that I have heard mentioned? Is it easily noticeable? At what point does it usually occur? Is there any preventive maintenance for it? How much does it cost to fix?

Thanks in advance for the help.

 

I beleive it was a design problem with materials. Some people have this problem after afew years and some never experience it. The manifold cracks from what I've heard. Mine was caused by the trauma of a diagonal front end crash at 60mph. I think the crack has gotten worst over the past year since the ticking seems louder and more frequent. You will hear a ticking sound from the bottom of the car. Especially after a long drive and you turn off your car and listen from outside. I hear it is not too expensive to repair if you go to a local shop. They just weld the crack closed. The dealer may charge an arm and a leg to repair it, but I'm not sure if they would replace the entire thing or just weld it closed.
Hope that helps ya,
Robert