Conference terri::cars_uk

    
    
    Humphries aren't good. Allegedly.
    

    
    I got shocks and exhaust from Humphries on Basingstoke road and I'm
    very happy with the work they did.
    
    MattB

	I had an exhauset over a year ago from Humphries, and I'm pleased
	with the work.

	Heather

	Re: .-1
    
	"I had an exhauset over a year ago from Humphries, and I'm pleased"
    		   ^^^^--pronounced 'exocet'
    
    	So that's why she goes so fast and gets straight to the point!
    
    	JK (-:
    
    	p.s. Sorry Heather, but I just couldn't resist...........

>                       -< I may regret this later..... >-


	I am lying in wait!!!!!!!

Can anybody recommend a reasonably priced exhaust supplier/fitter in the 
Reading?

I have a Fiesta 1.1L Auto........what sort of prices should I expect?

	Thanks,

	Philippa. 

    Well, guys, it had to happen didn't it?!
    
    Dan "Kit Car Kiss-of-Death" borrows his dad's Cavalier so he can cart a
    load of stuff up to Birmingham, and what happens?!
    
    The exhaust falls off! Hahahaha! X-}
    
    Anyway, just to say that the guys'n'gal at ATS (Basingstoke Road,
    Reading) are absolutely stonkingly sound people. They gave me a lift to
    work, are currently fixing the car, etc.... two days before crimbo!
    Excellent service... so far...
    
    Cheers,
    Dan

    I took my 1.6 GL Escort Estate into the local cheapo-exhaust fitters
    here in Brussels this week for a new middle section and tail section.
    The fitting, which isn't included in the price, cost me 19 quid inc
    VAT. The total bill? 
    
    70 quid? Nope,
    
    
    100 quid? Nope.
    
    
    150 quid?!?! Nope.
    
    
    200 quid?!?!?!!! 
    
    
    Nope
    
    
    
    In fact, it was almost 230 quid!!! These were pattern parts, not FORD
    originals. Sheesh...
    
    Laurie.

    
    re -1,
    
    ..well if you will insist on driving a hybrid sports/utility vehicle,
    what do you expect !
    
    Graham (who only paid �180 for a 2.8i Capri stainless system, for both
    sides !)
    

RE:<<< Note 1854.9 by WOTVAX::STONEG "Temperature Drop in Downtime Winterland...." >>>
    
�    re -1,
�    
�    ..well if you will insist on driving a hybrid sports/utility vehicle,
�    what do you expect !
    
    A what?!!?!? It's a bog-standard, untouched, unmodified Ford Escort
    Estate! 
    
�    Graham (who only paid �180 for a 2.8i Capri stainless system, for both
�    sides !)
    
    Not here mate! I reckon you could treble that at a minimum...
    
    Cheers, Laurie.

Me 'n' Mr Kwikfit are currently in discussion

I took my Pug 205 in to get the whole exhaust changed and it sounds worse than
when I started and I new then that the front box had rotted.

1st return I was told "Oh it'll need to coke up a bit"
2nd return the fitter stuck his hand over the tail-pipe and satisfied himself
that "the joints aren't blowing" and said there was nothing he could do.

The problem only shows itself when the engine is under load so at tickover in a
service bay you don't really hear much.

Now I'm coming up for the MOT so it's in to them again and no more Mr Niceguy.

"No-ones quicker than a Kwik-fit fitter" ? Certainly when it comes to excuses.


TKS

    
    Anybody know of somewhere that makes exhausts ?
    Looking for one for a Mk2 Consul. 
    
    Hamps/Surrey
    
    thanks 
    
    GAry

    
    no probs Gary
    here's some to start with
    
    Old Ford Spares Service
    unit 4 14 Paynes Lane
    Rugby cv21 2uh
    0788 547642
    
    Mike Randall
    128 Stanley Park Road
    Wallington
    Surrey
    081 669 1719    (specialist in tailor made systems)
    
    Newton & Sulley
    6/8 Leen Valley House
    Cinderhill Road 
    Bulwell
    Nottingham
    0602 761864 (specialist in tailor made systems)

    
    Cheers Bill...
    
    
    
    
    Gary

    The exhaust needs replacing on my 205 CTi and have been quoted
    �119 + Vat from Humphries and
    �100 for a competition exhaust from AutoCross
    has any one had any experience of Autocross' made up exhausts ?
    Are they much noisier and do they give any increase in power?
    
    ...Simon

    I suggest that no comparison is valid unless you know how
    many years each is guaranteed for. I would not go for one
    with a 1 year guarantee as the labour charge is more significant
    in the job (making small real saving). 
    
    Malcolm
    

    Hi,
    
    Can anyone suggest a reliable exhaust fitter in the Basingstoke area.
    
    Also what sort of price should I pay for an exhaust for a 1.3 '85
    metro...?
    
    Cheers,
    
    Graham.
    
    

    1.3 '85 Metro full exhaust ~�50 fitted
    
    (May be cheaper if it's the other, single-down pipe, exhaust).

    
    RE .13 .14
    
    
    Got a complete exhaust for �55    �10 delivery on that.
    (Club Spares)
    
    Gary  

    I am really fed up with Kwik-Fit.  I had a complete exhaust put on
    just over a year ago, had it checked just before my MOT by Kwik-Fit
    who said it was ok.  I thought it was blowing but oh no, it was ok
    according to them.  Guess what, my car fails its MOT because the
    exhaust is blowing at the front.
    
    So, I take it back to Kwik-Fit and they agree that yes there is 
    something wrong and replace the front bit.  I get the car MOT'd
    the same day and it passes ok.  Thank goodness, I can now drive
    the car without feeling guilty that it hasn't got an MOT.
    
    Next day, I take my kids on the long journey to Reading.  I live
    down by the Solent.  By the time I get to Reading, the car is
    making an auful noise, it's come apart.  I take it into Kwik-Fit
    in Reading who fix it.  They say the Gosport Kwik-Fit put it on
    wrong or something.  It doesn't mean much to me I'm afraid, I just
    need a car that doesn't have problems.  Just get it fixed.
    
    Now, two weeks later it sounds like the exhaust is blowing again.
    So, it's back to Mr Kwik-Fit again.  I am not impressed.  Surely
    an exhaust should last longer than just over a year?
    
    Unimpressed, Julia

    You live and learn. I've never entrusted anything 'too involved' to
    Kwik-Fit. Anyone who can't even spell surely can't change an exhaust?
    
    There's been a lot of discussion about this on the Internet MiniList.
    
    What car do you have?
    
    Personally, I do it myself but if it's something that needs to be done
    quick, or it's not my car, I now go to ATS on Basingstoke Road (here in
    Reading).... the service is by far batter than Kwik-Fit, which just
    seems to be run by, and employ, lots of XR3i driving pre-pubescent
    gimboids... ahem.... 'scuse me, got a bit wound up then :-).
    
    Someone on the MiniList took their mini to a KF for a new exhaust. They
    dented the wing dropping a tool on it, and they fitted it wrong and it
    broke within a week. He got compensation for the panel, and a new
    exhaust without hassle. The point is, however, after his treatment he
    put a 'comment' in the comments book.
    
    The guy at KF phoned him back later that week (he didn't leave his
    phone number on the 'comment', or a name, but they tracked him down)
    and told him off for putting a 'bad' comment in the book! Had a go at
    him for saying something bad about the (obviously poor) service he
    received!!
    
    Oh well. That's Kwik-Fit for you.
    
    Cheers,
    Dan

    Hi
    
    I've got a Rover 820I which I've had for 4 years now and, touch wood, 
    it hardly ever goes wrong.  The only problems I've had with it are the
    alternator and this stupid exhaust.  
    
    As you can probably tell, I'm one of those women who knows nothing
    about cars except how to open the door, get in and drive it.  Oh, and
    I do know how to fill it up with petrol, oil and water too but that's
    as far as it goes.
    
    Another thing that really annoyed me with KF is that they tried to 
    tell me it was my fault because I didn't drive far enough.  How do
    they know how far I drive?  As it happens, I tend to do quite a lot
    of mileage.
    
    When I complained to the Gosport KF that their fix hadn't lasted 
    more than a day they were more interested in phoning the Reading KF 
    to tell them off about telling me they'd put it on wrongly than they 
    were appologising to me!  Grrrrrrrhh!
    
    Why did I go there in the first place?  I happened to be passing
    them when the exhaust came away from the car and made an incredible 
    noise.
    
    Well, I've got that off my chest now ;-)
    
    Thanks
    
    Julia
    
    

> Another thing that really annoyed me with KF is that they tried to 
>    tell me it was my fault because I didn't drive far enough.  How do
>    they know how far I drive?  As it happens, I tend to do quite a lot
>    of mileage.

This comment does have some merit, depending on what happened to your exhaust
system.  If your driving habits include lots of short trips, 3-4 miles, and no
long trips on the motorway, then the exhaust system never has a chance to heat
up and dry out all the condensation.  This results in rust.

Lots of short trips in a damp environment will kill an exhaust system.  Long
trips to heat up the system and get rid of the moisture will keep the system
intact a lot longer.

Dave

    
    
    I can vouch for -.1 my wife has a (don't laugh) Lada which we bought
    new almost 2 years ago, The tail section of exhaust fell off the other
    week, rotted away where the pipe goes into the box, when I took the box
    off ( to stop it dragging on the ground) it must've had about a pint of
    water in it! No wonder it rotted, still all due respect to Lada they
    put a new box on under the standard 2 year warranty no quibbles and
    within about an hour, can't complain at the service and you can't blame
    Lada for the water in it!
    
    Now as for the service from Renault on my 19 16v saloon.... Ive got
    water (loads of it) getting in my boot! on the second trip to the
    garage it was suggested that I got a friend to help me, put the seat
    down lay in the boot and run a hose on it, to find out where it's
    coming from!! I said I'm not interested in where it's coming from I
    just want you to stop it getting where its going ( or words to that
    effect) anyway its still coming in and its been nine months now, and my
    boot smells all mouldy. Thats what I call service!!
    
    Richard (young@wlo)
    
    Ps. anybody else got a wet boot in a 19
    

    I've had 3 R19s for a total of 4 years and never a wet boot.
    
    Sounds like you need a new service centre, as well as a fix to your
    problem.  If you live within reach of them I can recommend Camden
    Motors in Dunstable, and so long as you book it in with enough notice
    they'll lend you a courtesy car for free.
    
    Another thought is to take it to Brooks and Stratton in WGC - they're
    Renault-approved body repairers that Digital uses for accident work. 
    They should be able to find and fix the leak.  I'd recommend B&S too,
    never any problem, they'll even collect the car from Shire Park.

    Can anybody help me ? I am thinking of replacing the (original) exhaust
    on my MK II Audi Coupe (6 years old) with an Autocavan Powertorque
    system in stainless steel. The only problem I have is , how quiet
    are they ? I have been assured by my local Autocavan agent that they
    are quiet , but I would prefer to hear more opinions before I splash
    out my dosh.
    
    			thanks			Ian

    
    POWERTORQUE?
    
    Doesn't sound as though they're after the quiet, refined market to me.
    
    Try and found out 2 things :-
    
    1) How many silencers vs the standard system.
    
    2) Diameter of pipe compared to standard.
    
    If 1) is less than standard and/or 2) is greater, chances are it'll be
    noisier.
    
    Mark
        

    Thanks for the info. Mark . I do not have this technical information
    at this moment in time but I will endeavour to find this out either
    from my local Autocavan agent or Powertorque themselves. the reason I
    asked the initial question was that my local Autocavan agent & a local
    independent VW/AUDI service centre both praised the benefits of a
    Powertorque stainless steel system for my particular model i.e.
    lifespan , slight increase in power (10%) & "every bit as quiet as
    a O.E. system ". This is my main concern and I would like to hear it
    from as they say "the horses mouth".
    
    			thanks again 	Ian

    
    10& is quite a power gain for an exhaust - what's it use at the moment,
    a straw %^)
    
    Graham

    Need new exhaust....Sierra 1.8 1991 - Full system
    
    Humphries - �94	Ti-Max?/Walker
    ATS		�93.50  Ti-Max
    Kwik Fit	109.90  ???
    
    Then phoned Horncastle Ford Dealer (Rapid Fit) and to my surprise:
     
    Horncastle	�107.50	Gen Ford Part! - (Motocraft)
    (Reg vardy will match this price)
    
    So what do I go for?  They are all inclusive of parts, labour, VAT and
    2year warranty.
    
    Is a Ford Main part (Motocraft) exhaust �14 better than a Ti-Max?
    
    I reckon it probably is, anyone else have any thoughts? 
    
    Arfon.
     
    
    
    
    
    

    
    
    
    
    Dont know about this ??????
    
    I decided to have the Exhaust on my Peugeot 205 GTI 1.9 replaced (
    actually it was fairly obvious it needed doing ) I priced a few places
    up and Kwik Fit where �20 cheaper than my local Peugeot dealer, so I
    decided to go there. Having had my new shiny Kwik Fit exhaust fitted I
    then proceeded onto the motorway only to be deafened by the droning
    noise from the exhaust. I took it straight back to Kwik Fit who
    replaced it immediately, which was identical. They phoned up the
    supplier who informed them the droning was standard. My car was
    afterall 'a sports car' and a sporty exhaust would be required - I
    asked them to remove the part and refit my own exhaust which they where
    only too happy to do - only they had had to cut my old exhaust in half
    in order to remove it.
    
    From this personal experience I would quite happily pay double the
    price for a manufacturers part - given its only �14.00 I would go with
    that option every time !!!
    
    Plus the car never felt the same performance wise afterwards !!
    
    Rick
    
     
    
    
    Personally  
    
    In My opinion I would go with the Ford system - you know already how
    loud it is

The last time I used Kwik-Fit they asked me the best price that I had had and 
bettered it by 1 pound. Unfortunately (for them) they were unable to verify it, 
but since they had already fitted the tyres they weren't in a position to take 
them back off.

You might want to consider hitting them with fords bill minus 30 quid and tell 
them you have a mate of a mate who can get you a bit of discount at Ford on the 
quiet. They'll just put the price down to their 'price promise'.

HTH

Craig

    Tyres are a bit different to an exhaust since anywhere you buy a
    Pirelli tyre from will give you exactly the same tyre ( i.e. P600 ),
    exhausts are a bit different since the exhaust kwik fit use are their
    own Centaur ? range, so you have no idea of the real quality of the
    exhaust - your not really comparing like for like. In my personal
    opinion regardless of how cheap they where I would be unlikely to use a
    kwik fit exhaust again !!
    
    Plus, watching a 17 year old YTS loose on the bottom of my car with an
    oxy-acetelene (sp?) torch is not something I really want to repeat.
    
    Rick
    

    I'd go with Rick having also suffered in th epast from poor quality
    rattly pattern part exhausts.
    
    For the sake of a few quid go for the Ford exhaust.
    
    Royston.

Ricvk,

I agree 100%. Thats why I ONLY ever use Kwik-Fit for tyres!

Craig

    Having just had a new exhaust fitted to me sierra 1.6 fro Jacksons
    Rapid fit, are you sure that you realy want a full exhaust system.
    When I asked about this I was told that the exhaust came in 2 parts,
    1) Full system
    2) Rear boxes. (or simmilar)
    
    1) full system is the pipe from the manifold to the very end of the car 
    2) Rear boxes are the full system from the straight pipe from the
    manifold to the very end of the car. Ie all but the first 3ft of pipe.
    
    I had the back system fitted as they checked this out and fitted it for
    67 quid. Only problem I have had is the normal smell of burning paint
    for a couple of days.
    
    	trev.

    Yes I do only need the back system for now (i.e. 90% of the exhaust),
    hoever how long will it be till the down pipe goes also.
    
    Also, a full system comes with 2yrs warranty part system only has 1yr -
    doesn't it?
    
    Thanks for the replies - looks like I'll be taking my car to a main
    dealer for the first time in *my* life!
    
    Arfon