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Recommendations for custom exhaust fitter plz!

N

nomeansno

New Member
Joined
Mar 30, 2010
Messages
11
Car
C320 Avantgarde
I would like a cat back system for my C320. I live near Peterborough and have been quoted £510 for a single exit Longlife exhaust at Topgear, Pboro. I can't find any reviews of their work and don't know anyone who has had one fitted there. I looked at MIJ and CKS but the net seems full of complaints about them. I'm worried about spending a bunch of pounds on shoddy welds, rippled bends and poor quality steel....:dk:
 
I know it's a bit North of you but I can vouch for their work and their prices are much better than what you have been quoted. Several members on here have also had systems from them.

Try THESE Call them ask for Matt and tell them Ian from JAR Motorsport sent you and they will do you a good deal which will more than pay for the fuel you will need to get to Sheffield :thumb:
 
Why not keep an eye for a performance backbox from a know company and than sort the rest once you have the box?
 
EMP Performance in Bushey - they did my CLK500 and also a custom setup for my MR2 Turbo.. top stuff..
 
nomeansno said:
I would like a cat back system for my C320. I live near Peterborough and have been quoted £510 for a single exit Longlife exhaust at Topgear, Pboro. I can't find any reviews of their work and don't know anyone who has had one fitted there. I looked at MIJ and CKS but the net seems full of complaints about them. I'm worried about spending a bunch of pounds on shoddy welds, rippled bends and poor quality steel....:dk:
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I have used Longlife. The work was exceptional - all mig welded, all stainless steel. Wasn't Peterborough but from other reviews I've read, all branches seem to be to the same high standard.

and lifetime guarantee
 
Plus one for Longlife.......in my case Oxford.

Mic
 
interesting...

can anybody confirm (who has had stainless steel system fitted) that the sound of the system does not sound 'tinny'

its been on and off my radar for a little while now.

ive just recently aquired a nice double round pipe Sebring back box that is made especially for the coupe from factory.
 
Thanks for the info everyone. I have considered just a branded back box but they seem very expensive - nearly the cost of a full system from a custom builder. PD Gough & Co look good. I dropped in on the Longlife franchise in Pboro - they are working from from a tiny unit around the back of an ICE showroom. Seemed ok but overpriced imo, they were working on a V6 Passat twin exit system that they were charging £1200 for!!
 
It does not have to be new,the other week an Eisenmann backbox went on eBay.de for €350 with no bids.That would have been a bargain
 
Longlife (Croydon) did my R129 (centre muffler delete and fitting of AMG back box). No problems with their work.
 
nomeansno said:
Thanks for the info everyone. I have considered just a branded back box but they seem very expensive - nearly the cost of a full system from a custom builder. PD Gough & Co look good. I dropped in on the Longlife franchise in Pboro - they are working from from a tiny unit around the back of an ICE showroom. Seemed ok but overpriced imo, they were working on a V6 Passat twin exit system that they were charging £1200 for!!
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The location doesn't have any bearing on the quality of the end product, as is evidenced by MB glass & chrome palaces!

No idea where the £1200 V6 Passat twin exit system fits into the equation - you asked for recommendations - you got some. You had concerns about shoddy welds, rippled bends and poor quality steel - hopefully allayed from at least two people who have actually used Longlife :D
 
lxi said:
The location doesn't have any bearing on the quality of the end product, as is evidenced by MB glass & chrome palaces!

No idea where the £1200 V6 Passat twin exit system fits into the equation - you asked for recommendations - you got some. You had concerns about shoddy welds, rippled bends and poor quality steel - hopefully allayed from at least two people who have actually used Longlife :D
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Totally disagree I'm afraid. Longlife are franchise operators and different fitters can produce different results. Just because one franchise does great work doesn't mean you should assume you'll get the same from somewhere else. The working environment definately has a bearing on quality too. If you are trying to work in a cramped space surrounded by parts and shelves it makes the job more stressful and generally speaking quality suffers. No idea where the Passat system fits in?? Is that a joke?? Erm...It's an exhaust they were fitting at the time which I was able to inspect to give me an idea of the workmanship to expect - it looked good though I couldn't see where they got £1200 from. Practically everyone else I have called would do a similar system for arouind £800. I'm not saying that Longlife are good are bad or that I wouldn't get a good job from my local franchise, but at the end of the day I want the best possible bang for my buck - and who in their right mind wouldn't?? ;)
 
What are you hoping to achieve and how will you know whether you have?

If that sounds obtuse, is it that you are looking for more performance, or looks, or what?
 
Dieselman said:
What are you hoping to achieve and how will you know whether you have?

If that sounds obtuse, is it that you are looking for more performance, or looks, or what?
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Thats a very good question. I'm looking for for a combination of looks, sound and performance. I'm very aware of how a poorly designed/fitted exhaust can affect all of these things so I want to be careful who I use to carry out the work. The system needs replacing at the end of the day and I tend to go for uprated items as things wear out. On previous cars I had off the shelf exhausts from Mongoose, Miltek, Prodrive etc - these were all good products and definately improved performance as well as sounding great. In terms of measuring performance, apart from any noticeable improvements in acceleration/ responsiveness /economy - I could always put it on the rollers....
 
You won't get any measurable difference in power or economy IMHO. Most people (me included) are just after a better sound and nicer looks.

Make sure you declare any exhaust mods to your insurer btw.
 
These prices quoted above are mental the cat back on my W208 230k was £350, full system including 2 x sports cat on the Audi A8 £800 for the quality see HERE all made out of 304 stainless
 
BTB 500 said:
You won't get any measurable difference in power or economy IMHO. Most people (me included) are just after a better sound and nicer looks.

Make sure you declare any exhaust mods to your insurer btw.
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Also very important to get the diameter of pipe and boxes correct so you run at the correct pressure, open it up too much and you will lose pressure and decrease torque. There are plenty of people who will make you a nice shiny exhaust but very few who understand the engineering involved to maintain a cars performance.
 
BTB 500 said:
You won't get any measurable difference in power or economy IMHO. Most people (me included) are just after a better sound and nicer looks.

Make sure you declare any exhaust mods to your insurer btw.
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I tend to agree. NA engines dont respond well to exhaust mods. I got another 20bhp by changing the exhaust and K&N filter element on the Scoob. It's mainly for looks and sound this time and anything else is a bonus :thumb:
 
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