An exhaust leak usually gives you some warning.
Maybe the car suddenly sounds louder when you accelerate. Maybe you hear a ticking or hissing sound you don’t remember hearing before. Sometimes you notice an exhaust smell around the car or even inside it.
Whatever gets your attention, an exhaust leak is worth checking instead of simply getting used to the noise.
What does an exhaust leak sound like?
It depends on where the leak is.
A small leak near the front of the exhaust can make a ticking or tapping sound, especially when the engine is first started. A larger hole farther back may sound more like a hiss, rumble or roar that gets louder when you press the gas.
Sometimes the change happens slowly enough that you don’t notice it right away. Then somebody rides with you and asks why your car is so loud.
What about the smell?
If you smell exhaust inside the vehicle, take it seriously.
The exhaust system is supposed to carry gases from the engine safely out behind the vehicle. A leak can let those gases escape somewhere they shouldn’t.
And smell isn’t a perfect warning system. Carbon monoxide itself has no smell, so you don’t want to rely on your nose to tell you whether an exhaust leak is safe.
If you’re getting exhaust fumes inside the cabin, have the vehicle inspected.
Does the whole exhaust need to be replaced?
Not necessarily.
That’s one of the advantages of bringing exhaust work to a shop that can actually fabricate it.
At Stones River Auto and Exhaust, we bend, fit and weld exhaust pipe here in Murfreesboro. If one section has rusted through or cracked but the rest of the system is still in good shape, we may be able to repair that section instead of replacing everything around it.
Dallas Beard has spent decades doing this kind of work. Thomas Powers calls his business partner the “exhaust whisperer,” and exhaust diagnosis and fabrication are a major part of what Dallas does at Stones River.
Don’t let a small leak turn into a larger repair
Exhaust parts support each other. A broken pipe or hanger can let the system move around more than it should, putting extra stress on other connections.
That’s another reason to have a new noise checked before it becomes the background soundtrack of your commute.
We’ll put the vehicle on the lift, find where the leak is coming from and tell you whether it makes more sense to repair that section or replace it.
Contact
Stones River Auto and Exhaust, 1601 Flat Rock Road, Murfreesboro, TN 37130. Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Call (615) 961-6322.
