[McE]

My 02 Passat GLX 4mo Wagon has an exhaust leak, but I think it might be very early on, possibly still in the engine bay since my AC vents suck in hot air, I can feel warm air coming in around my knees/kickpanel area with the air off, and it just sounds like it's toward the front.

My question is, do I take this to a VW specialist in case it's a messed up pcv issue or if it's up in the engine bay and he would know his way around, or do I take this to an exhaust shop who may not have had much experience with this particular car but could probably fix something up for cheap if it's just pipework?

 

[2kpassat1.8t]

If you can't find the leak yourself, I'd take it to a VW specialist to diagnose the problem. Once you know what is it, you can decide. VW specialist would (should at least) point out if anything else requires attention.

 

[vbora01]

Take it to an Indy exhaust shop. Diagnosis is cheap. Repairs usually are too.

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[Steve in Chicago]

...possibly still in the engine bay since my AC vents suck in hot air, I can feel warm air coming in around my knees/kickpanel area with the air off...

You won't feel the heat of an exhaust leak in the cabin. The engine is pouring off heat when it's running. The radiator is heating the airflow that passes through the engine bay. The front of the car radiates heat no matter the condition of the exhaust. What part of Wisconsin are you in? If you're willing to drive to Chicago, I can look at it for you.

 

[SlikRik]

You won't feel the heat of an exhaust leak in the cabin. ...

If the leak is indeed in the engine bay, you're right. But a leak from the flex pipe can definitely cause heat to build up in the cabin, especially in the front footwells. Since my first flex pipe leak a few years back, I've been battling various exhaust leaks (mostly from my own shoddy workmanship, long story...), but every time there is certainly a slightly noticeable heat buildup. Just now as I feel I've finally solved my custom exhaust leaks, I'm pretty sure my new flex pipe has another leak in it. I drive around with the A/C on coming from the upper vents, and while it's cold air thru the vents, the footwells are indeed warm.

Rev your car up a bit while in Park, either with your door open, or have a friend help you, and see if you can get just get low enough to identify the general area the sound might be coming from.

 

[McE]

Took it to a vw specialist indie shop, they didn't do exhaust work in-house but I did make an appt for next week for other issues. They recommended an exhaust shop nearby.

Went there, put the car on the lift. Leaks from both flex pipes (one flex pipe looked FUBAR, all the mesh was just gone) and both sleeves behind the cats. Quoted me $520 for the fix. :hmmm:

Went to another muffler shop just for an estimate, they quoted me $180 and said they could do it then and there.
$180 later, my car is better than she's ever been, pulls harder than I remember, quieter than I remember, and the automatic shifting seems to have improved (doesn't stay in 1st way too long). :thumbup:

 

[gh0stdylan]

I had a nasty tear in my flexpipe (1.8T) and replacing the flex, suitcase muffler, running 2.5" into a Magnaflow helped my car's performance so much. It doesn't bog down anymore and the acceleration is smoother.

 

[McE]

Can you give more details on your setup? I'm curious what my options are for the exhaust since I've found such a great shop to work with.

 

[SlikRik]

You're lucky you've found a good exhaust shop, the only one I know in the area doesn't seem to care about or know what they're doing.

I initially had a leak in the flex pipe (also 1.8T), and decided that I wanted to go wider and custom, so instead of the cheaper cut-and-weld, I opted for a 2.5" TT downpipe as a full replacement. Even before I replaced the rest of the system, I felt what seemed like a much nicer pull. I've since cut out the suitcase res as well, and whether it's due to the weight saving or lower restriction, it does seem to be make a small improvement.

 

[McE]

"Suitcase muffler" is the center muffler? The rear mufflers is aka resonators?

I think I'd like to keep my car quiet, but I think it's my center muffler that looks pretty rusted on the outside. It's not leaking yet but when the time comes, hopefully I will have found some examples of what it sounds like with it removed.

Anyone have a vid of what a 2.8 30v sounds like with the center/suitcase muffler removed?

 

[SlikRik]

After the downpipe, the stock exhaust goes thru a large heavy resonator, then out thru the rear muffler. The "suitcase resonator" has been affectionately named due to it's resemblance of a large metal suitcase.

If you want to keep your car quiet, don't change anything. The stock setup is the quietest you'll get. You can remove the resonator and keep your car relatively quiet as long as you replace it with some other muffler/resonator. I cut out my suitcase and replaced it with a Thrush glasspack. Slightly louder during accel, but for the most part idle is just about the same. You can also search Youtube for videos of passats with custom exhaust setups.

 

[gh0stdylan]

Its hard to compare, but even my car with the suitcase deleted, 2.5" piping and magnaflow is "quiet" to me. It still has a low grumble at idle, and it opens up under throttle. But its definitely not loud. I've never heard the V6 with exhaust so I might not be the best to assist with exhaust note comparison.

 

[KDXClark]

I've got an '03 with 160k miles. The stock exhaust on the V6 is pretty stout with the exception of the flex joints. The flex joints are all I have done and all I am planning to do until something else lets loose. The rust on the outside doesn't tell you much about the condition of things. With exhaust, the short trips are what kills it. It never warms up enough to dry the moisture off the inside of the pieces. The back pieces are first to go and you hardly ever have to replace a head pipe. If you drive enough to get it warmed up, it will last a long time.