03 ML350 exhaust

[Wagon]

Hi folks , the baffles have gone in the centre box on the ML causing noise when cold .
Been to the usual suspects re change but it seems its an MB part only @£650 plus vat.
Popped to pipecraft in Basildon who hopefully will be getting back to me next week with a solution of some sort.
In the mean time I've seen ECP do the 320 box which looks v similar , anyone know if the pipes are the same size , or on any other engine variant? If so pipecraft could cut out the old and chuck in an ECP one.
any more ideas?

 

[Wagon]

Any ideas guys?

 

[Somebody]

I have no idea about the 350 in particular, since I never even seen one or know what one is, but does it have one exhaust system, or two separate systems? Most v8s and v6s have 2 separate systems, one for each bank, which Mercedes very annoyingly then terminate in a single backbox (like, whyyyy....?! Why make a true 8-2 system and then join them right in the end? Why not carry it on with two tailpipes out of both sides of the car, like a real v-engine should be?!). Some designs however join the manifolds/headers pretty soon so most of the car is a single exhaust system.

Exhaust components are fairly generic. Any competent exhaust shop will be able to fit any generic muffler into any exhaust system. As long as you get a midbox of a usable pipe diameter, and it's dimensions physically fit under the car, it will take them not 20 mins to weld it into your existing exhaust system. Ebay is full of generic exhaust parts.

Look for a local back-street custom shop where all the wanabe racers with their poorly modified cars hang out. Guys with that kind of clientèle are very used to fabricating exhausts and such, and usually charge less and do the job quicker since they always fit generic exhaust components and are experienced in that, and also as a bonus they are happy to see a real car occasionally not another dude wanting to make his 1.6 Golf 'sound faster'.

The only thing to watch for is if you have a double exhaust system (2 mid boxes, one for left bank and one for right bank, even if they eventually terminate in one tailpipe) that you replace both mid boxes with the same version of the generic you are using. Otherwise there is a possibility of imbalance which might have a bad effect on performance.

So basically, if it's a single exhaust, just buy a generic mid muffler of a fitting size (any custom exhaust shop can advise), and if its a double system, buy 2 the same, and get them to fit it. It will probably cost like less than 200 bucks for the mufflers plus like a hour of work for the custom exhaust shop.

Thats what I would do. 650 uk bucks + tax is a loooot for just a muffler replacement.

 

[Wagon]

It's a twin into one enormous muffler with a one out , pipecraft in Basildon have come back with a price of £250 to fab pipes and fit a generic muffler , just seen an ML430 one on the bay that looks exactly like mine , same cost as pipecraft without the fitting.
Getting new trans cooling pipes , gbox oil/filter and engine oil /filter fitted this weekend so low funds , prob be Nxt month at PIPECRAFT - Custom Exhaust Systems

 

[Somebody]

So it looks like this (really rough diagram):

?

 

[Wagon]

Ha.... More bends and some cats , but pretty much

 

[Somebody]

I mean as a general schematic flow diagram, disregarding cats, sensors, bends, balance pipes etc, it looks roughly like this?

In that case, if you are replacing only one midbox with a generic unit, its advisable to replace the other too with the same model. Its a little more expensive, but the generic unit will have different flow and muffling characteristics, which might cause a imbalance and also make your car sound weird (because you get one bank firing through one type of midbox and one through another).

Id still hunt around for a small backstreet tuning/custom shop, you might be able to get a significantly lower price. You shouldn't need to fabricate much for this, just cut slip in and weld.

 

[Wagon]

Looks like this except rear part is all in one