Exhaust center box replacement.

[smilespergallon]

Well, I've gone for the Resonated Scorpion (SVW042): https://www.awesomegti.com/shop-by-brand/scorpion/scorpion-cat-back-exhaust-volkswagen-golf-mk5-gti/

Should be arriving tomorrow.

It's a bit out of character for me, as my goal is to keep this car fairly stock, and I don't care for a boy-racer look or sound.

I was tempted to go used, but after cursory glance on ebay, including postage I was looking at around £150, but none specified the mileage and they looked about as rusty as the one I took off. Or for £550 I could get the new stainless steel one and not have to worry about the exhaust for the foreseeable MOTs. So I thought I'd give it a try.

I'm thinking I'm either going to love it or hate it. But only one way to find out.

Worst comes to worst, I'll replace it again with a used OEM later on down the line and take the hit. But even then I've still saved at least £400 (£1100 from VW vs. £550 Scorpion + £150 used), so worth a shot I reckon.

So I might be back here in a couple of weeks with a used Scorpion Cat Back for sale, ha.

[titchy]

i had one off Gerlach on e bay came from Poland garage fitted it perfect fit came with fittings really good weight£ 95 inc p&p dont know if their still around

[Powervalve Nige]

£1100 for a mid-rear section   It does last 15 odd years though I suppose! 

I'd get the lowest mileage used original you can find on ebay personally.  Most aftermarket exhausts are complete garbage compared to OEM.

Should be plenty about as everyone seems to want to fit aftermarket drainpipes to their GTIs.

 

[smilespergallon]

Managed to fit the Scorpion exhaust today.



I'm happy with it so far.

Installation.

The Scorpion exhaust comes in three pieces, as opposed to one entire unit like the OEM exhaust, which made it easier to fit. If it was one single unit I'm not sure I could have wrangled it on to the car on my own.

Fitting was pretty straight-forward. It helped to lay out the structure on the floor beforehand so I knew where each piece was going to go.



I was really impressed with the fit overall. Each of the hangers lined up well with the rubber mounts, the connections slid together nicely, and the body of the exhaust sat nicely in the holes. The clamps were quality too. As a beginner it made the job much easier for me.

I didn't have to bend anything or try and force anything in to place awkwardly, which I was really happy about. So from my (extremely limited) experience the quality of the fit was reassuring.

I found that using the high temperature silicone paste (RTV) on the connections helped a lot with being able to slide the parts back and forth so that I could line the hooks up nicely with the rubber mounts.

The hardest part was shuffling around on the floor underneath a car trying to position tubes of steel in to place. But other than that, no trouble.

Sound.

I went for the resonated because I wanted something somewhat quiet and close to the OEM exhaust.

My biggest fear that it would be a head-turning boy-racer level of noise, but it's not at all.

I'd say it's slightly louder than OEM, but it's mainly just a deeper rumble. It's not offensive at all when you're driving normally, and when you put your foot down you can "feel" the exhaust more, but there's nothing shouty or "look at me" about it.

If you're after something loud you'll be disappointed (but you would have gone non-res anyway). For me though it's ideal.

I'm happy with it so far.

Performance.

Probably just a placebo, but maybe a little something extra. But yeah, probably placebo.

Appearance.

I don't really care about appearance so it's hard for me to say. But it's shinier than the old one and I don't dislike it. The rear silencer sits nicely at the back.

Conclusion.

I'm happy with the change to the Scorpion cat back.

In all honesty I probably would never considered "upgrading" the exhaust. My preference is to keep the car stock and revitalise it with OEM parts. But the OEM exhaust from VW was insultingly expensive, so that's why I went with an aftermarket one.

So even though it's not something I would have normally done, I'm happy with the results. Saving £650+ and getting a 3" stainless steel upgraded exhaust feels like a good decision so far.

Hopefully it will pass the MOT tomorrow.

Thanks for all the advice and support everyone.

[skkane]

Looks great and the price they offer them for is unbeatable.

[breeze]

Great result and glad you are happy.

Let us know who you go with for the map.