'04 S60 - flex issues and middle exhaust

ionianp2 · Post by **ionianp2** » 23 Aug 2021, 05:44

Hi Everyone,

Following an oil change I decided to take a peak and see what's going on. I've had a minor leak that has gotten worse over time.

I found out that my flex pipe is shot and the the flange from the middle exhaust to the cat is completely rotted out. The middle exhaust also is due for replacement.

My rear silencer is ok though. If I were to do a refresh I would need at minimum the middle exhaust (Starla 8684279 which unfortunately is back ordered) or the OEM and I need a new flexible. I saw Oragex's video on welding the flex pipe to the cat but I dont have any welding skills nor the space for that type of work.

Does anyone have good experience with walker or aftermarket catalytic converters (e.g. walker, etc) I may get the full assembly: flexible/cat and keep my old cat as a backup.

Also are there any good aftermarket stock exhausts besides starla? Otherwise I may have to bite the bullet and go with the OEM.

Also if anyone has a muffler shop they swear by in the Boston area, feel free to PM me.

I am all about using the original cat if possible but $1500 for the OEM assembly new is a bit steep.

Best Regards,

IonianP2

Post by **jonesg** » 24 Aug 2021, 00:30

Try Erie volvo or ebay for used OEM parts.

Herb Goltz · Post by **Herb Goltz** » 24 Aug 2021, 15:17

Around here (Toronto area) I can get a flex joint welded in for about $250 US including the part. I have a local exhaust guy that TIG welds really well. He is a big fan of patching factory exhaust systems rather than replacing them with aftermarket, which only lasts about 3 years on our salty roads.

ionianp2 · Post by **ionianp2** » 25 Aug 2021, 05:28

Thank you for the input. I am also a fan of saving the original cat especially since it is working properly.

I did order a new middle OEM exhaust. No good decent aftermarket ones. It also seems that. The supply chain for some parts is out of whack.

Post by **br0dy519** » 20 Mar 2022, 22:24

ionianp2 wrote: 25 Aug 2021, 05:28 Thank you for the input. I am also a fan of saving the original cat especially since it is working properly.

I did order a new middle OEM exhaust. No good decent aftermarket ones. It also seems that. The supply chain for some parts is out of whack.

Did you end up removing the cat converter section and bring it to a welding shop to weld in a new piece of flex? Does one need to remove the prop shaft in order to get the cat section out of a 2.5T model ? Or is it able to clear it without too much headache.

ionianp2 · Post by **ionianp2** » 18 Jul 2022, 08:41

Sorry I didn't see this in time. I did end up having a shop welding a new flex pipe to the old cat. Have had it for a year now and it has been good so far. It's as quiet as it was when new.

Post by **jonesg** » 18 Jul 2022, 09:38

ionianp2 wrote: 18 Jul 2022, 08:41 Sorry I didn't see this in time. I did end up having a shop welding a new flex pipe to the old cat. Have had it for a year now and it has been good so far. It's as quiet as it was when new.

what did you do about the flange joint after the cat.

ionianp2 · Post by **ionianp2** » 18 Jul 2022, 09:47

It was salvageable. Ended up getting new bolts and gasket.

Post by **abscate** » 18 Jul 2022, 11:30

In the US they have basically shut off the used cat market. You can get one by buying a whole car at auction, then parting it out to recover your cost but that’s a lot of time

Post by **scot850** » 19 Jul 2022, 10:10

Where do you think all the stolen cats are going too..................!

Neil.