I have a 2000 toyota corolla and have yet to replace the muffler. It has started making noise about 6 months ago. Is this bad that I haven’t replaced it yet? I’m looking around my area in Ann Arbor, MI for decent prices, but haven’t been so lucky. How bad is this for my car?? Thanks. - Colleen
Colleen, some of the experts on this forum will give you a better answer, but I’m sure that you are not damaging your car by driving it with a noisy muffler. It might continue to get worse, however, if you don’t get it replaced soon. Have you actually taken the car in anywhere for a quote, or are you just calling around?
I’ve just been calling around. The best quote I got was 333.00 for all the parts needed, including labor. My main concern is that I don’t have the money right now and am driving from Michigan to Boston in May, so I am hoping to make it there without any major problems. Is there a possibility my muffler could burst? -Colleen
I have the original exhaust on my 99 Ranger, it is a little rusty but still in OK shape. I figure as long as E-check will pass me I won’t worry about replacing it. You never mentioned what the noise was. Maybe one of the hangers broke and it is just rattling around and making a ruckus.
It will not harm your car to drive with a noisy exhaust system. And there is no danger the muffler will burst. At worst it will simply develop rust holes and the noise level will increase. There is no urgency for this repair.
We may well wonder if a faulty muffler is indeed to source of the noise that you hear. There are other possibilities, and you really ought to verify the source of the noise before seeking any repairs.
It’s sort of like a dead muffler loud noise. Not too loud, but loud. Just worried about driving it such a distance without replacing it. But, if you say yours is ok and it’s a 99, i’m sure I have a few more months to drive with it. I can replace it once i’m in Boston, but can’t before I go and it’s about 1,000 miles from Michigan.
Thanks for the suggestions and advise!! I’ll replace it only when I know the real source of the problem. Will I get charged for even having a mechanic look at it to determine the problem?
It may not be the muffler. If you are lucky, it’s just a hole in the pipe before the muffler. Somebody has to look at it. You might get away with a cheaper repair, but somebody has to check. Some places don’t charge to look at it.
A leak in the exhaust system isn’t going to be bad to your car, but it might be bad to you.
Anytime there’s an exhaust leak, there’s a potential for exhaust gasses to enter the vehicle. And this can result in carbon monoxide poisoning. That’s why exhaust systems must be sealed from the engine to the back of the vehicle.
Tester