My son's xA exhaust pipe has rusted through right where it enters the muffler. Right now I have it tied up in place with wire and a bunch of foil tape to hold it together! I wish to cut off the pipe at a clean sturdy spot and replace the muffler. All of the mufflers I find that fit a 2004 xA have a widened flange that appears intended to mount to something, but there are no clamps or flanges anywhere along the exhaust pipe. I don't want to replace the whole exhaust pipe, so cutting and fitting a new muffler is my hope. Can anyone offer advice/experience in finding a muffler that fits, using clamps and/or pipe adapters to achieve a new muffler without replacing everything?

 

That 'flange' you see in the picture is where the muffler would connect to the stock piping, using a 'donut' gasket, and what amounts to almost a v-band clamp to hold the two together. If the piping on your son's car doesn't have that 'flange' it may have an aftermarket exhaust on it already although any axle-back should also use the stock piping. Best bet, without having to order and potentially return a bunch of parts, would be to take it to a qualified local muffler shop in your area. I've got to imagine what you need will be a pretty simple and relatively inexpensive fix.