Ok heres the deal

My Ibiza is now 12 years old and has 115,000 miles on the clock.

Shortly after I got it the exhaust started rattling against the heat shield.

Without proper facilities the best i could do to give myself to get underneath and fix it was to put the back wheels on a very large kerb and have a poke around.

On fixing the problem as a dropped forward off the kerb it caught the back back and pulled the whole system backwards

This pulled the centre section against once of the cross braces and caused an even worse vibration

Cross brace removed everything has been hunky dory for a couple of months, until earlier this week when a new rattle started.

Another section against another cross brace so i've removed that as well and the rattle has gone away

I had a spare hour so i popped by my favourite tyre and exhaust fitter and got it up on the ramps.

It would seem after 12 years and 115k of exposure the system is, in technical terms, knackered.

It's blowing in a couple of places, the baffles in the back box are gone and pretty much each join is corroded away to nothing.

This means everything aft of the cat is slowly moving backwards and at present the centre section has moved about 2 inches!

The fitter said that under normal circumstances they'd simply move everything back into the right place but mine is so rotten that won't be possible.

So now the part for you to get involved in:

Question 1

Given I've now removed all the rattle causing cross braces should the centre section come away completely from the cat there will be nothing to catch it and it'll fire off down the road behind me. This I want to avoid.

How much overlap is there generally in exhaust sections?

Is a complete collapse imminent after 2 inches of movement or do i have a while?

Question 2

Is £108 all in for a new cat back system reasonable?

Question 3 (possibly a little more tricky)

Is there a reason I shouldn't fit a back box from the 16V Ibiza GTi to my 8V? (as it's £15 cheaper!)

Question 4

Given my very limited tools and skills is fitting an exhaust a DIY job?

It looks simple - undo the clamps at the joins, unhook from the bushes, pull away from the cat, remove, throw in bin.

Fitting the new one is the reverse surely?

1. Not a great deal, about 6-7cm last time I looked. So another knock or two before it falls off.

2. Seems a bit expensive to me, but that's fitted? Have you phoned a supplier? (we have Exhausts Unlimited up the road... what do you have?)

3. No idea.

4. It's an easy job to do.

Is this your system here?

http://www.cats-direct-shop.co.uk/exhaust-system-details.php?ID=790038

Ibiza 2.0i Cat GTi 8v 1984cc (85 kW, 114 HP) Eng:2E

^^^^^^^......I,ve fitted a whole system front to back inc cats, downpipes etc.....only a couple of nuts and bolts and unhook the rubbers........BUT the worse bits are having to cut of the bolts (angle grinder) on the joining sleave due to rust...and the join of the backbox to centre section as the rotation/twist relative to each other affects the way the pipe that goes across from the centre to the backbox lies and talso the way the tailpipes sit......other than that I think Haynes has it down as a two or three spanner out of five!

Also use some Holts exhaust paste on any joins after the cats!!

Looking at Eurocarparts it comes in two pieces totalling £125, so £108 isn’t too bad. If you use the Brisky discount though it comes in at £93 ish. If it were me and this is the cheapest I'd pay the extra £15 and get someone else to fit it.

p.s I just put in 1999 2.0 8v Ibiza so the price may be wrong.

Is this your system here?

http://www.cats-direct-shop.co.uk/exhaust-system-details.php?ID=790038

Ibiza 2.0i Cat GTi 8v 1984cc (85 kW, 114 HP) Eng:2E

yep i found that site too.

Although my engine code starts AGG rather than 2E but it sure looks to be the same thing

I spoke to National exhausts and ATS euromaster and they were anything from £130 to £180 so i was happy with £108!

Will make some calls on Monday and see what I can find

ohhh dear the hole has enlarged and my mpg has instantly dropped by 10!

although i would now be at home revving over and over again outside a maccy d's!

Thought it'd do some shopping around and get everything from the £108 mentioned above through £170 to £280!!!

crazyness!

Are exhausts the new insurance?!

Booked in tomorrow for a replacement though jsut in time for the trundle up to Cheshire and Saturday's track day at Oulton