Exhaust replacement is a thing of the past. My early cars in the 70s and 80s needed exhaust systems replaced every couple of years or so. Last time I replaced an exhaust was on the Fiat Multipla. My Kia Picanto is on original exhaust since 2005, my mates Passat from 2001 still original exhaust.  My Roomies exhaust runs wet and does not dry out in the winter months yet no signs of blowing after 4 years. They don't use syrup tins anymore!

Edited 10 May, 20188 yr by edbostan

I think its more down to using well dipped anti rust measures. Car bodies themselves don't rust now, like 70's cars did! Its now more likely to scrap a car due to electronics, such as the expensive ECU. Main exhausts always did last longer anyway but replacements are always cheap materials. I remember having an old Saab 900 Turbo and I used a small local repair specialist to fix it or get parts etc. I needed the rear box but he told me to fit a second hand solid one rather then a new Kwik-Fit one as the Saab one was much thicker and the cheap one I would be lucky to get a year out of. Genuine ones were much heavier, too. Quality manufacturing. Most people in the 70's and 80's wanted the cheap stuff as they would most likely sell or scrap the car before needing another!

The exhaust was one of the few bits of my Schitroen Berlingo that *didn't* require attention during the 5 years I owned it!

 

Back in the 70's I tired of replacing rotten exhausts on my various Hillman Imps and bought a stainless system.  (Does anyone make stainless replacements any more?)  I remember it was so badly made and of such thin material that it didn't fit properly and was extremely noisy.

 

I eventually "cured" the problem by fitting a Peco Big Bore exhaust (remember those?) which was also noisy - but at least it was a nice noise!

Tyre & Exhaust fitting centres still exist, and Garages and Main Dealerships still get replacement exhausts delivered and fit them.

Not only to cars manufactured more than a decade ago. 

 

So really fitting replacement exhausts are hardly a thing of the past.   Not a dead parrot. 

Plenty money being made in Cat replacements & exhausts still.

 

If ever there are only EV's on the roads in 3 decades or so then the need for Exhaust Fitters will be over.

 

I think that the days of cars being well treated against rusting are well over, now we seem to be returning to rusting body panels, maybe brought on by water based paints. 

 

Still a good market out there for Waxoyl.

 

I mainly agree about exhausts, my 2000 Passat still had its factory fitted exhaust fitted when I sold it at over 13 years old and 85K miles, wife's 2002 Polo lasted 13 years and 105K miles and was still okay when it was sold. Daughter's early 2002 Ibiza requested a new back box when it was roughly 6 years old, her current late 2009 Ibiza's exhaust might last another year or two.

 

Ford Fiesta, back when my wife had a MK3 Fiesta Ghia 1.1, its exhaust gave way well forward - these models were that new that Ford had none in stock, so a motor factor got me one the next day.

 

It did used to be a bit like that back then:- "what is it this year?  battery or exhaust?" followed maybe by a quick decoke - oh and brake pipes rotted overnight and flexi hoses and maybe cooling hoses needed replacing every 5 years, "ah, these were the days - not!"

3 hours ago, Offski said:

Tyre & Exhaust fitting centres still exist, and Garages and Main Dealerships still get replacement exhausts delivered and fit them.

Not only to cars manufactured more than a decade ago. 

 

So really fitting replacement exhausts are hardly a thing of the past.   Not a dead parrot. 

Plenty money being made in Cat replacements & exhausts still.

 

If ever there are only EV's on the roads in 3 decades or so then the need for Exhaust Fitters will be over.

 

 

Retrained as battery repairers?

Ah the good old days of motoring when, if you were lucky, an exhaust would last 2 winters.  Not totally a thing of the past though.  Had to replace a corroded back box on my wife's Micra a few years ago, but it was 10yrs old.  There are 2 reasons why exhaust systems last longer these days

1. In the bad old days they were galvanised mild steel but I am 99% sure that they are all stainless steel now.
2. The introduction of low sulphur fuel.  Sulphur burns to produce sulphur dioxide that combines with water and a bit of oxygen to produce sulphuric acid.  That used to rot the mild steel exhaust from the inside and was a particular problem in very cold weather or if your car only did short journeys so the exhaust never got hot enough to get rid of the water. The coldest part of the exhaust was the back box where condensation built up to form a nice little reservoir of sulphuric acid.  You may remember the worries about acid rain in the 70's and 80's - sulphur in fuel and (especially) coal was the cause of this.

 

 

20 minutes ago, eccleshill said:

Ah the good old days of motoring when, if you were lucky, an exhaust would last 2 winters.  Not totally a thing of the past though.  Had to replace a corroded back box on my wife's Micra a few years ago, but it was 10yrs old.  There are 2 reasons why exhaust systems last longer these days

1. In the bad old days they were galvanised mild steel but I am 99% sure that they are all stainless steel now.
2. The introduction of low sulphur fuel.  Sulphur burns to produce sulphur dioxide that combines with water and a bit of oxygen to produce sulphuric acid.  That used to rot the mild steel exhaust from the inside and was a particular problem in very cold weather or if your car only did short journeys so the exhaust never got hot enough to get rid of the water. The coldest part of the exhaust was the back box where condensation built up to form a nice little reservoir of sulphuric acid.  You may remember the worries about acid rain in the 70's and 80's - sulphur in fuel and (especially) coal was the cause of this.

 

 

 

Stainless? Can tell you don't work on many cars 

 

They are still mild steel and they all still rust. They last a long time, but they still rust and they do fall apart eventually. It must be about 3 years since I welded up an exhaust on a 2005 Golf GTI although it did look like it had lived near the coast because the rest of the car wasn't doing so good either.

Edited 11 May, 20188 yr by SuperbTWM

I think that car exhausts, as fitted at the factories did tend towards a better quality of steel alloy that slowed down the corrosion, but now I think, like general body corrosion protection, things have changed a bit and exhausts start to look very scabby quite quickly.

I had to replace the flexible section on SWMBO's Roomster last year (6 1/2 years old) and the joining sleeve the year before as the clamps had rotted away.

 

The flexible section was a nightmare as it's part of the section of pipe that comes direct from the back of the turbo and contains the DPF. My choice was to weld in a new flexible section for about £40 or replace the whole lot for about £1400.