Ghetto Exhaust Fix
 

My 1991 Mercedes 350SD has a broken exhaust in the flexible tube that connects the pipe from the engine to the pipe under the car.

(My car scrapes the exhaust on this one speed bump I have to go over when my wife is in the car)

Do you think it is possible for an exhaust shop to weld the flexible tube?

Is there a ghetto bandage that would hold for more than a few miles?

I have a asked for a quote from TimeValve Manufacturing for new exhaust system, but I can't find any other supplier for exhaust parts for this car. Any ideas?

You can buy just the flex portion of the pipe and have that welded in. I don't think you can weld the flex weave itself.

Where do I get the flex pipe?
 

Where can I buy the flex pipe for the exhaust?

Anyone know?

Try E-Bay

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/2-25-x-6-Exhaust-Flex-Pipe-Tube-100-Stainless-Steel-_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQhashZitem255a41caecQQitemZ160428051180QQptZMotorsQ5fCarQ5fTruckQ5fPartsQ5fAccesso ries

charlie

Flexible exhaust pipe
 

The flexible segment of the exhaust on my car does not look like the one you suggested on e-bay.

Instead it is a pleated tube. Is that the stock configuration, or has my exhaust been modified?

Is the flexible tube shown on e-bay preferable to the one I have?

You can get universal flex pipes at your local NAPA. They are the woven type and relatively inexpensive if you just weld it in yourself. If you buy almost any "stock" or mercedes-specific exhaust parts for your car, expect to pay out your rear end.

How much should a muffler shop charge to weld it?
 

How much should a muffler shop charge to weld-in a piece of pipe?

I don't want to get ripped-off.

I don't have my welding equipment anymore, but I pad a local shop $50 bucks to weld some flex pipe that I got from NAPA for my truck. That was close to a year ago and its working fine.

One of my 300D's came with the most ghetto fix in place for this very problem! PO had taken a soup can, split it down the side, then wrapped it around the flex pipe where it joins the hard pipe, then used two very nice stainless steel uniform pressure hose clamps to chomp down on each end of the soup can. These clamps probably cost as much as a what new flex section would have cost.

Go figure.

It's been a while, but the local muffler shop charged me $80 to replace the flex pipe on my wife's Toyata. Can't see that a MB would be much different. I think the flex pipe is pretty much the same as long as the diameter is right

I did a ghetto-patch on my muffler and tail pipe leading to the muffler using layers fiberglass and Miracle Paint. It has been patched this way for 6 years (50,000 miles), but I did have to replace the patch on the tail pipe once. A muffler for my car is pricey if you can even find one.

When you tell someone it is a Mercedes they think you have money, until they realize it is 19 years old and worth less than their Kia.

There's a local shop where the mechanics just make an hourly rate, no sales commission. The comparison is unbelievable- 1992 volvo 240D, broken flex pipe. Midas quotes $600 P&L Header, flexpipe, resonator, pipes. Mufflerman in Buffalo, $38 to buy & weld in flex pipe.

Midas supply c##p and charge as though it was gold!! Find an indi and pay him cash no questions asked !!!

Go to a better automptive supply house and buy the muffler exhaust tape kit- which you wrap around the problem piece and then run the engine- the tape will get hot and then cure to the pipe and voila! issue solved. I've done this to my downpipe and it's lasted 17 months without further attention.