Five Oh !!

Hello fellow mustang enthusiasts,

Please allow me to introduce myself. I am based in San Diego, CA and have recently purchased my dream car..a ford mustang GT 2012 certified pre owned with 30 k miles on it, in kona blue.

One of the first things I wanted to do was to make the stock exhaust sound better, so I took it to a locally and nationally renowned muffler shop here in SD and had them place Dynomax VT and an X pipe.

Because I was new to this modification process, and didn't know any better, I drove it away from the shop feeling excited, but couldn't help but notice, upon closer examination that something was off.

I have confirmed ( I have pictures, but since a new member, I can not post them yet), that the right side exhaust was mounted upside down, to make it seem like its the correct side, but is in fact a 'left' exhaust...so in essence, my car now has 'two' left exhausts, one correctly mounted with the words 'dynomax vt' appearing towards the road like it should, and the Valve ( Valve Technology VT) opening towards the outside with the spring on top as it was designed and intended to be placed.

The other ( incorrectly mounted) exhaust is a mirror image when looked at and surely enough, does not show the same 'dynomax vt' written on it like it should, since its 'flipped' and is now the side that is facing the engine bay.

Since this muffler shop was 'highly' recommended, and has glowing reviews on yelp, word of mouth, etc. I did not doubt their integrity and thought I don't know better, but after triple quadruple checking, I am 'sure' they have mounted two left exhausts, one correctly and one flipped upside down and mounted like that on the right side.

Plus, due to the specific design of the valve, the right exhaust (incorrectly mounted one) has the valve that rattles when the rpm drops from revving at a 4-5 to a 3-2...annoying to say the least...

I don't know how to approach them and state this issue. Can someone please advise..? I mean this guy is considered to be the inventor of the 'x pipe' and is terribly famous, however, the mistake is readily apparent, and he had given the job to his in house mechanic to do, and did not double check it , I am sure.

Does a direct, honest approach to him work ? If I am convinced by them that this is normal, what should I be considering next? BBB? legal action?

Thank you in advance,

(A much distressed newly excited mustang owner) !
Five Oh !! is online now Report Post

wcgman

So by nationally renowned muffler shop, you mean Midas? Because c'mon dude...it's a muffler. I would take the car back, tell them that you want your stock parts mounted back on the car and your money back because they installed the wrong parts deliberately then go get some axle backs from american muscle and mount them yourself in about 30 mins on a Saturday morning.

White05GT

Definitely take it back if you're not happy with it.

Torch_Vert

If you're sure there's a problem, go discuss it with them.

How you expect anyone here to know exactly what sort of approach will "work" with your specific muffler shop is sort of baffling, but yeah, the direct honest approach is the place to start.

And no, do not drag the BBB or threats of lawsuits into it when you talk to them. Just explain the problem you're seeing, why you believe it's occurring and see what they say.

XEDES

If you need iron clad proof to present to the shop, send pics to VT and ask them if this is right? When they respond that it's not, print and take it with you. Honestly, if its a well regarded shop I doubt you'll need anything more than your own dissatisfaction. Good luck!

Five Oh !!

Thank you all, for your replies, and for welcoming me to this awesome discussion board!
Well, eventually, here is how it panned out:
a. First, I called Dynomax, since I don't know much about mufflers/exhaust systems.
Dynomax said, if the muffler is a 'universal' kind, then, it can be flipped upside down and fitted on, since the outlet, which is the important component, is going to be facing where it should.
They also indicated, however, that the VT mufflers are designed in a specific way so that when the rpm's are raised, the valves open - louder sound, when rpm drops- valves shut- no loud sound, for street cruising.
They won't comment anymore since they have not seen what it looks like and there was no way I could send them a picture yesterday.

b. Armed with this much knowledge, I went to the muffler shop, demonstrated my concerns, showed them the pictures, and as my luck would have it, the owner is not there yesterday, and I get to speak with the same mechanic who worked on my car.
I relayed my concerns; he replied that the mufflers can be mounted upside down since they have been doing that since forever and never had a problem. He also went on the dynomax website to show me the particular part no. (17159 dynomax VT) was not made in two (right/left) configurations for a dual exhaust car...at least that is what it seems like here on this page:
http://dynomax.com/mufflers.php?muffler=vt

I am looking under (exhaust configuration: dual), and part no. is 17159.

Ok, so I relate the other concern I have, which is the valve rattling when rpm drops and an overall 'not enough sound' feeling that I am getting.

He indicated these were the quietest aftermarket mufflers for this car available and 99% of the time, customers who install these have the valves 'welded open' so the sound is aggressive and there is still considerably no drone compared to any other muffler.
He demonstrated this to me, by having two guys hold the muffler valves open and me standing behind the car and him revving it, and I was sold on the idea. It sounds great, exactly what I had imagined.

So, in the end, I had him weld the valves open, believed what he had to say about the muffler mounting and after much thought regarding the alternative, which was to rip everything apart, order a new right side muffler (if they even made one of this kind), and wait for it to be installed, I opted for keeping it the way it is.

At the end of the day, I am happy with the sound and the performance, and don’t think they ripped me off or took me for a ride, regarding the installation ( at least that is what I think so far)...

I hope I can learn from this mistake and research the future modifications here on this forum before pulling the trigger.

Thanks again, guys ! Much appreciated !

Torch_Vert

Glad to hear it got sorted out.

It's tough not getting wound up when it's your new four wheel baby involved, but usually these things can be worked out.

XEDES

Good to hear that things worked out for you.