Awe Turboback Install Problem

[Jonrogers421]

Hey guys

Last thursday I dropped my 2012 Gti off at Minhs Auto Care in Brooklyn to have an AWE Turboback exhaust installed and be flashed to stage 2. When I arrived to pick up my car friday evening they said they had to use and sleeve on the catback section to link two of the parts because the exhaust didnt match up perfectly and it would have a little bit of a leak because of the sleeve. I drove the car this weekend and I can hear the leak and it seems to be getting increasingly louder. Everything I've read about the awe turboback is how great the fit and sound is and It sounds pretty good but the leak sounds like shit/ricey. Has anyone had this issue?

I purchased the AWE catback from here: http://www.urotuning.com/AWE-Tuning...N6oSKMCzDk45pIQg-hGCVTBDyeHfVBfEmzRoCdS_w_wcB

Purchased the AWE dp here: http://www.ebay.com/itm/252341562461?_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT

Any help/feedback/advice going forward would be greatly appreciated. I searched and couldnt find anything.

 

[sauceman101]

I have an AWE down pipe to magna flow catback. Installed myself, down pipe has been on for four months the catback for about three years, zero issues, leaks, codes, fitment issues. maybe the shop muffed up one of the connections?

 

[kern417]

look under the car to see whats goin on.

 

[Jonrogers421]

I have an AWE down pipe to magna flow catback. Installed myself, down pipe has been on for four months the catback for about three years, zero issues, leaks, codes, fitment issues. maybe the shop muffed up one of the connections?

Thats what I've been hearing from everyone. I'm currently living in manhattan and dont really have the time for the next two weeks or a place to look at it. Going to try to bring it back to the shop and see if they can take another look at it.

 

[nvturbo]

You need to replace the "exhaust coupler" between the DP and exhaust system. Since you're in NY, the weather will affect the pipes more than other states (ie Florida, Nevada, etc). Just out of precaution, I replaced mine.


Link to the one I bought:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-Audi-A3...ash=item54072afef1:g:msIAAOxy0zhTPBUC&vxp=mtr

 

[Jonrogers421]

You need to replace the "exhaust coupler" between the DP and exhaust system. Since you're in NY, the weather will affect the pipes more than other states (ie Florida, Nevada, etc). Just out of precaution, I replaced mine.


Link to the one I bought:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-Audi-A3...ash=item54072afef1:g:msIAAOxy0zhTPBUC&vxp=mtr

Thanks for the feedback. I fwd'ed this to the shop to get their opinion.

 

[nvturbo]

Thanks for the feedback. I fwd'ed this to the shop to get their opinion.

More than likely that's the culprit for the exhaust leak. Over time, those clamps will deteriorate.

 

[dafuture]

I would check the clamp as well as the alignment of all the pieces in the hangers/mounts. AWE makes very high quality stuff, and I would be very surprised if there was that much of a fitment issue.

 

[Pooley]

I've got an AWE exhaust and downpipe, installed myself. AWE uses a lot of slip joints and clamps which make it adjustable in many ways to get the fit correct, but leaves you open to leaks if not 100% perfect. I never had leak issues with the downpipe, but I had a few leaks on the exhaust after install, especially at the sleeve clamp that connects it to the downpipe. Make sure they used the Permatex Muffler and Tailpipe Sealant that's included in the kit on every joint and that they use a fresh sleeve clamp and tighten the hell out of it. I went ahead and used the sealant on the back half of the sleeve clamp as well since I think the pipe diameter of my downpipe is very slightly larger than that of the cat-back portion. My downpipe is 3 years old while the cat-back is only a year old. I also initially had an issue where one of the slip connections was too loose fitting, like they went too large with the pipe expanding machine and the clamp couldn't get it fully locked in place. For that one i just separated the pipes while off the car and used a rubber hammer to bend the tabs of the expanded pipe inward a tiny bit, which fixed the problem.

Good luck.

 

[Jonrogers421]

I've got an AWE exhaust and downpipe, installed myself. AWE uses a lot of slip joints and clamps which make it adjustable in many ways to get the fit correct, but leaves you open to leaks if not 100% perfect. I never had leak issues with the downpipe, but I had a few leaks on the exhaust after install, especially at the sleeve clamp that connects it to the downpipe. Make sure they used the Permatex Muffler and Tailpipe Sealant that's included in the kit on every joint and that they use a fresh sleeve clamp and tighten the hell out of it. I went ahead and used the sealant on the back half of the sleeve clamp as well since I think the pipe diameter of my downpipe is very slightly larger than that of the cat-back portion. My downpipe is 3 years old while the cat-back is only a year old. I also initially had an issue where one of the slip connections was too loose fitting, like they went too large with the pipe expanding machine and the clamp couldn't get it fully locked in place. For that one i just separated the pipes while off the car and used a rubber hammer to bend the tabs of the expanded pipe inward a tiny bit, which fixed the problem.

Good luck.

Thanks for the awesome feedback guys. I'm dropping it back off tonight. I'll let you know the findings.