My mechanic told me that my 2005 ES330 wouldn't pass inspection without an exhaust repair. He says he can try to weld it, or we can replace the parts. I believe the worst/most rusted areas are where the manifold meets the catalytic converter, and the flex pipe is compromised. Additionally, one of the attachment points for the muffler seems to have rusted out, as you can move the muffler up and down, and I believe the point where the muffler meets the cat is also rusted out.

If I order the two parts below from Rock Auto, will that be enough to fix my exhaust, given the left and right manifold are still good? My mechanic said that these parts aren't fully stainless steel and might not last as long.

I really appreciate any thoughts or comments. Thanks!

WALKER KIT3587723
WALKER 50556

 

Walker exhaust parts rust rapidly (personal experience) if possible retain as much of the original system as possible. Or you can cry once and buy OEM (not sure if still available).

https://www.amayama.com/en/part/toyota/1741020460
https://parts.belllexusnorthscottsda...410-20460.html

 

Hello,

Can confirm, Walker is regular Mild Steel with Zinc Plating on top, a pretty rough one at that, it will start rusting within a year or two. Most of the time I needed exhaust parts I managed to find Used OEM in one way or the other, some were spotless, some needed new Flanges, even though the Pipe itself was still good. Try looking around at Junkyards, you may get lucky, if not, look for Parts Cars in warmer regions, though be prepared, you will most likely have to drive out to get it, not a lot of people are willing to ship stuff for any money.

For the amount they charge for New OEM, I wonder if it will be better to find a shop willing to make Custom Exhaust if those are still around, the Exhaust System is pretty simple to manufacture on those cars with not a whole lot of bends and plenty of space, at least you will get genuine Stainless Steel, if it's a good shop that is.. With that, I've never worked with those shops before, and the problem is that you will be putting a lot of trust into the shop of your choosing, the shop you've never seen before, and will likely never see again, and you will likely be asked to pay up front, you will have to do a lot of research to find one worth going to.

Hope this helps and best of luck!

 

Salvage yards don't sell any exhaust components that have catalytic converters (too valuable for them) attached. I use a local shop they do excellent work but for your ES for example them doing a custom Y-pipe with catalytic would probably cost about the same as an OE part. Nothing against the shop custom work takes time.

 

Thank you both for the recommendations. I will avoid the Walker exhaust since everyone seems to agree it will likely fail in a few years. I should've taken some pictures when the mechanic showed me under the car and pointed out the leak near the manifold. He quoted me about $600 to do the weld repair + inspection sticker. Some might think that's steep, so I might explore a muffler shop since they specialize in these types of things.

 

Hi Lex2K and Arsenii,
Wanted to say thank you both for the recommendations! I ended up taking my 05 es330 to a local exhaust shop that had good reviews. For about $400, they repaired the flex pipe and the flanges at the the catalytic converter and the muffler.
She sounds a whole lot quieter now.
Cheers.

 

If you want a cheap fix get some metal cut to sixe that will cover the rust and some jb weld you can hold it in place
using wire

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