Stainless steel muffler- maybe not

I had my muffler changed about 2 or 3 yrs ago at midas or speedy
(can't remember) on a 93 grand caravan. It fell off this weekend. When
I checked it, the muffler itself was like new but the small pipes
leading to and from the muffler were all corroded. I'm wondering if
Midas/Speedy are using stainless steel on the muffler but the pipes
that are welded to the muffler themselves are just mild steel?? If
this is the case, I think they are a rip-off. The clamps that they
used were corroded badly as well. You'd think they would use stainless
steel clamps??

Anyone know for sure if the stainless steel mufflers these people sell
are all stainless??

Steve L.

 

If you patronize places like Midas or Speedy, you get crapola -- even if
you pay for their "premium" stuff. I doubt they installed a
stainless-steel muffler on your car at Midas or Speedy, unless it was a
cheaply-made "universal" muffler. Even the best quality name-brand
mufflers available for your '93 Caravan aren't stainless like the original
Chrysler unit was -- they're aluminized steel, same as you'll get if you
try to buy an "original equipment" muffler from the dealer.

At Midas? At Speedy? Pffft.

 

Thanks Daniel,
So where can you get a real stainless steel muffler for a 93 grand
caravan 3.3 litre AWD.
I just called the dealer and the parts guy admitted that they use the
same muffler as Midas etc. He said the supplier was Walker.

 

You can't. Not an application-specific one, and most all the aftermarket
stainless mufflers are "performance" items that sound absolutely awful
behind V6s.

Walker makes at least two different mufflers for an application like yours
-- an "economy" item that doesn't last, a "premium QUiet-Flow" item that's
a quality product, and then there are the "Pro-Fit" universal "just about
the right size and shape" mufflers used by the likes of Midas.

 

Stainless steel is non-metallic.....Place a magnet against it and if it sticks
IS NOT stainless steel....

 

None of the above is true. Stainless steel IS metallic. All stainless
steels, with the exception of austenitic, are attracted to magnets. Even
austenitic stainless can be magnetic if cold-worked. There is plenty of
information on the web for stainless steel, including its magnetic
properties.

 

How do you think Midas and other companies that give life time guarantee on
their mufflers make money? It is the pipes that rot out and you will have to
pay for that to be replaced. I had a shop bend steel exhaust pipes for my car
and it lasted 12 years. The clamps always rot out, so you will have to keep an
eye for them and replace once every 3 to 4 years.

 

Brilliant, Einstein.

 

This is not true. It is a metal. You probably meant to say it is
non-ferous, which is not true either.

Also not true. Depends on the specific alloy. Magnets will stick, though
weakly, to some stainless steel alloys.

 

Get decent stainless steel clamps and you are set. They should last as
long as the rest of the exhaust system.

 

Actually there iare magnetic and non-magnetic stainless steels.
Autentistic and martentistic, or something like that.

 

I had stainless put on my '90 Aerostar in 1992. Sold it 2 years ago -
had replaced 2 clamps up until a month before I sold it, when the
stainless muffler split at the seam. I replaced it with a cheap
Meinike muffler to sell the van.

 

Just when you think you've heard the dumbest usenet comment...


Matt

 

The mufflers are crap, too. I had one of those "lifetime" mufflers.
Every year it would rot out. Sure they would replace it for free, but
it was a hassle to bring the car in and you had to deal with the place
trying to screw you for a few dollars here and there for all the things
that weren't covered.

 

Not believing you guys, I spent hours on the web looking for a
replacement muffler, all stainless, including pipes.....I found
nothing.

I can't believe you can't buy and OEM all stainless muffler
replacement for a 93 grand caravan. I find this totally amazing that
there is not one company that makes these. Sure you can find
performance ones that are univeral. But they need extra length pipes
etc. they are not direct replacements and they are supposed to sound
like crap.

The only one that says they have is Walker and I'm told that this is
what the Chrysler dealer and Midas etc sell.

I wish I had kept my original OEM muffler and just welded a new pipe
onto it...had I known.

Steve L

 

Well if you don't believe us, and you don't believe your own eyes...whom
do you believe? I don't think there's anything in the Bible about it, so
we're outta luck on that avenue... The fact of the matter is that the
aftermarket will not generally support (i.e., pay for) what an OEM-type
stainless muffler would cost. They tend to remain available from dealer
parts departments for a short time after OEM use is discontinued, for
warranty work and such, but then the dealer parts counters are switched
over to the aftermarket type mufflers.

Why? Just buy a premium muffler from Walker or Goerlich and you'll be all
set for at least five years, depending on how you use your car. The other
option is to get busy with the books, find a late-model application (later
Chrysler minivans...?) that use a muffler similar in size, shape and
configuration to your own, and go buy *that* from the dealer. Prepare to
pay $$$.

 

Your admiration for Midas has me all teary-eyed. They have stockholders to
feed, and they are not going to use stainless steel for any reason. Who do
you think pays for all their commercials? You! All auto-repair chains are
rip offs. They have to be because of their cost structure. Watch this group
and see how many people post stuff like "I took my car to Pep Boys/Jiffy
Lube/K-Mart/ etc and (blah blah blah disaster) happened."

 

I'm LOL! Surely he meant to say non-magnetic, but as has already been
pointed out, it depends. It's a pretty good test, in my opinion.