Exhaust Leak Symptoms and Repair Cost
Driving with an exhaust that leaks is a cause of risk and negative consequences, as the fumes the system normally filters are extremely toxic due to its high carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxide and
nitrogen monoxide composition.
The vehicle’s exhaust systems main functions are:
- Keeping the car quiet
- Keep toxic exhaust fumes away from the cabin
- Maintaining the engine’s high performance
- Reduce emissions
- Provides with optimum fuel efficiency
What Are the Consequences?
Driving with an exhaust leak for too long has both short and long-term consequences.
The car will definitely fail the MOT test, as recent studies have shown that 7% of failed MOT tests are the result of a faulty exhaust.
Fuel saving is not even considerable, as this will affect the pressure of the system, reducing both fuel economy and low toxic gas emissions.
Damage can be extended to other parts, so this can make you end up with expensive replacements of more expensive parts like the catalytic converter for example or causing the engine to catch fire due to overheating.
You can get gradually intoxicated by the highly toxic fumes that enter the car, causing serious health issues.
Because these gases are odorless and colorless, you might experience the following symptoms right after getting into your car:
- headaches
- dizziness
- fatigue
Repairing Time and Costs
The leaking exhaust system’s repair is vital yet easy and not that expensive to do. It also doesn’t take that long to complete, as the whole repairing process shouldn’t take more than three hours.
In general terms the parts are not that expensive as the price range normally fluctuates between $15 and $50, depending on the vehicle.
Here you can compare prices by both place and brand or model.
Price By Place
Local Mechanic
- Parts & Labor
- 12 Month warranty
Price: $129 – $210
Midas
- Parts & Labor
- 12 Month warranty
Price: $134 – $228
Mr. Tire
- Parts & Labor
- 12 Month warranty
Price: $146 – $300
Pep Boys
- Parts
- 6 Month warranty
Price: $14 – $45
Walmart
- Parts
- Limited warranty
Price: $19 – $42
Amazon
- Parts
- Limited warranty
Price: $12 – $55
Price By Model
Ford F- Series
- Part price: $18 – $39
- Labor price: $236 – $301
Total: $254 – $340
Chevrolet Silverado
- Part price: $28 – $37
- Labor price: $126 – $161
Total: $154 – $198
Ford Focus
- Part price: $18 – $27
- Labor price: $157 – $201
Total: $175 – $228
Toyota Camry
- Part price: $22 – $48
- Labor price: $110 – $141
Total: $132 – $189
Toyota Corolla
- Part price: $22 – $33
- Labor price: $197 – $251
Total: $219 – $284
Nissan Altima
- Part price: $18 – $22
- Labor price: $142 – $181
Total: $160 – $203
Honda CR-V
- Part price: $20 – $20
- Labor price: $126 – $161
Total: $146 – $181
Honda Civic
- Part price: $13 – $25
- Labor price: $236 – $301
Total: $249 – $326
Honda Accord
- Part price: $17 – $27
- Labor price: $147 – $160
Total: $164 – $187
Ford Fusion
- Part price: $24 – $27
- Labor price: $157 – $201
Total: $181 – $228
What Do I Pay for in Labor?
The exhaust leak repair process can be easily done at home, but because it requires tools that many plain home tool sets do not have it is better to buy the parts and take your car to a mechanic for proper replacement.
The process of exhaust leak fixing consists of:
- Providing a visual inspection for properly identifying the problem
- Locate exactly the area where the crack is
- If the crack is not too wide, a sealant will be applied to fix the problem, if not it will have to be taken apart for proper welding
- If just one part is broken, it will be properly replaced (some dismounting might occur to expose and repair the part)
- Put everything back in and perform a final inspection to discard further problems
An exhaust leak normally comes in with specific symptoms you might look for such as:
- Noisy engine
- Decreased power/acceleration
- Low fuel efficiency
- Burning smell
- Hanging pipe
- Smell of Gas
- Gas pedal vibrations
What’s Next
If your car happens to have very small leaks, these can be fixed easily at home; however, these fixes are not going to serve as permanent. Therefore, if the problem re-occurs, the best you can do is to replace the exhaust right away.
If the problem persists, you should get professional help as a certain level of expertise is required to identify the problem, identify the exhaust part that needs replacing, and use specialized tools to replace the exhaust without damaging other parts.
If you happen to have these issues don’t forget to visit our website for more information.
