<ALL> Exhaust systems

["Richard F. Viehdorfer" <viehdorfer@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Congrats on your M6 purchase. A superb automobile. Hope your Stebro system
works out fine.

Ray wrote, after purchasing a Stebro exhaust system for his bimmer:

> Well I
> bring the parts by and find that the fit is pretty lousy for a $1200
> system!!! After 2.5 hours of welding and fabricating brackets the system is
> installed. 

This is not an uncommon complaint for ANY aftermarket exhaust manufacturer,
including Stebro. I have yet to speak to anyone who hasn't had some fit and
fitment problems. Part of the problem is that BMW exhaust systems need to be
'fitted' to the car; I have seen experts hang the whole system and then
carefully tweak and pull, push and prod and VOILA perfect fit. Of course, this
is on factory parts.

I think exhaust systems are the achilles heel of any BMW, due to high cost of
factory components and dismal quality in the aftermarket. And there really is
a big difference!

I am currently on my second cat in less than 24 months. They are built so
cheaply they do not last. In many instances, these exhausts are built by hand,
and since they aren't fitted to the car at time of manufacture, they don't fit
right, unlike factory systems which are built on computer controlled machines
and are exact copies of factory fitment specs.

Say what you will, no one is ever again going to sell me anything less than a
factory exhaust system for one of these cars. The factory systems are much
quieter, fit perfectly, flow better, have no resonances or unwanted boominess,
and are top quality, with better corrosion protection. Several suppliers of
aftermarket systems have frankly told me that the cats are junk, and the
cat-back systems have so many drawbacks and so little engineering that its a
wonder they stay in business.

One of the biggest advantages of a factory system, or at least the cat, as
told to me by my own personal mechanic, is that they get warm enough and stay
warm enough to let the emissions controls work properly. It's not something
that I would have thought of, and it makes sense. They are, in many instances, double-walled.

Of course, everyone complains about the factory's price. Currently, the
frontpipe/catalyst for my E28 has a MSRP of $1600. I paid about $700 or so for
the aftermarket cat and have had to have it replaced twice (I pay the labor
each time). It rattles, sounds like a diesel when you start it up, booms in
the 2200-2600 rpm range, and sounds dreadful all the time when it rains. This
was a name brand too. So I am currently out-of-pocket $1100 or so, and will
probably need to have it replaced again before the snow flies. The material
inside breaks apart because its so cheap and rattles inside the pipes. Sounds
like gremlins beating on a steel pipe or shrapnel bouncing around in a 50
gallon drum. Can you imagine the hassle I am going to have having it replaced
under warranty yet again?

By the way... the factory system lasted 13 years. 

Paying the price for a top quality factory exhaust system is, in my opinion,
the best choice if you are planning on keeping your car. Either that or
finding a top quality custom muffler shop that stands by its work and will
help you to design  and fabricate the exhaust system of your dreams. I haven't
found a shop like that yet, so I will be trading up to factory componenets
very soon.

cheers
Rick Viehdorfer
BMW CCA #148771
Rocky Mountain Chapter

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