jem7v

How much have you paid for an exhaust install? What is a fair price to install an exhaust? So far I've been quoted anywhere from 600-1000. And from 3-8 man hours for installation.

What actually needs to be done to install the exhaust?

Team Plutonium

Do they include waiting for the engine, headers, and exhaust to cool off, because that is what takes the longest once put on the lift.

$350-400 max. Easy to do yourself too btw... I'm just too lazy.

93ls1rx7

I did it myself but I have seen $750-1000.

If everything goes well a shop can do it in probably 3-4 hours. They could do it faster but wit bumper removal etc, I want them to be careful.

The other problem is they have to account for the horrible exhaust studs that don't like to let go of the nuts. That adds significant time.

therock88

As others have indicated it should be 3-4 hours labor ~ $350-500 if all goes well. The studs do tend to be tricky and can snap, which may get you in the $750 range (if not a fixed price).

Also, it is not that difficult to do as long as you soak the hell out of the bolts/nuts with PB Blaster or similar product and have some basic tools. I found that S and U shaped wrenches are very helpful for the nuts on the back side of that Cats. And you just need to be careful with the O2 sensors.

It has been a while, but I think I have enough photos and memory that I could put together a DIY if interested....and I find some spare time?

Anyway...whether you pay or DIY...Good luck.

DC

jem7v

So far my dealer says 595 (if it no harder than OEM exhaust), 1 independent here said like 640, and another says 900 (because it takes 8 hours apparently and anyone who can do it in less doesn't know what they are talking about or doing).

jem7v

If it wasn't my DD, I'd probably try to do it myself. But I can't afford for anything to go wrong, and not have a car for like a week.

nzskater

Do you live in a coastal area or drive on salted roads? If so you might find that rust makes it a bitch of a job, and increases the cost. Make sure you replace old with new studs/nuts/gaskets etc.

jem7v

My car only has 1800 miles. All the shops say then since the mileage is so low they don't need to do that.

So I got a quote for 400 if the exhaust isn't a pain to install. 4 hours of labor.

dmac

GMP Performance only charged me for 2.5 hours of labor to remove my old exhaust and install an EP2 on my 997.2 TTS.

This was just one of several things they did for me while it was in their shop!

I could not be happier with their service and what they've done to transform my car!

TT Surgeon

400 is cheap, it is a easy DIY, but fraught with peril if you're not careful. One time I just didn't have time and hired it out, like 500$? I think.

HOiYA

While not a 997, I just had an exhaust installed last week. Shop charged me $760. I'm in the SF Bay Area so things are a little higher. If it was just a straight bolt on it would have been $400, but I had an Akrapovic wireless kit and it was a little labor intensive.

dmihalevich

An exhaust is very easy to put on yourself. I put one on in about 3 hours, hardest part is breaking the bolts free around the turbo if they are rusted. If you insist on having it done professionally I dont think I would pay over $400 for it IMHO.

Macster

Fair has nothing to do with the price.

The job takes whatever time it takes.

You should have this done at a shop that knows these cars and can do a good job. This will have the cost of the job as low as it can be.

You do not want to end up with an exhaust that leaks, or manifests unacceptable levels of noise/droning because it was not installed correctly.

In some cases -- at least for the 996 Turbo exhaust -- there are seals at the turbos that should be replaced if the exhaust system gets disassembled that far up during the exhaust system swap.

Be sure you save all the original hardware to have in case you ever decide to sell the car. Or you decide the aftermarket exhaust is not your cup of tea.

jem7v

The guy who quoted me 400 is highly recommended for porsche in this area. So I'm assuming he knows what he is doing. Everyone I talked to has asked me what the mileage of my car is, when I tell them it is 1800, they say then probably we don't need to change out any of the studs or whatever else that needs to be replaced.

I most definitely will keep my OEM exhaust. Chances are I will trade this car in to the dealer when I want to buy a GT3, and they sure as hell won't pay extra for the exhaust.

Macster

With just 1800 miles the odds are very good the hardware is not corroded and there'll be no surprises. If the tech has good experience then he knows his way around the car and he will not be likely caught by surprise by any broken hardware.

Often the techs tell me that with anything that requires any wrenching on the exhaust one or more exhaust related fasteners breaks and this then requires extra time to deal with. So when the tech quotes on this type of job he factors in some extra time for this. The result is the quote can be higher than it would be otherwise if he just quoted "book time".

Might mention though I had my 2002 Boxster in for new CV boots. The tech reported when he went to unbolt the axles he found all the axle flange screws heads all buggered up like someone used the wrong sized tool bit and while he managed to get them out without having to drill any it took extra time. I believe he encountered one or two broken exhaust fasteners too, but with over 200K+ miles on the car I expected this and wasn't fazed.

But the bolts... AFAIK the axles had never ever been touched since the car left the factory so the buggering had to occur at the factory.

But I think this is a rare event. I'm sure in your car's case the exhaust swap will go without a hitch.

Be sure you give the car a thorough road test before you accept it back in case the exhaust rattles, buzzes, drones or leaks. Once everything warmed up check that the engine makes the proper amount of boost, too.