My new monster

[Uncle Pow]

So I went to Houston last weekend and bought a 2002 Impreza WRX. Much to my surprise I've come to find in the past week that it not only came modified with cold air intake, a really loud BOV, Kuhmo Z rated tires on 18 inch 5 spoke Enkei rims, and a nice muffler, but someone also modified the exhaust so I have a 4 inch wide pipe all the way to the muffler and no Cat.... Is it even legal for them to sell me that car? Should I take them to court? How much HP would you estimate I'm getting? OMG IT'S SO MUCH FUN!!!!

[lamehonda]

It's hard to say. None of the things you mentioned are going to give monumental increases in hp. If the car is not tuned properly, it may be making less power than when it rolled off the lot in '02. And, for heaven's sake. Put a cat on the car. Why do people remove them? Your car is no longer road legal. Who cares how much power it is making. I doubt the previous owner would be held responsible unless they provided a warranty.

Why did you not know about the mods in the first place? To most people, these are a complete turnoff and could signal the early demise of your new baby. If it were me, I would take it to a mechanic just to be sure that the mods aren't doing any damage to the motor as they are setup. Just to be safe. Anybody that has a BOV on a WRX would probably be willing to pump 40 psi into it because more is always better.

Edit. If you got a great deal on the car, disregard everything I have written except for the part about the cat.

[freakray]

With mods like that, I would be suspicious of what's been done to the car in the past and not touch it with a shopping cart even.

[Uncle Pow]

Yeah, too late, I got robbed. Oh well, time to start making it run better. Already did the spark plugs, oil and air filter. Can someone please educate me on this subject: If I have a cat-back exhaust, do I still need a catalytic converter? The terminology is confusing for me, wtf is cat-back? I know good and well what a catalytic converter is for and what it does and all but there's a place near my house that will get it inspected without the catalytic converter. I should have the money to resolve that issue within a year. So when I do get around to fixing the exhaust, what would y'all recommend putting on?

[freakray]

Cat-back means the after-market exhaust is from the cat back and doesn't effect your car passing inspection. If you have a cat-back already, spend the money on something else like a tune up.

Reading your original post though, the cat has been removed in which case, if you're in a emission inspection state, that car could not be legally sold to you and you have grounds to take the dealer to court.

If you have state vehicle inspection which checks emissions, I wouldn't remove the cat as you're asking for trouble. A garage willing to pass your car without a cat in a state requiring emissions inspection is breaking the law.

[Uncle Pow]

I think in Texas the emissions inspection requirements vary by county. I'll have to look into that some more, but I'd love to take those fools to court for ripping me off this bad. I shouldn't have paid over $8500.... But like I said, I accept the fact that a majority of the blame for my situation falls on me for rushing into this. Thanks for the help!

[lamehonda]

$8500?

Sounds real cheap to me. I doubt you will be able to get any money in court unless you bought it from a dealer. A private seller could just claim that the car was sold under the pretense that it was not for street use.

If you are looking to enhance the performance further you could put a turboback exhaust w/ a cat. You might be able to just put a cat in that will complement the exhaust already on the car.

Do you have a camera? I would love to see pics of the car.

[Uncle Pow]

No, it was a big dealership in Houston. What I'm wondering is if this is a turbo-back exhaust, does it still need at cat? I mean when I got it it had a horrendously rich smelling exhaust, after replacing the spark plugs it's gone. And what I read on the sticker under the hood is that the catalyst is somehow part of the intake. Can anyone confirm this? I'll try to get pictures of it at some point.

P.S.
What would you expect to pay for an AC leak repair?

Thanks for the help guys. I'm really enjoying this car even though I did totally get robbed by the dealership, but that's my own fault.

[Uncle Pow]

UPDATE: Just heard back from the used car manager at the dealership. They're going to get me inspected Monday morning. They don't want to pay $1400 to replace the exhaust system with the parts it would need, so they're just going to send it to their used car inspection place that will pass it with a blind eye... Maybe i'll get around to spending $1400 on it in the next year... Or maybe not... we'll see

[freakray]

Even if they pass the car through inspection, a State Trooper can pull you over and give you a 'fix it' ticket.

[lamehonda]

Do not settle for a push through inspection. Tell them to fix it right. You have plenty of reason to make a stink. Why is it going to cost so much? The cat is only like $500 I think.

[Uncle Pow]

Originally Posted by lamehonda

Do not settle for a push through inspection. Tell them to fix it right. You have plenty of reason to make a stink. Why is it going to cost so much? The cat is only like $500 I think.

It's a one piece exhaust line all the way to the muffler. They would have to buy all three parts, OEM at best, which would likely cost $1000+. I'll give the local suby dealership a call and find out.

[lamehonda]

I don't know alot about exhaust systems, but I would think that they could cut into the existing exhaust and put a cat in. The cat is just a section of pipe. I don't think It would be that complicated. Not sure about the 4" pipe though. Don't give into there whining no matter what it's gonna cost them. They screwed YOU not the other way around. They owe you a new exhaust (and a tune) which you are probably gonna need if you change to a different exhaust. They should be able to tell you if the ECU has been reflashed.

Don't worry. I'm sure you got a good deal on an awesome car. You just might have to push the dealer to make this right. You also may have to spend a little money rebuilding the motor, hopefully way down the road, when it goes from the previous owners unscrupulous use. That is, unless granny really liked her loud BOV and exhaust.

PS If you want me to call or email the dealership pretending to be your lawyer, I am game. I am thinking about going to law school after all. I need to "practice a little law" I would also file a complaint with the better business bureau if they don't give in to your every demand. That will encourage them to respond if they want to keep a clean reputation (if they have one)

[Uncle Pow]

Sitting in the dealership right now, checking on parts... It appears Injen makes an full down pipe set with the cat, but the flange doesn't look like it's turned the right direction to match up with the cat-backs I've seen.

http://www.injen.com/galleries/produ...P_floating.jpg

http://perrinperformance.com/shared/.../274_large.jpg

this one might fit: http://perrinperformance.com/shared/...9/99_large.jpg

The dealership is giving me a hard time about how much they're willing to pay for this. They've sent it over to their inspection place and I'm waiting on it to come back. Hope someone sees this before I'm done.

[Uncle Pow]

UPDATE: The manager at the dealership went ahead and told the inspection shop to put a catalytic converter in. So the inspection won't get done today but they are biting the bullet on it. And I'll get some reimbursement for my troubles.

On another note: Make sure y'all wear sunscreen when you go out during the summer. I've got a second degree burn on my shoulders and a really bad first degree burn on my back. Plus I smell pretty bad because I can't take a shower without screaming in pain.