PLEASE HELP. Noobie to IS-F
09-21-14, 07:44 PM
#31
Pit Crew
Thread Starter
Thanks guys. Ok will definitely lift it to see what kind of stuff is on there...great suggestions I really appreciate the input
Yep lessons learned...this is kinda my first fast car so I should have done more research. Damn stealerships
Question: is it true only the borla axle back can pass California smog (other than stock)? I dont think i know people to pass smog without a cat..and i probably dont have time to deal with smog failures.
Thanks again!
Yep lessons learned...this is kinda my first fast car so I should have done more research. Damn stealerships
Question: is it true only the borla axle back can pass California smog (other than stock)? I dont think i know people to pass smog without a cat..and i probably dont have time to deal with smog failures.
Thanks again!
09-21-14, 07:52 PM
#32
To be fair, it is quite possible the dealership didn't know the exhaust had been modified. Of course they could have intentionally lied to you, but being that these cars are rare, and it was a BMW dealership, they just might not have even known.
Option one is that I would go back to the dealership and see if they will cancel the deal and take the car back. Explain to them that the exhaust has been modified and it is not stock, and see if they will take the car. They probably won't, but it is worth a try. Option two is to try and find a stock exhaust for sale here or from a junkyard. Of course this will be potentially expensive, because most people who have aftermarket exhausts keep their stock exhaust too, and are not interested in selling. Option three is to live with the sound, though you said it is "undriveable" which suggests this is not an option for you at all.
Some have suggested buying an aftermarket system, but I doubt any will be much quieter than what you have. There are tons of sound clips and videos on YouTube giving you a preview of what just about every system ever made for this car sounds like so you can compare.
Option one is that I would go back to the dealership and see if they will cancel the deal and take the car back. Explain to them that the exhaust has been modified and it is not stock, and see if they will take the car. They probably won't, but it is worth a try. Option two is to try and find a stock exhaust for sale here or from a junkyard. Of course this will be potentially expensive, because most people who have aftermarket exhausts keep their stock exhaust too, and are not interested in selling. Option three is to live with the sound, though you said it is "undriveable" which suggests this is not an option for you at all.
Some have suggested buying an aftermarket system, but I doubt any will be much quieter than what you have. There are tons of sound clips and videos on YouTube giving you a preview of what just about every system ever made for this car sounds like so you can compare.
09-21-14, 09:59 PM
#34
Pit Crew
Thread Starter
LOL...I thought it's designed to be this way, and I thought it will be fine on the freeway on the way home. The dealer didnt allow me to test it on the freeway, and I didnt ask.
Turns out it's worse on the freeway, i either gotta drive at 90 mph and get away from the drone zone or drive at 55mph
Hmm.. I have been planning to buy this car for quite a while because they dont come by that often and it's the color I wanted so i lost my senses when I saw it and realized the interest rate is so low to finance cars nowadays at 2.50%...i guess i wasnt thinking right until the noise deafened me on the freeway
so yeah now i have to bear my mistakes
Turns out it's worse on the freeway, i either gotta drive at 90 mph and get away from the drone zone or drive at 55mph
Hmm.. I have been planning to buy this car for quite a while because they dont come by that often and it's the color I wanted so i lost my senses when I saw it and realized the interest rate is so low to finance cars nowadays at 2.50%...i guess i wasnt thinking right until the noise deafened me on the freeway
so yeah now i have to bear my mistakes
09-21-14, 10:31 PM
#35
Again, he's in California. It's my understanding that any car sold in California needs to be smoged before it's sold by a dealer. Is that not the case anymore? And, again, he has an action against the dealer. The Takeda Intake and non stock exhaust (don't know what it is, but it certainly isn't stock) will not pass visual.
Lou
Lou
09-22-14, 09:10 AM
#39
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Your ears will probably get accustomed to it. Its probably not as bad as you think. But I totally understand if it is a car you will be using for business. I don't think you'll have a problem swapping someone for a stock exhaust. I was concerned about the noise of my JoeZ exhaust because I'll be having a child soon. I'm in the worst possible geographic location for finding other ISF owners, and I already know of a couple people who would be more than glad to swap with me. This forum has some incredibly knowledgeable people so you came to the right place. Good luck and congrats on your F
P.S. NEVER trust a dealership. Always have a reputable inspection done. I'm sure they weren't intentionally deceptive (hopefully), but it is extremely obvious that your car was not bone stock.
P.S. NEVER trust a dealership. Always have a reputable inspection done. I'm sure they weren't intentionally deceptive (hopefully), but it is extremely obvious that your car was not bone stock.
Last edited by matthewusm; 09-22-14 at 09:14 AM.
09-22-14, 05:02 PM
#40
Pit Crew
Thread Starter
Ok guys, I took it to the dealer today
The dealers lifted it up and the mechanic says the entire cat back isnt stock. The headers are stock though. They say the most they can do is to cover the labor to take it down and install a factory stock on it, but I have to get the parts myself. They told me if I go stock I will lose power. Getting the part is going to cost time and money, they are not going to help me out on that. And I already bought the car and signed the paperwork, so I am kinda screwed.And guess what, they didnt need to smog it coz it's less than 4 years old, which isnt required in CA. But next year I might run into issues
Then they sent me to a "muffler specialist" to have it checked to see if they can swap out mufflers or resonators to it. They muffler shop say no they cant do it because it's titanium piping and they cant weld it on. If I do the entire catback it;s going to cost way too much, probably not something I or the stealership would be willing to pay
According to what they are telling me, here it is
stock header - 2.5" mandrel bend titanium piping, secondary cats (probably not CA legal), X pipe, custom weld to all factory connections, O2 sensors, no resonator, then splits off to the high performance mufflers. There's no engraving on the mufflers at all so I cant tell whose design it is.
The thought of losing performance kinda sucks. But after driving it around for a day, my ears only got accustomed to a little of it. I guess driving around town is ok, but on the freeway the droning is unbearable for me. When I came back and I took the IS350..wow what a day and night difference...
The dealership is about 40 miles away from me. So I really dont have time to take it down, ship it and exchange for a stock. I cant drive it on the street without exhaust obviously. Not sure how that's going to work. I am trying to cut my loss, buying a car and not able to drive it totally sucks. I am even considering keeping both IS..which is a cash drain with no purpose. I dont track the cars, and my wife would refuse to sit in the F with me
i uploaded the pictures here
http://s358.photobucket.com/user/pofansu/library/ISF
The dealers lifted it up and the mechanic says the entire cat back isnt stock. The headers are stock though. They say the most they can do is to cover the labor to take it down and install a factory stock on it, but I have to get the parts myself. They told me if I go stock I will lose power. Getting the part is going to cost time and money, they are not going to help me out on that. And I already bought the car and signed the paperwork, so I am kinda screwed.And guess what, they didnt need to smog it coz it's less than 4 years old, which isnt required in CA. But next year I might run into issues
Then they sent me to a "muffler specialist" to have it checked to see if they can swap out mufflers or resonators to it. They muffler shop say no they cant do it because it's titanium piping and they cant weld it on. If I do the entire catback it;s going to cost way too much, probably not something I or the stealership would be willing to pay
According to what they are telling me, here it is
stock header - 2.5" mandrel bend titanium piping, secondary cats (probably not CA legal), X pipe, custom weld to all factory connections, O2 sensors, no resonator, then splits off to the high performance mufflers. There's no engraving on the mufflers at all so I cant tell whose design it is.
The thought of losing performance kinda sucks. But after driving it around for a day, my ears only got accustomed to a little of it. I guess driving around town is ok, but on the freeway the droning is unbearable for me. When I came back and I took the IS350..wow what a day and night difference...
The dealership is about 40 miles away from me. So I really dont have time to take it down, ship it and exchange for a stock. I cant drive it on the street without exhaust obviously. Not sure how that's going to work. I am trying to cut my loss, buying a car and not able to drive it totally sucks. I am even considering keeping both IS..which is a cash drain with no purpose. I dont track the cars, and my wife would refuse to sit in the F with me
i uploaded the pictures here
http://s358.photobucket.com/user/pofansu/library/ISF
09-22-14, 05:44 PM
#42
You've got at least one person that is willing to swap your aftermarket exhaust for their stock one, and you seemingly have a dealership willing to do the labor for free. So it seems to me that you can make the best out of a bad situation by taking someone up on the offer and all you'll be out is some time and a bit of a headache. That, or you can engage in a long and tiresome legal process that you'll probably end up wishing you'd never started. I say go for the path of least resistance.
And for the loss of power, that's likely true. All of the aftermarket full header-back exhaust systems I'm aware of for this car make more power than stock. Somewhere in the 15-20hp at the wheels range peak, and a solid 10-15 throughout most of the power band. So you'll lose a little power for a quieter ride.
And for the loss of power, that's likely true. All of the aftermarket full header-back exhaust systems I'm aware of for this car make more power than stock. Somewhere in the 15-20hp at the wheels range peak, and a solid 10-15 throughout most of the power band. So you'll lose a little power for a quieter ride.
09-22-14, 06:13 PM
#43
This......
You've got at least one person that is willing to swap your aftermarket exhaust for their stock one, and you seemingly have a dealership willing to do the labor for free. So it seems to me that you can make the best out of a bad situation by taking someone up on the offer and all you'll be out is some time and a bit of a headache. That, or you can engage in a long and tiresome legal process that you'll probably end up wishing you'd never started. I say go for the path of least resistance.
And for the loss of power, that's likely true. All of the aftermarket full header-back exhaust systems I'm aware of for this car make more power than stock. Somewhere in the 15-20hp at the wheels range peak, and a solid 10-15 throughout most of the power band. So you'll lose a little power for a quieter ride.
And for the loss of power, that's likely true. All of the aftermarket full header-back exhaust systems I'm aware of for this car make more power than stock. Somewhere in the 15-20hp at the wheels range peak, and a solid 10-15 throughout most of the power band. So you'll lose a little power for a quieter ride.
09-22-14, 06:25 PM
#44
So it seems to me that you can make the best out of a bad situation by taking someone up on the offer and all you'll be out is some time and a bit of a headache. That, or you can engage in a long and tiresome legal process that you'll probably end up wishing you'd never started. I say go for the path of least resistance.
I think the threat will force them replace your exhaust. And, as I mentioned previously, your Takeda intake will also not pass California's visual inspection.
Lou
09-25-14, 02:58 AM
#45
I don't know California's emissions law in-depth, but I'd be curious as to what requirements are placed upon them to check for aftermarket parts on used cars. Do they have to smog each used car before it is sold? If so, you'd think a dealership taking in a trade would also smog test each car that they accept on a trade too, so as not to get caught with expensive repairs that they will have to eat.
Maybe I'm predicting this incorrectly, but I just don't see the dealership rolling over and eating the costs of getting a replacement exhaust. So, even if the OP might prevail by filing a lawsuit or a complaint with the smog board, that road will be far more cumbersome than just swapping with the guy who offered to trade him.
Maybe I'm predicting this incorrectly, but I just don't see the dealership rolling over and eating the costs of getting a replacement exhaust. So, even if the OP might prevail by filing a lawsuit or a complaint with the smog board, that road will be far more cumbersome than just swapping with the guy who offered to trade him.
