I finally got my exhaust fixed on my Subaru Impreza (2013). As I mentioned before, I had backed through a plow’s snow berm at the end of my driveway in December. The plow had come by some time after I had shoveled the drive and I didn’t really think about needing to check the end again. I didn’t notice the exhaust immediately, but later during that drive I noticed it had gotten quite loud. I looked underneath later and saw a clean break a little before the muffler.
I had gotten that same area fixed twice before at Market Street Muffler. The exhaust overall is getting old though and the winter and short drives can be rough on it. So I took it back to Market, because they are quite reasonable on price and trustworthy. They can be quite busy at times and were the first day I called, but they got me right in the next day. They had to do two sleeves, as another spot more near the middle of the car had broken through. So it cost $150 some instead of the $75 from last time. I went ahead with it, even though I may not keep this car more than another year, as I wanted to get the car back to normal quiet and exhaust flow, and that’s a very good price for what they’re doing.
I noticed immediately when driving it that it was much quieter. I knew it had been a bit loud and rattly, but the difference was quite nice. After a little while it has started to just feel normal again though. The smooth exhaust flow also makes the running feel a little smoother. Now every time I go over a bump or pothole, though, it just makes me worry a little bit about breaking another spot. But hopefully it stays solid for the rest of my time with it.
The woman at the desk talked to me a bit while I was waiting, and mentioned that a lot of the people there were getting old and looking to retire soon. That had a younger guy, who happened to be handling my car, that they hoped would take over the business soon. The welds looked good on my car, so I’d say he’s good. Hopefully he’ll keep the place going, because I like the place. It’s hard to find trustworthy places with good prices.
While waiting in the lobby, an Impreza the same color as mine backed into the same spot I had parked when I first came in, and for a moment I thought maybe they had finished my car. But then I saw some differences, like a roof rack and dark front logo. When the guy came in, he asked if I was the owner of the one in the bay, and we talked a bit. He was getting an oil change and noise in the front checked out. I mentioned that I had recently gotten my suspension up there fixed, but he mentioned a grinding sound. So I told him about my wheel bearing issues. I’ve had to replace three in the car, two of them myself and one under warranty. The ones I did myself were a real bear. I imagine it will be a bit pricey having someone do it, but if Market will, they should be reasonable. Hopefully it works out well for him. Sounds like he’s had good luck with it so far.