Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)I purchased this exhaust over a year ago when my catalytic converter and mid-pipe rusted out. I shopped around quite a bit before deciding on this unit... I would have bought it earlier if there was more information available. At the time, Magnaflow's website didn't mention anything more then Amazon's description and the I was having a lot of trouble getting questions answered.
First of all, this product is sold everywhere as a 'Direct Fit Catalytic Converter'... other company's selling direct-fit catalytic converters offer JUST the catalytic converter (such as Walker). If you want the other pipes, you need to buy them separately. This set consists of the entire Aerostar exhaust system, but without the muffler. The picture is correct, but the title is a bit misleading.
The system is a fulling stainless steel, mandrel bent exhaust system with two high-flow catalytic converters. It also includes 3/8" stainless steel brackets to mount the unit to the exhaust manifolds (more on that later), and nice, heady-duty clamps for connecting the pipes together. At the time I paid $360 for the set, which was a steal considering Walker wanted nearly $100 more for press-bent pipes and only some parts made from stainless steel. I finished off the system with a Walker muffler, and in comparison, Magnaflow blows Walker away in quality. The pipes fit perfectly and the O2 sensors were a dead-on match (I've seen exhausts that are quite a bit off).
The only reason I gave this four stars rather then five was the two brackets that mount the pipes to the exhaust manifold. I was so busy worrying about the pipes being the same size, I completely overlooked the brackets. The bolt holes in the brackets are too far apart and they were nowhere close to fitting. I could not have sent the brackets back because I already cut up my old exhaust getting it out and it would have rendered my van unusable until the situation was resolved. Also, the right bracket cannot be removed from the pipe, so I would have needed to send the entire pipe back. I tried grinding material out with a die grinder, but the brackets are 3/8" think stainless steel... not an easy material to grind through, especially since I needed to take out a good 1/4" from each bolt hole. I ended up bringing it to a shop and having them use a torch to cut out the holes better. after that, the system fit right on. Disappointing though, as this is otherwise a beautiful system that's incredibly priced. I really want to give this system five stars, but dealing with this issue was quite a hassle.
It's been over a year now and the system is still in beautiful shape. The strange part is, despite the abundance of stainless steel the used in this system, they did not make the rear flange (where the muffler connects to) out of stainless steel. Regardless, this set may seem a bit overkill for a minivan, however priced where it is, it's an absolutely extraordinary buy. I have no doubt that it'll easily last the life of my van.
Click Here to see more reviews about: Magnaflow 93326 Direct Fit Catalytic Converter (Non CARB compliant)
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