weld the back pipe to the front half of the pipe but I chose to keep the gasket/bolt setup. It ended up costing about $250. The car runs fine, and actually feels a little more powerful but at around 20mph, it makes a noticeable noise. It isn't quite a rattling sound, it sounds closer to gears grinding in the pipe. It wasn't there before so I think it has to do with the two areas of the original pipe that was thicker than the rest.

I can't help but feel that I have been ripped off by a shady mechanic, I don't know enough about cars though. Would anyone give me a little wise insight?


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## smj999smj (Jan 1, 2006)

I wouldn't say you were ripped off, but a custom or aftermarket system does tend to sound differently and often a little louder than the factory system. A resonator will quiet the system down a bit, but it's not uncommon to see them eliminated at a muffler shop to keep costs down. If you want the car to sound like it did from the factory, then you should install a genuine Nissan exhaust system parts. Keep in mind that the Nissan parts are a lot more expensive; the Nissan muffler lists at $192.27 and the intermediate pipe (w/ resonator) lists for $160.67. Add in gaskets and bolts plus labor and you can see that price will far exceed the $250 you paid the exhaust shop.


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## Joecarb89 (Nov 3, 2012)

I see, thank you for the quick reply. So there is nothing to worry about with running a plain piece of pipe ?


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## smj999smj (Jan 1, 2006)

It's not going to degrade your vehicle's performance, if that's what you mean.


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## Joecarb89 (Nov 3, 2012)

Going off the context of your reply, it sounds like there is something else negative, like the price, quality, or something else. Would it have been best to just stick with a full stock exhaust?


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## smj999smj (Jan 1, 2006)

The genuine Nissan exhaust is usually made of higher quality than lesser priced, aftermarket or custom exhaust. As already noted, the stock exhaust system is usually quieter, as well. I'm not sure if they carry the same warranty, but Nissan used to provide a lifetime warranty on their exhaust parts if installed by a Nissan dealer. They also carried a lesser priced exhaust line, called "Key Value," that was made by an original equipment supplier to Nissan specs, but more competitively priced to the aftermarket exhausts and without the lifetime warranty. As with anything, we have options. What is "best" for someone may not be the most practical for someone else. Exhaust shops have their place and generally offer options for their customers. For many, a low priced replacement system is perfectly fine for their needs. Some people go to exhaust shops for custom performance exhausts that may include stainless steel pipes and name brand, performance mufflers, such as Magnaflow or Flowmaster, and will be of a much higher cost. Those who want only genuine replacement parts from the vehicle manufacturer should request those parts when they bring their vehicle to a repair shop other than a dealer. As you can see by the prices above, the genuine Nissan muffler and pipe total just over $350. Add in gaskets, labor and tax, you could very well be looking at $500. What you would have to decide is if the quality and sound of original equipment parts is worth double the price?


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