Barney...
Consider yourself lucky. Back in the mid '80's, I bought a
stainless steel exhause system from M & G Vintage Auto with a
lifetime guarantee. The muffler didn't last a year. M & G refused
to stand behind it because the "lifetime guarantee" only covered
rust through. The muffler was not rusted through mearly burned out.
>
>10 years ago I bought a stainless steel exhaust system from Moss
>with a lifetime guarantee.
>
>3-1/2 years ago at about 40-45K miles I asked for a replacement
>muffler because the original one had gotten very loud. The whole
>exhaust system is stocked under one part number, so they had to
>special order the muffler by itself. It took 3 weeks to get the
>new muffler. They didn't want the old one back, told me to toss
>it out.
>
>This summer, at 95K miles, I had the same problem again, requested
>another replacement muffler. Same story, special order for the
>muffler alone. They also wanted the old one back this time,
>charged my account for the new muffler, would credit my account
>when the old one was returned (assuming that they agree it's
>defective?). This time it took 3 months to come.
>
>Moss' current price for the whole SS exhaust system is $159.95,
>but the order said $139.95 (maybe on sale). Their charge for the
>muffler alone was $112.90. That seemed a bit much. but I'm
>expecting to get it back with the return of the old muffler. If
>the muffler ever blows out again I think I'll tell them that I
>refuse to weld the broken front bracket back on again, and
>ask for replacement of the whole system. That way maybe they
>would send a whole system off the shelf and avoid the long special
>order delay.
>
>I thought that the old muffler had lost all the internal baffles
>or such, so when I removed it from the car I held it up to the
>light for a peek through. What I saw inside was a perforated steel
>tube with a straight through bore like a glass pack.
>
Exactly! I believe the muffler to be nothing more than a glass pack
with a stainless case.
>The new >muffler looks exactly the same, so whatever is missing
>has to be >out of sight beteween the inner pipe and outter
>housing.
>
>There did seem to be a difference in weight, so I weighed them
>both. New muffler is 16-1/2 pounds, old muffler is 15 pounds
>even, so seems to be missing 1-1/2 pounds of stuffing. Whatever
>that 1-1/2 pounds of material is, it sure makes a lot of
>difference in the sould level.
>
Probably 1-1/2 pounds of fiberglass stuffing would be all that is
needed to fill a muffler!
>
>I was also concerned for a while about back pressure, but with the
>straight through design I don't think it's an issue.
>
>Anybody else have these things blow out and get noisy?
>
Yes - me!
Dick :>)
Vintage Parts & Products
Camarillo, California
Have MG will travel
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