Downpipe BX16

mnde · Post by **mnde** » Tue Apr 12, 2011 2:27 pm

I was quoted c. £146 to have a new downpipe fitted (Merityre). Dear? Par for the course?

I had the gasket replaced a couple of years ago so it's got newish bolts that should undo easily enough. Merityre inspected an exhaust blow and told me the downpipe was about to snap at the weld in the middle....

Cheers,

Mark.

Post by **Tim Leech** » Tue Apr 12, 2011 2:46 pm

HOW MUCH!

is that JUST for the front pipe????

I just priced one up from my local freindly factors for you, bearing in mind they are prerty much just a pipe with no silencers.

Price is £27.77 +VAT, ive seen them cheaper on ebay too.

It shouldnt take more than an hour or so to fit as long as the centre pipe comes off easy.

I do have one, but as you imagine im hanging on to it, that was an ebay purchase and was less than £15!

mnde · Post by **mnde** » Tue Apr 12, 2011 3:30 pm

Thanks Tim, I looked on eBay earlier too. I think the operative words here were "special order"

Mark.

EDIT: they did say they found leaks further back and would undo all the clamps and reseal the whole shebang... but still sounded quite expensivo.

Mark.

Post by **mat_fenwick** » Tue Apr 12, 2011 4:13 pm

mnde wrote:they did say they found leaks further back

Well, they would say that wouldn't they?

IMO, if it's leaking at the joints it will be down to something that simply 'taking apart and resealing' won't cure. I've never found the need to use sealant anyway - if the parts are correctly sized all I use is a smear of copper grease to help it all slide together. I really suspect they are trying it on.

Post by **Tim Leech** » Tue Apr 12, 2011 5:01 pm

To be honest for what it would cost if your old system isnt much cop I would replace the lot.

Middle boxes and rear boxes are cheap as chips.

Wooscary · Post by **Wooscary** » Tue Apr 12, 2011 5:24 pm

A downpipe was the first "Oh no, it's snapped, but I'm going to fix it myself" job I did on a car, and it wasn't exactly difficult/time consuming. Admittedly that was on a Golf, no idea if it's a lot harder on a BX?

Linegeist · Post by **Linegeist** » Tue Apr 12, 2011 8:12 pm

That downpipe's pretty thick steel. I'd be inclined to just MIG a collar around the weak point as a reinforcing piece.

ken newbold · Post by **ken newbold** » Tue Apr 12, 2011 10:25 pm

Linegeist wrote:That downpipe's pretty thick steel. I'd be inclined to just MIG a collar around the weak point as a reinforcing piece.

I agree with Bob, however, I thought the welds on these pipes run lengthwise.
I know the front pipe on mine is starting to go on the weld just after the bend on the down bit.

The rest of the pipe is like new so well worth getting off and welding.

mnde · Post by **mnde** » Tue Apr 12, 2011 11:10 pm

mat_fenwick wrote:
mnde wrote:they did say they found leaks further back
Well, they would say that wouldn't they?

IMO, if it's leaking at the joints it will be down to something that simply 'taking apart and resealing' won't cure. I've never found the need to use sealant anyway - if the parts are correctly sized all I use is a smear of copper grease to help it all slide together. I really suspect they are trying it on.

Hiya Mat, et al

Okay - here's where they said it was leaking

I got the impression they meant taking apart and re-hanging and re-clamping (i.e re-jigging the joints) rather than using sealant.

As for the age of the system - the downpipe is by far the oldest part
Rear silencer 04/2005
Inter silencer 03/2006
Link pipe "hockey stick" 03/2006
Downpipe welded... 03/2006

It didn't help that the inter. silencer was originally installed with the pipes connected the wrong way

Also I go over big old rubber speedbumps every day at work so the system gets a lot of shocks.... and I catch the crossbox / clamp bolt on mum's drive when I go visit.

Cheers,

Mark.

Post by **mat_fenwick** » Tue Apr 12, 2011 11:50 pm

mnde wrote:I got the impression they meant taking apart and re-hanging and re-clamping (i.e re-jigging the joints) rather than using sealant.

I can't see anything that would cause the joints to leak, that could be cured just by taking apart and putting back together though...

mnde wrote:I catch the crossbox / clamp bolt on mum's drive when I go visit.

...unless physically dislodged!

It sounds like you are getting a good life out of the system, I only got 3.5 years (60k miles) from my genuine Citroen rear silencer before the rust ate it.