2015 Nissan Versa had some exhaust work done.

[JTK]

If they pass the OBD scan free and clear then they can just get a lick and stick place to do it. Happens here in PA all the time since I live in a non-emission county (CEL light will fail in those counties).

Yep, you can't have a check engine light and all monitors must be set. That data is sent to the DMV. I'm not sure how shady shops make that happen otherwise, but I hear you can find them.

They're required to pull one wheel, check that the parking brake holds, all lights work, horn, seatbelts, etc. Suspension parts can be worn, but not broken. Same with frames. It's a lot of stuff for the $20 fee and I've only covered some of it. My two busy independent shops I go to are fairly thorough, yet don't go too crazy poking/prodding.

 

[Paco Pena]

On vehicles that get mostly short trips I always drill a 1/8 th inch hole at the low end of the muffler to let the condensate out. Seems to work well. Some mufflers already have them from the factory.

Paco

 

[JTK]

On vehicles that get mostly short trips I always drill a 1/8 th inch hole at the low end of the muffler to let the condensate out. Seems to work well. Some mufflers already have them from the factory.

Paco

I did that with this particular aluminized muffler. It didn't have a drain hole in it from the factory.

 

[JTK]

As it turns out, this muffler is indeed "stainless steel" per Walker. Kind of a joke. I emailed them pics of the situation, given their "lifetime" warranty. Let's see what they say if anything.

 

[Delta]

Walkers quality now-adays is in the toilet to put it nicely. However, what can ya really do trying to keep an older car on the road for cheap...

 

[slacktide_bitog]

I found this place after googling custom exhaust in Buffalo. Maybe they are close enough to you, and possibly worth it if the car is otherwise worth keeping

If the car is worth keeping, you need 304. Hopefully this exhaust will be back in stock soon. DNA Motoring/J2 Engineering hasn't been good with keeping popular stainless catbacks in stock.
Here is what the J2 exhaust sounds like for your Versa:

I did that with this particular aluminized muffler. It didn't have a drain hole in it from the factory.

I had gotten a SoundFX (Walker's cheaper line), and it had that drain hole from the factory

Walkers quality now-adays is in the toilet to put it nicely. However, what can ya really do trying to keep an older car on the road for cheap...

Too cheap to even drain a hole anymore

 

[SeaJay]

What caused it to rot with such low miles?

Salt on the snowy, icy and wet roads would be my guess.

 

[JTK]

Walker company responded to my email in regards to their "lifetime" warranty:

"Thanks for your inquiry,

I apologize for the inconvenience, Here’s a link to our Warranty / Guarantee. If your product applies, please return it with proof of purchase to the seller on your invoice. All warranty and returns for Walker products are handled through the point of purchase. Each distributor has a process for handling warranty returns and may differ depending on their pricing structure.

If you have any other questions regarding warranty, please email our Warranty Department at [email protected]."

As I figured. It's basically useless..

I wound up mail ordering another Walker cat-back system because it's all you can find in a kit that includes everything. I'm going to try hitting the whole thing with some high temp paint. Especially at the welds. Maybe it will buy me another 6 months. LOL

 

[Aredeeem]

$500???? Bring it to the local muffler shop and have them reweld it for $50 lol.

Yes. I had a flange re-weld on my 2012 Versa at around 50k. It’s still holding well at 98k. Common problem with that car. Hanging onto it as long as I can.

 

[Skippy722]

Salt on the snowy, icy and wet roads would be my guess.

I wonder if they’re using something other than sodium chloride. Alternatives like magnesium chloride or calcium chloride don’t play nice with 304 for example.

 

[JTK]

Just an update for the above. My one man shop down the road charged me $87.50 to install my "customer supplied" cat-back system. $116.16 all-in for the state inspection, exhaust installation, tax, etc.

The walker cat-back kit was around $280 all-in, mail order through RockBottom.

I drilled a weep hole in the muffler once again and hit the whole thing with a $15 rattle can of rustoleum high temp paint. "2000degF ceramic" liquid gold. We'll see if I get 2.5yrs out of this one in stead of 2.

Either way, this was a bargain compared to the $600 all-in I paid another shop for the same parts and labor 2yrs ago.