> Just thought I'd let you folks know that there is an easier (read, less
> expensive too) way of repairing your rusted Vanagon exhaust. One of the
> pricey exhaust tubes was rusted out in two places on my Vanagon.
> On a whim I went to a muffler shop for an estimate. Guess what the damage
> was? $30! They welded a crack near the flange and actually inserted about
six inches of
> custom made pipe into the area that was rusted and welded it up! Cool or
> what?!?!  Now the Mystery Machine is running quiet again!!

This can be a good stopgap measure, and I've done it myself on my Vanagon,
just to buy a little time until I was able to replace the whole shebang.
But it's more likely to be a cost-effective measure if the crack is a stress
crack in an otherwise very solid pipe, rather than a rust spot. Most likely,
if your pipe is already rusted out in two spots, the rest of the pipe isn't
far behind (not to mention the other pipes that are the same age, if they
were all replaced at once). So even if you patch the two spots, it will only
rust out somewhere else. A month from now? A year from now?  The answer to
this, which only time will tell, will determine whether your $30 was well
spent.  Obviously, if you welded each rust spot that came along at $30 a
pop, you'd eventually pay more money patching the old pipe than it was
worth.  It's a judgement call, based on the condition of the exhaust system
as a whole, whether it's worth trying or not. Like most band-aid approaches
to auto repair (like using a stop-leak additive rather than actually fixing
the leak), at best it can only delay the inevitable.  (On the other hand, if
you happen to have the equipment and can do it yourself for nothing, you
don't have much to lose for trying. :-)

- Ron Salmon
  The Bus Depot, Inc.
  (215) 234-VWVW
  www.busdepot.com

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