47 replies to this topic

[Guy182]

anyone elses as bad as this?? considering theyre so expensive they have crap quality welds and they dont look like theyre built to last..

even powerflow use better grade stainless.. thats if the milltek even is stainless as its corroding badly! (6months old)

can see the difference between the cat sections material and the pipe section..

[salopian]

Is this one of the very early ones ? I wouldn't really worry. The sales terms state this - - "Constructed entirely of type 304 stainless steel - lifetime guarantee." But I'm sure others will be along soon to add their comments & experiences.

[Guy182]

nope its the newer 100cell cat version..

[JG]

Must admit, its not looking great. Esp around the connection

[Pipo]

I bought the Milltek VXR backbox with the curved pipe from a Dutch guy. It had only done 2000 km. He told me the dealer had a lot op problems mounting the thing. And I found out the hard way The flange of the curved pipe normally has to be square (90° angle) to the pipe leading into the backbox. In this case there was a deviation of 6mm ! Of course this pulled the backbox completely sideways the moment you thighten the maincat-bolts. After a lot of cursing, I did cut a pie-shaped piece out of the pipe and rewelded it again, this time with the right angle. Afterwards mounting and centering the backbox was a piece of cake The backbox itself I must say was put together well. I admit the pieces show the same discoloration of the stainless steel that you have on your pictures, but this doesn't disturb me. I think it's normal because of the combination between the heat, dirt and moisture. As long as the material itself isn't effected by it, it's no problem.

[Guy182]

'' Sorry to hear that you’re less than delighted with your Milltek system . Your system is showing some pretty extreme discolouration but the discolouration is very different from corrosion which would appear as flakes . We’ve been manufacturing and supplying exhausts for 24 years now and have very low warranty levels , I don’t share your pessimism about the longevity of the system at all . ''

[JG]

Your system is showing some pretty extreme discolouration but the discolouration is very different from corrosion which would appear as flakes

how long before the 'extreme discoloration' turns to flakes?

TBH i wouldn't be too concerned as it is unlikely it will start to perform less well than it does currently. It would be nice to know that they used slightly higher grade steel than that though. I've used stainless exhausts for years, and even on rally cars which end up caked in all sorts of things when they are cleaned they always end up looking fine if slightly discoloured (blue, white, black). I've not ever seen what looks like rust.

[paulf-cam]

Isn't the whole point of stainless steel that its 'stainless'?

[Guy182]

youd have thought so wouldnt ya.

[jules_s]

304 shouldn't rust 430 however......

[fluidslvr]

I've just pulled the exhaust off to find a similar problem

not sure how long its been on though

was looking at replacing the cat ,but with the quality
like this ,think I'll be looking else where!!!!

Edited by fluidslvr, 15 May 2007 - 08:46 PM.

[Guy182]

wonder how the larini would look after 6 months of being fitted

[dimd00d]

I've just pulled the exhaust off to find a similar problem

not sure how long its been on though

was looking at replacing the cat ,but with the quality
like this ,think I'll be looking else where!!!!

That top picture looks like its flaking.

Edited by dimd00d, 15 May 2007 - 08:51 PM.

[Thorney]

I'm curious to wonder what people think it should look like? All the above appear perfectly normal for any stainless exhaust, surface discolouration and surface change is perfectly normal. If it was on a visible part of the system then it would be wrong but these are the unvisible bits so have different finish to the tips for exapmple. Either way the warranty is lifetime so there are no problems as regards function.

[Guy182]

the place where my car is at at the minute said they haven't seen a stainless exhaust go that bad. he said it looked more like mild steel..

[dimd00d]

I'm curious to wonder what people think it should look like? All the above appear perfectly normal for any stainless exhaust, surface discolouration and surface change is perfectly normal. If it was on a visible part of the system then it would be wrong but these are the unvisible bits so have different finish to the tips for exapmple. Either way the warranty is lifetime so there are no problems as regards function.

If you look at the two pictures, the bottom one's (the backbox) pipe looks only discolored, which is fine, but the top one has surface changes which could (im no metalurgist ) or could not be expected (which I think is what we wonder)

In any case I dont expect it to look like something from The Fast and The Furious, and yes you are right, they have lifetime warranty, so Milltek will replace it on failure.

[fluidslvr]

this is a HKS stainless exhaust front section removed from my previous 350z

11 months and 6,000 miles on the car,not covered in under the car,
driven in the wet...

there is discolouration but not flaking!!

[vocky]

my 2p's worth what you are looking at on the U bend is dried out road dirt, not rust stainless exhausts do dis-colour almost straight away because they are not a very high quality stainless, usually they save that for the bits which show

[Guy182]

rubbish pic but..

http://www.guysleema.../1525-1/054.jpg

jetex exhaust system.. about a tenth of the price of the VX one.
had covered ALOT of miles, been on two cars, exposed, driven in all weather, never cleaned, and it was only just a bit discouloured.

[Arno]

Pipework for stainless exhausts is often made from 316 type stainless steel. This is better up to the task of coping with the heat than 304 type, but it does go 'dark' and develops a surface oxidation layer. Pretty much cosmetic though. It's still structurally sound. 304 remains more 'shiny', although in hot area's it will go a dark yellow. IMHO the picture of the 'bend' is looking quite normal for a piece of hot stainless steel that's exposed to a lot of water, salt and dirt. Exhausts under the center of other cars are not showered with crap like inside the wheelarch of the VX. Bye, Arno,