# My cheap eBay downpipe is toast.



## mbaron (Aug 21, 2008)

The weld at the dp to turbo flange has almost completely disappeared. Got a flashing CEL, limp mode, loud exhaust, rough idle, all that good stuff. Pulled the strut tower bar and stuck the camera down and, yep, it's gone, except a few tack welds. 

I ordered a 42 DD street downpipe last week, I am am glad I did. 

Will post pics later. 

After all the BS, I gotta say don't buy this crap.


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## Mantvis (Jan 1, 2010)

Thanks for the Heads up


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## mbaron (Aug 21, 2008)

Here are the pics... 





























This is what it should look like, notice that the flange is welded to the pipe.


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## Late__Apex (Dec 2, 2007)

How does a weld "disappear"?


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## mbaron (Aug 21, 2008)

Late__Apex said:


> How does a weld "disappear"?


 Well, I don't see much of it anymore. :laugh:


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## Late__Apex (Dec 2, 2007)

mbaron said:


> Well, I don't see much of it anymore. :laugh:


 Is the picture at the bottom of your post your actual downpipe before you installed?


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## PLAYED TT (Oct 17, 2010)

Yeah how does it disappear? Unless they used the wrong type of filler metal...or if it wasnt a metal weld and some jb weld instead


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## TTwizted13StrtRcr (Jun 7, 2008)

*seems to me...*

you get what you pay for :banghead:


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## mbaron (Aug 21, 2008)

Late__Apex said:


> Is the picture at the bottom of your post your actual downpipe before you installed?


 No, that is from the ebay listing. I haven't had time to pull it or look around for where the pieces went, but I know it was welded there before I put it in.


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## 20v master (May 7, 2009)

They can usually be rewelded.


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## Oh_My_VR6 (Sep 6, 2004)

Just re-weld it and it'll be fine. Why throw all of that money away?


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## Mantvis (Jan 1, 2010)

X2 ^


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## G'D60 (Mar 11, 2002)

dang if you won't reweld it I will. what do you want for it?


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## Mantvis (Jan 1, 2010)

I like the style! ^


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## mbaron (Aug 21, 2008)

G'D60 said:


> dang if you won't reweld it I will. what do you want for it?


 Someone already PM'ed me. I will consider selling it locally (anywhere between NOVA and Williamsburg, VA) but I don't really want to ship it. 

My idea when i ordered the 42 was to keep this POS as a spare in case there are problems with the 42. It broke after I had ordered the 42. 

It is already modified, so the install would be much easier for the purchaser, I might even help if there was :beer: involved.


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## ShockwaveCS (Jun 22, 2006)

you have another PM


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## speed51133! (Aug 5, 2002)

the weld did nto dissapear....its welded on the other side. thoes tacks are from the assembly process...... welds dont dissapear


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## 1.8 skeet skeet (Aug 11, 2004)

Dude you might want to check something else like maybe your exhaust mani or turbo. Metal doesnt just go missing


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## CRFracer297 (Nov 11, 2010)

hopefully this DP isnt junk cuz i just bought one hahaha


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## mbaron (Aug 21, 2008)

speed51133! said:


> the weld did nto dissapear....its welded on the other side. thoes tacks are from the assembly process...... welds dont dissapear


 No, it was welded on the outside.


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## speed51133! (Aug 5, 2002)

please take a picture of the other side then


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## mbaron (Aug 21, 2008)

It will still be on the car for about 2 weeks till the 42 shows up.


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## Wheelman21 (Jan 2, 2008)

I'd like to see the other side as well. I've been a welder for years and never ever seen weld just disappear.


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## 1.8 skeet skeet (Aug 11, 2004)

So you bought a new 600 dollar downpipe to fix a weld? you could pay someone 10 bucks to run a quick weld :screwy:


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## jennekke (Jan 8, 2010)

Check your mounts. It's possible that it broke because you're engine is moving too much.


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## mbaron (Aug 21, 2008)

I don't know anything about welding, so maybe "disappear" was a bad choice of words. It was welded there before and it isn't now. I was not in the engine bay when it happened, I don't know where the filler metal went. 

I had already ordered the 42 pipe when this one broke. It was $700, not $600 because I ordered the ceramic coating and got it during the Holiday sale. 

You can't polish a turd. I was already ready to stuff this in a box and be done with it. This break might actually make it so that the fitment problems can be fixed when it is re-welded. I am going to try to position it correctly and mark it before I remove it. It is still a turd and you get what you pay for. 

Towards the bottom of the third pic you can still see some of the weld that was around the outside. In the bottom pic (which is not my dp, but looks the same and when it was new), you can clearly see that it is welded on the outside, if anyone else who has one wants to verify this, that would be great. I will post pics in about 2 weeks when the 42 arrives and I have the time to install it. Again, I know nothing about welding. 

I only put about 300 miles on this dp. I don't drive the TT daily and not much at all in the winter.


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## PLAYED TT (Oct 17, 2010)

Crap or not, a weld should still not come apart like that. I'm a welder and I've never seen anything like this before. It honestly looks like there was no weld there to begin with. I guess that's why we have quality control here in America.


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## wrassemeister (Apr 2, 2008)

I got the ebay dp and so far so good.. shop had to do some modifications to get it to fit right but it works and a noticeable power differance.


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## PLAYED TT (Oct 17, 2010)

wrassemeister said:


> I got the ebay dp and so far so good.. shop had to do some modifications to get it to fit right but it works and a noticeable power differance.


 You may want to have a look at it now


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## wrassemeister (Apr 2, 2008)

dude its a pipe... its not rocket science metal is metal this thing is better the 42dd pipe, its 3x cheaper and doesnt rust!


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## mbaron (Aug 21, 2008)

OK, so I replaced the pipe with a 42DD. here are the pics of the old one. I cut it apart with a dremel just above the flex section to avoid having to drop the sub frame or disconnect and move the drive shaft. I also chopped off part of the hanger, cuz I could not get it out of the damn rubber hanger. The 42DD slid in just fine without any problems and has much more clearance than this one did. Speaking of clearance, I found out that my sub-frame has a extra support bracket welded on because it is an early roadster. This bracket was one of the main clearance problems I had with this DP.

It was welded around the inside, but I know it was welded on the outside also. The weld on the inside is still intact. 

I told poopie that he has dibs because he was the first to ask for it. He may not want it because I chopped it up, but it should not be hard to weld back together, but again, I know nothing about welding.

Whatever, lesson learned, free to good home with cat section and OEM mid-section clamp.


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## mbaron (Aug 21, 2008)

Poopie has not responded yet. I would prefer local pick up to keep it totally free. I am in Fairfax, VA, near Fairfax corners mall.


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## PLAYED TT (Oct 17, 2010)

I am making my own down pipe this summer and I would love to have this as a template. PM me if you decide to ship it


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## tt_kcalb_nevar (Feb 26, 2010)

Was this the Relentless downpipe?


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## speed51133! (Aug 5, 2002)

dibs, ill take it.

hit me up.
734-883-4709

im in alexandria


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