Forester XT exhaust system replacement

Josea said:

My local mechanic showed me that my system is rusting and there is one obvious leak. I have all stock exhaust parts and was told I need to replace from the Cat. Converter and all parts back. I want to keep this great auto at least another 10 years (I only have 27,000 Miles). Should I get stainless steel parts? Also can I anyone recommend a brand of muffler, and what the entire job should cost including parts. (I am i the suburbs just outside Philadelphia)

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You have a 2005 MY vehicle, which was probably made in late 2004. It's now late 2013, so your OEM exhaust system parts lasted about 9 years. Granted, you have only driven 27,000 miles - not exactly flogging the horse.

Why not buy OEM parts? They fit properly. They are likely to last for the remaining life of the vehicle. This should be a bolt-on job so the labor bill should not be that high. If you don't want to do-it-yourself, almost any muffler shop or garage could do this.

A final thought: you plan to replace from the cat back. If, in the future, a garage suggests that your catalytic converter needs replacement, that is very expensive - prohibitively so if you buy an OEM cat. But your existing catalytic converter might be 'cleanable', assuming the housing is not rusted out. Look at this post http://www.subaruforester.org/vbulletin/f66/p0420-catalytic-citric-acid-bath-how-104347/#post1134098 or search the net for 'Citric Clean Catalytic Converter'.

Good luck on your project.

Look for stock system on Craigslist. A lot of people have aftermarket or STi catbacks and their stock system just sits in their garage.

I had the stock system sitting in my storage unit until I moved a few months back.