Muffler Issue

[frank64]

I have a 2005 Saturn Vue with 240,000 miles. I use it for my commute three days a week and it runs great. It started getting loud and I noticed a hole opened up on top of the muffler. It's up for inspection and the mechanic looked and said the exhaust from front to back is fine but the muffler is shot.

I see some aftermarket mufflers online; anybody have a recommendation?

It passed inspection without any problems other than the muffler, but I don't want to invest in a whole new exhaust.

Thanks

[Cavell]

Try a junkyard. I got a new sst muff that still had decals on it. $20

[Vue6]

...The walker quiet flow. You might have to cut your existing one off , get a clamp, and bolt the new one on. Easy stuff.

[Cavell]

I found a 2nd nice muff at yard from v6 vue. It was 2-1/2”? Whereas my pipe was 2”? I just used an adapter. You use what you can find. Yard didn’t have many vues yesterday. Sometimes they do

[canoecraft]

Do not, I repeat, do not buy the Walker muffler made for the Vue.

I bought one at NAPA for about $100 and it was unbelievably loud. The muffler shop that installed the muffler agreed that it was unacceptable and talked NAPA into getting me a quieter model. That one was piced at $189 so I fured it was a high-end model.

Then the muffler shop called to say the new $189 muffler was exactly the same as the first$100 one–both made by Walker with the same Walkr part number on the box and the same numbers on the mufflers.

Needless to say the NAPA manager was aghast at the pricing difference one of his employees had made.He drove the car with he $189 muffler and agreed it was way too loud. So I got a refund on that second muffler and an agreement on yet a third muffler. He woud personally order a third Walker muffler (the only one available through NAPA) and if that was too loud, he would refund the $100, and I could keep the Walker muffler. I agreed and the shop put he Walker on (labor charge for each change, was $75). That one is ALSO way too loud which the manager agreed with as he handed me another $100 credit slip.

I'm now shopping at salvage yards for a good stanless steel Saturn OEM muffler from a salvaged Vue. When I find one, I'll give NAPA back their 3rd junk Walker muffler and they'll give me another $100 credit to help offset the labor charges.

Cavell is right; stainless steel mufflers last for many years and there are lots of Saturn Vues in salvage yards.

[Vue6]

...There are 2 versions of the walker quietflow, one for the v6 and one for the 4 cyl. I have bought the v6 version for my Redline. It was just as quiet as the factory muffler, no issues what so ever. I did have to modify the tip on the exit side, the redlines exit diff. to make my factory chrome tip work. If you have a regular v6 vue, you just cut the pipe right before the muffler, use a band clamp ,and it fits right in, again , no issues....DC.