TDI Exhaust repair

depronman

A2OC Donor
The Exhaust was blowing at the flexi on the TDI that I bought a couple of weeks ago

Exhaust system is all in one piece from Audi and silly expensive.
Therefore a repair was in order.
A new custom made for the A2 TDI was bought for £25 and an 50mm pipe joiner.

Drop the exhaust off the turbo (4off nuts 12mm 6 point socket and a few long extensions latter), un clip the exhaust hanger rubbers near the CAT (2 off)
angle grinder to cut the pipe after the CAT, remove down pipe and CAT

cut the old flexi out, clean up the pipe ends with the angle grinder
trial fit the flexi to the DP and fit to car
trial fit CAT to flexi, check measurements for the rubber hangers, need to be vertical, mine where not. After some head scratching decided to turn the mounting bracket for the hanger rubbers around, this moves the hanger rubbers back about 1", alignment now perfect
Ensure the CAT sits level with the rubber hangers and exhaust DP on manifold square, then drill 3mm hole through flext and CAT pipe

Remove from A2 and mig weld the flexi to the DP and the CAT pipe

Job done all in £35 for the flexi and 50mm joiner

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Had the same problem on my A2 Tdi, and although i bought the same part (Stainless steel flexi pipe) I had my local garage fitted mine.
Even the mechanic was impressed by the quality of the pipe and he originally quoted me over £300 just to replace the whole exhaust i ended up paying just £70 all in!
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/131759495260 is the ebay part number.
 
DP and CAT fitted back to the car, all is well again and quiet :)
I do believe the last owner of this A2 TDI was quoted £680 for the Exhaust replacement, so feeling a little smug that I have it sorted for £35 and a couple of evening work.
 
DP and CAT fitted back to the car, all is well again and quiet :)
I do believe the last owner of this A2 TDI was quoted £680 for the Exhaust replacement, so feeling a little smug that I have it sorted for £35 and a couple of evening work.

Is this the fella from London that I told he could probably manage this cheaper than that quote and his mechanic must be a robber?


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yep that's the one :)

I got myself a very nice 2001 plate TDI with 151K on the clock, a LOAD of service history, a genuine spare wheel with carrier/bracket, working OpenSky and new Aero wiper.
All in all in really very nice condition and even came with 3/4 tank of fuel :)
Drove back from London without any issues

Exhaust now sorted, headlamp bulb replaced and the boot lock fixed.
Still to do the wheels which need a total refurb and repaint the front and rear bumpers

It will then be a really nice TDI
 
yep that's the one :)

I got myself a very nice 2001 plate TDI with 151K on the clock, a LOAD of service history, a genuine spare wheel with carrier/bracket, working OpenSky and new Aero wiper.
All in all in really very nice condition and even came with 3/4 tank of fuel :)
Drove back from London without any issues

Exhaust now sorted, headlamp bulb replaced and the boot lock fixed.
Still to do the wheels which need a total refurb and repaint the front and rear bumpers

It will then be a really nice TDI

Much of that repair work is impossible to the average person - your gifts allow you to have a really nice TDi. Most peeps shy away from welding.

I remember reading the manual and seeing that a headlight bulb change says 'go to dealership' - so it's no surprise people see a holed exhaust as a bit much to DIY.

I spent two hours last night trying to remount a tyre! Some things are best left to those with tools and SKILLZ!


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Even I don't remove and remount tyres, the local tyre shop as monkeys that do that for me for a few peanuts :)

You are totally correct a lot of people are put off by a car that needs some relatively minor work, take it to a garage to get it done and the costs soon mount up, but if you are able to tackle the jobs yourself then you can get a really nice car for not a lot of money
 
Ps. Please paint that exhaust. The rusty picture gives me Heebies every time I see it!

I'm more put off by the lack of driveway or garage. All repairs done at the side of a busy road adds a certain air of excitement. It's also my daily driver so my 70 mile round trip demands I finish anything I start.

I look in awe (and jealousy) on everyone who takes on these momentous jobs as well as those that you deem commonplace and 'easy' - they are not!


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Ps. Please paint that exhaust. The rusty picture gives me Heebies every time I see it!

I'm more put off by the lack of driveway or garage. All repairs done at the side of a busy road adds a certain air of excitement. It's also my daily driver so my 70 mile round trip demands I finish anything I start.

I look in awe (and jealousy) on everyone who takes on these momentous jobs as well as those that you deem commonplace and 'easy' - they are not!


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Exhaust and cat were treated to a nice couple of cotes of aluminium heat resistant spray paint. Lidl finest


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the hanger on the Exhaust is steel, and I think the hanger on the car is also steel, but I may be wrong on the car hanger
 
Cheers, I've got a broken hangar and when I looked I noticed the exhaust has surface rust but the hangers do not. Wondered if they were some sort of stainless.
As they're not I will just mig it up in the morning.


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If you are talking about the hanger which is on the Exhaust itself then it will certainly mig weld just fine as it was originally welded to the exhaust pipe, therefore must weld
 
Where did you get the flex from ?

eBay. Search for Audi a2 exhaust flexi. First hit is £25. This is the one I used you also need a 50mm joiner as you need to cut the pipe after the CAT this is £8. All free delivery. You could ask them to make the flexi 1" shorter and it will be spot on


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eBay. Search for Audi a2 exhaust flexi. First hit is £25. This is the one I used you also need a 50mm joiner as you need to cut the pipe after the CAT this is £8. All free delivery. You could ask them to make the flexi 1" shorter and it will be spot on

I've got the same problem. What is not too clear to me is why a 50 mm joiner is also required? I put this to the Ebay supplier and I got this reply :-
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
I am not sure why you would need a joiner, Do you know if you have the original exhaust?

I am pretty certain this flex is made to suit 45mm exhaust pipes, But we do supply a 50mm joiner if you wish to purchase, You can always return if it's not needed :)

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2-50mm-S...Swaged-Ends-/352164048387?hash=item51fe9cee03
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

So do I need that extra part? I won't be using the clamps .... It'll be welded in place ...

David
 
I've got the same problem. What is not too clear to me is why a 50 mm joiner is also required? I put this to the Ebay supplier and I got this reply :-
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
I am not sure why you would need a joiner, Do you know if you have the original exhaust?

I am pretty certain this flex is made to suit 45mm exhaust pipes, But we do supply a 50mm joiner if you wish to purchase, You can always return if it's not needed :)

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2-50mm-S...Swaged-Ends-/352164048387?hash=item51fe9cee03
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

So do I need that extra part? I won't be using the clamps .... It'll be welded in place ...

David

Yes you need the 50mm joiner because you need to cut the pipe about 6inches after the CAT in order to get the cat and down pipe out of the car. The joiner is needed to join the cat to the rear section when the flexi is welded in place.
The original tdi exhaust is all in one piece so it is impossible to do the flexi replacement without the joiner. I explained this to the eBay seller I bought the flexi from and they agreed at the time
The joiner and two clamps where 8 or 10 quid can’t recall now


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Thanks for your prompt reply, Paul. I'm using the same supplier as yourself. Is the joiner the same one as shown in this link https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2-50mm-S...Swaged-Ends-/352164048387?hash=item51fe9cee03

David

Yes that is the one
You need to cut out about 1inch of pipe to allow the joiner to fit. I applied a little exhaust paste into the joiner each side before fitting. The original pipe post cat is 50mm and once the surface rust is removed you will find it is still near as dammit 50mm (49.9mm on mine)
I also swapped the mounting bracket around that holds the rubbers for the cat so it allows the cat to sit about ¾ inch further back
You will have some trimming with an angle grinder to do to get a good fit. I had mine on and off about five times before I was happy with it. You don’t need to bolt it in place just push it onto the turbo flange bolts
Once I was happy I drilled a 3mm hole through the ends of the flexi and into the exhaust pipe and fitted a panel fastener to hold it in the correct place radially before mig welding it all up. Then a blob of weld in the 3 mm hole and bobs your uncle
Best of luck


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That's very useful information .... Thanks! I've already ordered that joiner. I do like to plan ahead!

David
 
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