Need Cat-Back. Quoted $600. Fair?

[PepiMartinez]

Hi all,

I have a 2003 Protege5 that I have owned since college. It has 141k on the clock and just had its cats replaced a few months ago. I am now being told by my repair shop that everything behind the back catalytic converter needs to be replaced, and was quoted $600 for the job. Is this a fair price? If I were to get the parts myself (I would want to stay stock, or at least at the stock noise level), where would I be able to grab those from?

I guess most importantly, with everything else being all original, is it worth looking for something new?

Thanks in advance.
Pepi

 

[hornsfan10609]

You can probably get an aftermarket replacement exhaust for ~$250 or a shop should be able to replace it for much less than $600. A complete performance aftermarket exhaust is less than $600. There is also the ebay cat back which is slightly louder but likely the cheapest option.

 

[PepiMartinez]

Thanks for the reply!

 

[tweety2300]

Better question is why does it need to be replaced? A little rust won't hurt it unless it's to the point to where it's leaking

 

[PepiMartinez]

It's definitely louder than it is supposed to be, they said that there is a hole in the exhaust. I will get under there and check how bad it is later tonight. I can say that the check engine light isn't on, so I don't know how bad it is, but I have to figure with it not being on consistently, it shouldn't be a major point of concern just yet.

 

[CTt3P5]

I wouldn't pay $600 for a 'stock' replacement cat-back for less you can get a Racing Beat shipped! If you are not interested in upgrading to an aftermarket exhaust, check with a local exhaust shop and you should be able to get one for under $300. If it's only the muffler that is bad they can replace that for cheaper.

For ref. I bought my Thermal R&D cat-back BNIB from a local shop for ~$300.

 

[GNO]

I only paid $350 for a new Magnaflow catback. Louder than stock, but not obnoxious. The hardest part is breaking the two bolts loose and dealing with exhaust hangers (both off and on, since I don't work with exhaust hangers that often). Sticking with stock sound level, you can get a Walker resonator for $77 and muffler for $90. Bosal has even lower cost options. You'll still need to pick up gaskets and hardware if you piece it together. http://www.partsgeek.com/catalog/2002/mazda/protege5/exhaust/muffler.html