Just bought an EMPI branded twin quiet pack exhaust system to replace the identical one that failed the other day . Was delivered well within 24 hours of ordering from VW Heritage on their £5 express delivery service. Tried to bolt the header to the engine. 1. the header touched the engine mount. The previous EMPI header also had a groove worn in it from the engine mount. 2. the faces of the flanges that connect to number 2 and number 4 cylinder were not parallel with each other. Like about 10 degrees out of parallel. This was bad. 3. The pipes going to the heater heat exchanger boxes didnt actually touch the ends of the J tubes, but were fairly springy. (probably due to (1) ) Some standing on the header while pulling on the ends to add a bit more twist and (2) was sorted. Item 3 took a jack under each heater box and a Spanish windlass (screwdriver and string twisting) in turn to pull the tube ends together until I could get the exhaust clamps on. Then fitted the exhaust. Because of (1) the exhaust tips touched the bottom of the bumper. Solved that by refitting some missing nuts and bolts on the bottom edge of the bumper so that went up a bit.. And then pressing down with a foot carefully on the exhaust tips in turn to bend both ends down a bit more, then adjusting the gap from tip to bumper each side to match. Now its on it looks quite good though. I can now understand why the previous exhaust always appeared to be bent. It had to be to make it fit at all. What should have been a fairly easy job was made a lot harder by the general nasty twistedness of the Chinese manufactured EMPI product.
Sounds about normal - Violence is the way forward with this rubbish. Fingers crossed no exhaust leaks.
