Quote:
Originally Posted by -cj-
Thanks 1mmaniac.
I guess I left out a big part of the process. I have the full Akrapovic exhaust system. When I found out that my valve was causing some rattling, I contacted Akrapovic with the intention of a work around. Not only did they respond in a very timely and helpful manner, but they offered to replace the valve free of charge. The only catch was I needed to ship the old one back. (I imagine they want to examine the defect).
While swapping out the vacuum line, I reached over under the car and shifted the exhaust around. I could hear some faint metal on metal sounds until I zeroed in on the bracket. At that point it was obvious. I simply removed the bracket but left the part that joins the two pipes together behind.
I reached out to Akrapovic and they shipped out a new bracket the following day..
I was so focused on the rattle that I didn't really talk about how awesome Akrapovic is to deal with and how well they stand behind their products. I wouldn't hesitate to buy one of their products again.
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That's really good to hear. To be honest I expected something like that might had happened as they were pretty supportive to me/my dealer when my tips were not on stock. Glad to hear they offered great service. I wasn't familiar with Akra before I bought my bimmer but reading on line about the quality and hearing a few good service stories finally pushed over to buy an Akra. I only have a slip-on and i think that's already expensive but it's well worth it in my opinion.
You have some sweet rattle-free miles ahead buddy
It'll feel like driving a new car now you're no longer irritated
Quote:
Originally Posted by arvinz
Guys, I'm interested in investing in the full system but I was wondering if any of you know if there's a way to prevent the yellowing of the titanium? Can the whole exhaust system have opti-coat or cquartz applied to it or have some sort of protected coating applied to it to avoid the yellowing?
And if it does yellow, is there a way to clean that off or is it permanent?
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Do you mean the discoloration like shown in this pic?
http://www.1addicts.com/forums/showthread.php?t=757720
Simply put, this discoloration is caused by heat. I don't know the exact numbers but google shouted out that Ti oxidizes from 500 degF and up. The colors change in ratio with the temperature and/or exposure time of the material. The discoloration shown in the picture linked above is way, way worse then on my own (slip-on only!). I only have a straw/brownish colored glaze on the mid section of the muffler and a bit on the tips. These are first colors appearing in this process.
I assume the system linked above has seen some long hard runs, maybe track or dyno judging by the colors seen, the amount of material that has changed color and the 2k miles.
I should be removable by removing the top layer of material, so polishing or brushing should do the trick for the lighter colors. Pink, Grey or white will probably stay on permanently but i have no experience with any of this on titanium myself.
I don't know if there are clear coats available for this application, I doubt it.