Possibly a stupid question, does the exhaust system have to come off for these to go on or not?

I think the easy/sensible way to do this job properly is to drop the exhaust down as much as possible, remove the ends of the flexi using a welding torch,  maybe weld up one end of the new flexi fully, refit the exhaust and weld as much as possible then remove the exhaust again to complete welding.

 

Just make sure that you buy the correct diameter and length of flexi repair section with tails.  My professional exhaust designer/fabricator just used the flexi that he had that was closest to being the right side, lots of resonance with the added bonus of exhaust touching the underbody under certain conditions, I needed to source the correct repair flexi section and get them to sort it out - although I was told that the diameter and length was not important, well after fitting the correct flexi that exhaust was as good as new and lasted until we traded it at 13 years 105K miles 8 or 9 years later.

 

Edit:- quick answer, yes!  Long answer, see above!

Edited 2 October, 20187 yr by rum4mo

2 minutes ago, rum4mo said:

I think the easy/sensible way to do this job properly is to drop the exhaust down as much as possible, remove the ends of the flexi using a welding torch,  maybe weld up one end of the new flexi fully, refit the exhaust and weld as much as possible then remove the exhaust again to complete welding.

 

Just make sure that you buy the correct diameter and length of flexi repair section with tails.  My professional exhaust designer/fabricator just used the flexi that he had that was closest to being the right side, lots of resonance with the added bonus of exhaust touching the underbody under certain conditions, I needed to source the correct repair flexi section and get them to sort it out - although I was told that the diameter and length was not important, well after fitting the correct flexi that exhaust was as good as new and lasted until we traded it at 13 years 105K miles 8 or 9 years later.

 

Edit:- quick answer, yes!  Long answer, see above!

 

Cheers it’s been in the garage, needs a new exhaust system, but mechanic said the flexi pipes needed doing asap. 

 

Just debating about if I can get away with old exhaust on there for a bit longer, and just get the pipes fitted. Can’t afford both atm.

I think that normally there is only one flexi section, unless you have a V6 engine in that one, and that one flexi is near the front of the exhaust.

 

The nuisance is, the flexi, is on the front section just after the manucat at least on the 1.4 16V petrol engines, normally that section of exhaust survives and it is the rest of the exhaust that rusts a lot.  Catalytic convertors cost quite a bit, so when my wife's Polo was only 4 years old, and the only place that could supply a new front exhaust section including the manucat was VW dealers, I just could not accept that I would need to hand over that much money to fix that exhaust, so I got the leaking flexi replaced.

It’s a 1.4 8v so nothing as nice as a v6!

 

it will be going back into the garage to get the flexi pipes done if possible. Got a long journey next week, and I wish they’d made a start on it if possible before I have to book it in again