535 Exhaust recomendations

[vping]

I've noticed that piece are slowly falling off. Heat shield around the cat and muffler are just about gone. Looking for an affordable system that will allow me to get through inspections but without hassle. A bolt on do it yourselfer type of system is preferred but if I can get a bit more performance for the same money and still pass inspection, works for me too.

Cheers
Vince

[Tiger]

Partsgeek got the best prices for Eberspaecher front and rear muffler...

Rockauto got the best price on cat... Eastern.

[vping]

Seems pricy. Is there a cheaper option or a one stop shopping kit to purchase?

The car will be with me a few years but not forever so longevity is not that cruical. I just want to bolt in a new one that is safer for my daughter to go back and forth to school with.

Cheers
Vince

[Tiger]

German exhaust are super robust. If there is no hole, there is no reason to change it. The only wear items are the rubber mounts and the compression rings. Sometime the compression ring goes loose because of loose bolts. So, I would inspect the existing exhaust to see if those rubber mounts needs to be changed... cracked or broken... and check the bolts that holds the muffler together.

If you do have a hole but repairable... I'd weld it to fix it. Otherwise, I'd probably look for a good used exhaust and bolt it up.

[genphreak]

Dude, judging by your other cars, they all have something in common that the e34 does not.

Normal exhaust systems.

E34 is very diffferent. Retro fits of std components ('aka cheap 'glass packs' sound bad outside, resonate inside, don't fit, bang/rub or just fall off). BMW made the e34 system most unique. Enjoy its greatness, pay a little extra to buy tailored OEM bits. I've done it the other way, as many others have too. Beware where you tread with aftermarket 'upgrades'.

I went so far as to have a custom stainless system made once- was madness. Anything cheaper is way worse. Even the stock cats are superb. Aftermarket cats are no way near as good and need custom shielding. With the e34, change one component and all the harmonics get upset. You can really only buy OEM or (I recommend) good second hand to save money.

FYI: Rust around the input of the rear muffler is usually terminal, as this is a high stress zone. Any welding must include clever little gussets, else the brittle weld zones will fail quickly under normal dynamic loading.