I normally DIY most everything on this car. It's great to work on. But I'm not a fabricator or welder unfortunately.

​​​​​My car is pretty bone stock and I'm just looking to replace rusted mufflers with vibrant resonators. So just an axel back swap. Not looking to make it louder. I already bought the resonators and tips.

1. How much should I expect to pay for decent quality work? 2 hours labor plus some stainless pipe?
2. Any shop recommendations in Chicago? I'm getting quotes from Vazquez and Oxbow in Joliet, IL

Thanks in advance.

Your LS430 already has resonators.
You have the option to cut the mufflers off and replace with 3.5" - 4" tips, to make it look and sound good.
You also have the option to put a Flowmaster or Borla muffler in replacement of your stock muffler.

About $250-$400 in labor
About $200--$400 in parts

I'm in the UK but I had both mufflers replaced earlier this year at a cost of £500 ($630).
They were done by a local specialist in a day and are now stainless steel and sound factory.
He reused the factory tips which looked great after he gave them a quick polish.

Thanks for the response. Good to know on the labor. I know I already have resonators. The idea of adding the vibrant ones is for straight through design and just a tad more sound.

What kind of mufflers did you use?

Sorry, I have no idea what brand they are.
They were supplied by the exhaust specialist.
The sound of them is identical to the OEM system though.

Labor has gotten crazy these past few years. I got a quote of $300 for a foot of piping and to weld tips on that I already own for my 04 GS300. I paid $300 for my custom 2.25 inch x-pipe on my LS430.

I checked with my longtime welder who I’ve used for 15 years and another guy I used to build a custom 3 inch exhaust on my SC300 back in the day, I didn’t realize labor had gotten so pricey but it seems the $200-300 range is the going rate for a muffler install. My car needs some new hangers so that’s why my stuff is a little bit more expensive.

The mufflers can vary in price. It depends on if you want your car to have a little rumble or if you want it close to stock. Magnaflow, Flowmaster, and Borla make great options. Vibrant makes some good resonators as well. You could budget another $200 to $400 for mufflers but I don’t think it will be too expensive.