The exhaust carries hot gases from the engine to the back of the car, cleans them in the catalytic converter and quiets them in the resonator and muffler. It hangs under the car on rubber hangers, right where salt and slush sit all winter, so rust is what usually kills it.
Most exhaust trouble starts small. A heat shield rusts loose and rattles at idle. A hanger snaps and the pipe sags. A flex pipe cracks and the car sounds like a motorcycle on cold starts. We put it on the lift, find the leak or break, and where it makes sense we replace only the section that failed.
An exhaust leak isn't only a noise problem. A leak toward the front of the car can let fumes, including carbon monoxide, into the cabin.
Why it matters
Fumes in the cabin
You can smell exhaust, but not the carbon monoxide that comes with it. If exhaust is getting inside, especially with the windows up in winter, get it fixed right away.
Leaks throw off the sensors
Oxygen sensors read the exhaust to adjust the fuel mixture. A leak ahead of a sensor lets in outside air, skews the reading and can turn on the check engine light.
Sagging pipes don't stay up
A pipe held by one rusted hanger eventually drops. Once it's dragging, a speed bump or a chunk of ice can tear it off.
Signs it's time
- Exhaust louder than usual, especially on cold starts
- Rattling under the car at idle or over bumps
- Exhaust smell inside the cabin
- Pipe hanging low or scraping
- Check engine light with a catalyst or oxygen sensor code
- Rotten egg smell from the tailpipe
What's included
- Lift inspection from the manifold to the tailpipe
- Leak check at joints, gaskets and the flex pipe
- Hangers, clamps and heat shields checked
- Catalytic converter and oxygen sensor check
- Written quote for the failed sections
- New gaskets and hardware with replacement parts
- Codes checked and cleared after the repair
How often
Whenever it's on the lift
There's no set interval. We look at the exhaust during oil changes and inspections, and spring is a good time to catch a winter's worth of salt damage.
