How long do silencers last?

[sgcooke]

I was concerned to find the right hand side of the silencer box hanging low yesterday on my 98 e-class estate . When inspecting it the silencer box itself looks fine but the bracket welded to it which clips in to the mount on the underside of the car is badly rusting and about to detach. This is the original silencer and has lasted 5years and 50k miles.
It seems a shame to replace an apparently OK silencer just for a rusty bracket.
Do folk feel it worthwhile to weld a new bracket on or is this the expected life-span of a silencer and I should just change it?
Thanks for any advice!

 

[TimN]

In both the situations where hangers have been welded onto the pipe and where the pipe has been bent around corners thins the metal making the pipe more susceptible to rust in these areas.

you can only expect 2 years from a non patent exhaust so 5 years does not seem unreasonable. If the pipe has dropped then there is probably a hole which will require plugging for an MOT. In taking the back box off to repair it things may get worse and the welder may end up chasing the metal.

The only way for a life time guarentee is to fit stainless steel but this comes at a price.

 

[bazza]

Stainless Steel exhausts are getting really cheap nowadays and make much more sense than a dealer fit item. I had one fitted to my 190E by powerflow which sounds a bit boy racer but they will give you a choice of tail pipes and will make it as loud or as quiet as you want and give you a lifetime guarantee as long as you bring the car back annually for a free check.Every exhaust is custom made for that particular car, so no pattern exhaust problems.The work isn't shabby either as my father-in-law who is a retired engineer says that when the exhaust on his SLK goes he is going to them for a St/Steel one.


The cost? On my 190E from the downpipe back(no cat) it cost me £300 or £150 if I just wanted a rear silencer.I chose a twin square outlet but didn't want the rear bumper cut so this is reflected in the price for the extra work.

Cost of MB exhaust(much better quality than Kwik Fit etc)---£700-£800
The dealers are nationwide so try them for a price and see what you think


Bazza

 

[sunil sood]

on the 190e -1993-the original rear box lasted 8 yrs before it blew a leak at the pipe to silencer joint.-i replaced it with a hjs brand silencer from german and swedish car parts for 50 pounds-this particular one was the better of the two options which were available for my car-i am happy with the quality and the car is quiet.

on the c200 -1997,the original rear box is on the 7th year ,so far no problems.

 

[Andy]

Hi SG Cooke

I have found a number of vehicles with this bracket fallen off. The weld broken. I would either remove all together or get it rewelded on. Usually there is no hole where it has broken.

As for how long do they last. Well the later stuff does not seem to last as long as the older stuff. But we have a E280 L93 124 and we have just replaced the original exhaust at 170k.

So I think he got value for money.


Regards

Andy @ mercedesservicing.com

 

[sgcooke]

Thanks folks.

Anxiety got the better of me and I took it to MB dealer who declared the exhaust unfixable because of the position of the bracket (sticks out sideways).

New MB one now fitted cost £237, plus fitting £37.50, plus vat. I shall coat new bracket with antirust paint!