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I am need of a shop to install my newly acquired Z06 Ti exhaust. There is no way in hell I would ever attempt to do it myself in my garage with ramps and a jack. Here is my dilemma though, no shop in my area (including muffler shops) will touch it. Reasons are from arms on the lift wont fit underneath it to just not wanting to work on a Vette.
So I resorted to calling the local Chevy dealership as a last ditch effort knowing they would charge the most. They will gladly do the work and have the right lift and equipment but at a price of $180. I knew they would be expensive but that sounds a little excessive to me. Anyone here ever had this job done at a Chevy dealership and is that about the going rate? Any input would be greatly appreciated before I make my decision.
I did it myself using a friend's four-post lift when I installed my first Ti exhaust. I got that exhaust cheap because it had a rattle in the right muffler - I'm guessing a piece of catalytic converter had broken off and migrated into the muffler. You couldn't really hear anything other than there was a drone at about 1400. I eventually picked up a second Ti setup but had that installed by a shop (I was recovering from an illness and was not quite up to it yet). Cost to install was $140, so the dealership's $180 doesn't seem too bad.
If you have no other options, look like it doesn't matter if we think $180 dealer cost is high LOL
Another option is to post in your local region if there is anyone local to you with a lift or knows someone with a lift and pay with beer and pizza lol
I'd venture $180 is them charging you two hours of labor.
I guess the question is it worth the hassle of fiddling with it if you run into rusty / stuck hardware versus dropping it off and picking it up and having someone to go back to if there's issues. Only you can really make that decision. I've messed with exhaust before and it's always been a headache (thank you road salt in the Northeast) but if you get the bolts off, it could go quick with a buddy.
I don't think the price is particularly unreasonable (I'm not convinced you can get any repair done on a car these days for under $100), but it's up to you if you want to spend the money.
Mine's lowered and a local muffler shop did it for $65. Did you call some other muffler shops further away? Both Ti sides will fit in the trunk if you need to drive it there.
Thanks for all the input guys. I think that I am just going to take it to the dealer. I talked to them again and they said they can do it for $150. They have the right lift and the jacking pads for corvettes. Everything is free of corrosion since the car has never been driven in the rain or snow. They said it should only take an hour or so to do it. I don't really feel like going to far out to have it done. I haven't tried it but it doesn't look like both exhausts will fit in the trunk since it's a convertble. I am just going to have my wife follow me in her suv.
I took mine to a local Midas and they did it for me. Even with the old one completely off we were unable to figure out who made it. I'm not happy with my exhaust tips though - is there a way to replace them? They won't clean up and always seem to be dirty...
You are wise not to attempt this on jack stands. I've seen where folks posted on here that they have done it, but it takes a lot of ground clearance to roll the one piece Ti's over the rear axles.
I wish you lived reasonably close to me, I'd be happy to do them for you for way less.
I just did that over this past weekend with a floor jack, was nightmare and only reason i got the muffler on because the previous owner cut the muffler pipe and I used connector muffler clamp to install, other wise I would of taken to a shop for them to install muffler. I would not recommend doing on the floor with floor jack.
Just put one on my 99. Seriously contemplated doing myself but it really is less than a 1 hour job so I just had my mechanic do it along with an alignment. Cost me $100. Safety and not swearing in the garage unnecessarily is worth $100. Got the exhaust for $300 from a forum member so $400 all in is not too bad
If you combine with another service, they might do it for the 1 hour of labor it would take. 2 hours is BS for this job.
Originally Posted by MikeyMcFly
I'd venture $180 is them charging you two hours of labor.
I guess the question is it worth the hassle of fiddling with it if you run into rusty / stuck hardware versus dropping it off and picking it up and having someone to go back to if there's issues. Only you can really make that decision. I've messed with exhaust before and it's always been a headache (thank you road salt in the Northeast) but if you get the bolts off, it could go quick with a buddy.
I don't think the price is particularly unreasonable (I'm not convinced you can get any repair done on a car these days for under $100), but it's up to you if you want to spend the money.
Is your car a manual or automatic? My understanding is that an automatic is a bit more work because of some heat shielding that is not present with a manual. And I suspect the shop rate is in excess of $100/hour, so while not cheap, $150 doesn’t seem too crazy. Too bad you can’t find someone to do this as it’s quite a straightforward procedure on a lift.
It's an automatic. It looks like a really easy job, four bolts an a couple of hangers. I pains me to even have someone else do the job being that I do all work on my cars myself. I need to put safety before money though.
It is simple. Felt exactly the same way. Tried to convince myself that jerry-rigging a jack to get rear up that high would be a learning experience. I’m old enough now to not take unnecessary risks to save a few dollars.
Originally Posted by Adwest52
It's an automatic. It looks like a really easy job, four bolts an a couple of hangers. I pains me to even have someone else do the job being that I do all work on my cars myself. I need to put safety before money though.
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