My 2000 Volkswagen Passat has all kinds of nasty exhaust sounds, rust, and check engine lights going on. I was looking into replacing the left *half* that seems to be causing the trouble and I can get the pipes WITH catalytic converter that will just bolt into the muffler for like $320. My question is, would it be cheaper for me to just buy the cat. for $100 and have a local shop custom weld the rest? Or are custom muffler jobs pretty expensive?Thanks!P.S. if this is an ignorant question I apologize, I really don‘t know anything about exhaust systems.
1.Not generally, if weak. 2.Yes. 3. Yes, if 50% out of phase(otherwise the field will go through both overlapping holes).
Getting a straight piece of tube become an exhaust pipe is more about bending than welding, so I doubt that would end up being cheaper. Only the shop will be able to answer this after taking a look at the situation. With some luck you could find an aftermarket half which is almost as good but cheaper than the original part. That's the best solution.
