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If your car sounds
like a big Harley
Davidson, you know it's muffler time.
Yet it's rare that a car needs only a muffler.
Usually other parts too, such as:
the exhaust pipe, tail pipe, clamps and hangers.
The longevity of muffler and
pipes depends on what kind of steel the
components are made of, how pipes are routed
under the car, where
the muffler is located, and whether or not the
car has a catalytic
converter.
Original equipment pipes made
of aluminumized steel generally
last about 5 to 7 years, except in areas with
a lot of road salt and
moisture.
In these areas, pipes may need replacing about
5 yrs or less.
Original equipment pipes made of stainless
steel (which are used from
the converter forward on most cars and for the
entire exhaust system
on some) can last up to 10 yrs or more.
Most aftermarket pipes, by comparison, are made of ordinary
steel which
is good for about 3 to 5 years of service.
Aluminumized and stainless pipes are better, but cost more.
With mufflers, stainless holds up the best, followed by
double-sided
galvanized steel.
Single sided galvanized and aluminumized hold up fairly
well, while
plain steel offers little or no corrosion resistance.
As a rule, the hotter a muffler runs the longer it lasts.
Mufflers on vehicles with catalytic converters run hotter
and last longer
than those on older vehicles without
converters.
Mufflers rust from the inside out.
Rust is caused by moisture in the
exhaust.
Moisture condenses in the muffler when
the engine is shut off and
the muffler starts to cool.
Some mufflers have a small pin hole that allows condensation to
seep out.