How long should an exhaust system last?
Quite a number of vehicles these days come equipped with stainless steel exhaust systems that seem to last about 6 years. Being low chrome alloys, these systems don’t last forever. It is very difficult to find after market exhaust systems made of stainless steel, even the dealers don’t seem to stock them, relying instead on “lifetime” warranty as a sales tool. The materials used in exhaust systems are either plain carbon steel, usually very cheap and warranted for one year, or “aluminized” systems, which are carbon steel wrapped both sides in aluminium. These latter systems usually last 3-4 years. Cold starts and short runs are fatal to exhaust pipes and mufflers, so that a system in Arizona will last far longer than one in Minnesota or Manitoba. Gasoline produces a very dilute sulphuric acid as a product of combustion, so that most systems corrode from the inside out, NOT the other way around. “Lifetime” warranty usually applies only to the original purchaser, does not include labour
