Usmco621

@xCharmCity just noticed you posted on another thread as well. But anyways, I was quoted the same amount I was thinking of a different shop that I asked to powder coat the exhaust tips a different color.

anyways, considering all this and you got it installed in their shop, have you contacted them to get this resolved? Was the vibration immediately present once you turned on the car outside of the shop? Did you try to question it while there because I’m super hesitant now about getting these installed. I was already hesitant changing anything to begin with.

xCharmCity

@Usmco621 Yes I have. And I plan on making the trip back up so they can take a look at it. Just dont have the time right now between work and family vacations.

The vibration was immediately present. The mechanic took a 2nd look to bend the exhaust hanger to avoid contact. Then it seemed to go away. However after 10 min it returned and by that time, everyone had left the office according to the email i received from them after i left a voicemail.

Usmco621

Danm I’m sorry to hear that, well it seems to be an easy fix then just wished they had done it properly when you returned. I’ll keep an eye out for this when I go if I ever get it. Can you please tell me which part of the exhaust system was making contact and which part was it making contact with?

xCharmCity

@Usmco621 Yeah it for sure sucks. Another issue that im still trying to self diagnose is a popping sound i hear when i hit a bump. When the mechanic first tried troubleshooting, he was banging on the rear mufflers pretty hard (hard enough to feel it when sitting in the driver's seat) and i remember hearing a popping noise. So im unsure if this caused another issue. it doesnt seem like it happens over small bumps and low speed. But definitely over larger bumps and high speed.

I'll absolutely keep you updated when i get it fixed. It could be a while thought since my summer is packed.

DonewithGM

It's worth it. Just let the installer know you got their back and tip em out good in case they really gotta use some elbow grease.

RRRacing

iTrader: (1)

When buying the catback for $3099, it is just a high-flow midpipe with no secondary cats. (You still have the main primary cats on the manifolds). The upside to installing it this way (without secondary cats) is that the exhaust will be louder with the valves open. It will also free up aprx 20 horsepower. Most of the videos you see online of the Bazooka exhaust do not have the secondary cats in place.

If you optioned for the Magnaflow cats, you will be adding those secondary cats back into the system. This will quiet things down a little more than without cats and mirror the OEM setup which had 4 cats.
One benefit of adding the Magnaflow cats in now is if you ever plan to add headers on the car in the future you will lose the primary cats. Having the secondary Magnaflows will ensure you are not completely catless in that situation.

-Justin

RRRacing

iTrader: (1)

To address some of the things being posted here.

RR Racing Bazooka exhaust is made in Tempe AZ at PPE Engineering. They also make all of the headers for the entire Lexus community along with other products for other cars as well. Needless to say, it's a very busy shop. When an order gets placed for custom exhaust, you go on the list behind many people waiting for custom exhaust. By the time PPE pulls your name, builds your exhaust and provides tracking information, it's aprx 60 days (8 weeks).

We charge $400 to install a custom catback with wiring for Valvetronic. This equates to aprx $130-140/hour which is our shop rate and a reasonable industry standard for a Performance Automotive shop.

We install Bazooka exhaust systems here a few times a month for many, many years. They are a custom made set of pipes with connections and clamps made on the other side of the country. Just like any exhaust system, sometimes they need a little manipulation to go on perfect. After we installed the customer above exhaust, him and the tech heard a rattle. My tech laid on the floor and did a final adjustment until they both agreed the rattle was gone. He told the customer to bring it right back if the rattle persisted since we are open to 5pm and it was only 3pm. When the customer heard the rattle after 10 minutes he decided to call us instead of turning around. I operate the phone in the office and had left early that Friday due to a Summer event with my children so I was unable to answer. The customer made the decision to continue driving home after that instead of driving back where the tech would have spent as much time as it took to rectify.

Also, after voicing his dissatisfaction, we immediately encouraged him to bring the car back at his earliest convenience. My tech also volunteered to come in on the weekend (we are closed on weekends) in order to meet the owner's convenience.

This is an outlier of a situation. It really sucks that Justin (XCharmCity) is not satisfied and that is the worst outcome for us. We did everything we could to get a perfect install upfront and we're always willing to do what it takes to make it 100%. Hopefully, his schedule clears up and we can get that opportunity.

-Justin
RR Racing

flowrider

iTrader: (9)

I disagree with RRRacing on the brand of cats to buy. IMHO, stay far away from Magnaflow:

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/is-...w-no-more.html

I will never buy another product produced by Magnaflow.

Lou

RRRacing

iTrader: (1)

Possible that was a unique occurrence? I sell Magnaflow cats every day and haven't dealt with a failure. These are the cheapest option on the market and EPA compliant so they are popular. They are rated 275hp for each cat. We also offer other options like the Gesi you upgraded to.

flowrider

iTrader: (9)

^^^^^Read the thread and you'll see crappy customer service and not a unique occurrence. Magnaflow makes a substandard product. GESi is the way to go

Magnaflow's EPA complaint line contains this warning:

So Cat selection for EPA and other states seems to be vehicle specific.

Lou

RRRacing

iTrader: (1)

That's fine, I can't disagree. But when put into context, the Magnaflow cost $380 and the Gesi will run over $1200. It should be clear we're comparing apples to oranges.

-Justin

flowrider

iTrader: (9)

^^^^$1200 Not Really:

https://www.gsportbygesi.com/g-sport...stems-products

Lou

RRRacing

iTrader: (1)

That would be per cat. You will need qty: 2.

eyelevel

Dang --- Rafi and Justin getting run through as punching bags lately. lol...

flowrider

iTrader: (9)

Yep, and their economy G-Sport model lists @ $203. each. Rather spend a bit more than have a cat go bad, and Magnaflow not stand behind their product

Lou