So since I started this posting I figure I say something.

The muffler I bought from partsgeek was an ANSA.... I wanted to find
out if there was a warranty for it. I found it. It is one year worth
from the time of purchase....It has been 2. Figures....The rest of the
muffler is ok and it seems that I have enough of a nob to place a
strait tip on it.

So it does not look all wacked, I�m going to cut a piece of tail pipe
1 5/8ths diameter that I had laying around and make a tip for the
muffler by drilling 2 holes into it and tightening the screws against
the remaining muffler nob.

When that falls off I�ll go to the muffler shop and have them weld the
rest of my reminding pipe to the muffler and call it a day.

Thanks,
Tony

On 2/28/12, Dave Mcneely <mcneely4@cox.net> wrote:
> ---- The Bus Depot <vanagon@BUSDEPOT.COM> wrote:
>> > A local shop has offered to put a "universal" muffler on including tail
>> pipe,
>> > everything welded, for $150, or an Ansa muffler, with new pipe and
>> > flange,
>> bolted,
>> > for $288.  Opinions?  Any functional difference?  Oh, with the
>> > "universal"
>> muffler,
>> > which is 4" shorter than the Ansa,  he would weld the muffler to the
>> > pipe
>> coming
>> > from the catalytic converter, too.
>>
>>
>> > I would go with the Ansa muffler and the corresponding tailpipe.  I've
>> > been running this setup on my Westy since 1997 with several trips
>> > coast to coast and she's still going strong, no reason to change it
>> > out yet.
>>
>>
>> Assuming you have a 1.9L, that is the very same Ansa we sell for $99
>> everyday. So you're paying nearly a $200 premium to have the local shop
>> supply and install it.  The installation is straightforward, given that
>> it's
>> a direct-fit bolt-on muffler - certainly not $200 worth of work. (To be
>> fair
>> to the shop, part of the difference may be that they pay more for the
>> muffler than we retail it for. They buy a few at a time; I buy hundreds.)
>> You would probably save about $100 if you simply bought the muffler from
>> us
>> for $99 and brought it to a mechanic who was willing to install
>> customer-supplied parts.  (Or alternatively, one who was willing to order
>> the parts from us rather than paying a higher markup to their local
>> jobber.)
>
> Actually, I have a 2.1 waterboxer.  But the principle is the same.  A
> different muffler shop offers the same deal for $245 for the ANSA, or will
> install one I supply for $45.  He will install a "universal" for $100, with
> a "lifetime guarantee," whatever that means.  On that job, unlike the other
> shop I consulted, he will weld a flange onto the catalytic converter side of
> the muffler, and and bolt it on, though he will fabricate and weld a
> tailpipe on.
>
> I'm leaning toward ordering the muffler myself and having it installed, but
> because of the welded on tailpipe that I have currently, I will have to buy
> a tailpipe for another $30.
>
> Or, I might just go to Midas, and get their "lifetime guarantee."  that
> seems like a surer thing than a lifetime guarantee with a local shop, since
> there are Midas shops all over.
>
> Can anyone speak to whether which muffler makes any difference in engine
> performance or mileage?  I have been told that it does, due to differences
> in back pressure, but I have no understanding of how that would work.
> Certainly, there is the catalytic converter and a whole series of pipes and
> manifolds between the muffler and the engine.
>
> mcneely
>>
>> - Ron Salmon
>> � The Bus Depot, Inc.
>> � www.busdepot.com
>> � (215)� 234-VWVW
>>
>> _____________________________________________
>> Toll-Free for Orders by PART # :� 1-866-BUS-DEPOT
>
> --
> David McNeely
>