I wasn't sure what to say either. So I took it to the stealership, and they offered the timeless answer:

"Unfortunately, we cannot replicate the problem. We were too busy shoveling horse crap into your mouth."

So not only am I not buying another Scion again, but I'm going all out this summer to sound deaden and stop every rattle and creak as well as investigate my engine idle.

 

Blaming the manufacturer for the dealerships actions is the same as blaming sony because best buy ripped you off. Dealerships are privately owned businesses

 

^ I moved the discussion between myself and engifineer because I am causing this topic to move in a different direction.

 

I must have missed the thread where someone tested our strut towers for flex under extreme cornering/load?

I wouldn't doubt it though, they are awfully close to the firewall.



Another update, no parts have broken/melted/turned to dust, everything is still working perfectly!

 

They were done by Toyota/Scion themselves (which is why I mentioned the STOCK suspension), although this is just an assumption. They may have just slapped on the design without testing it at all.

Also, nobody expects eBay parts to melt/turn into dust.....they're just wary of them because of how cheap they are and the fact that they are untested. But at this point, a Strut Bar is almost negligible whether you have one or not, and whether it is brand name or not.

 

What matters is what brand they are (again there is no such thing as "ebay anything"). You can find people selling nice brand name suspension parts on ebay, and you can find raceland on ebay ... night and day difference in quality. You can also find stuff with no brand listed. I stay away from all of those things unless it is truly something where quality is not going to change either way. You have to ask the same questions whether or not you buy on ebay, craigslist, classifieds section, etc. The only difference is that if you shop for a tranny on craigslist, you are not sure if it has 6 speeds, 2 legs ***** and junk, or is a serial killer ...

 

I see your point about calling them eBay parts/anything, but most people call them eBay parts because the majority of them have no brand/unknown brand and tend to be generic copies of designs of currently existing designs from bigger companies.....I'm fairly sure that most of us know that eBay is just a marketplace and not a manufacturer.

 

So i just started a project, I took my $75 ebay axleback and decided i would make it a straight pipe. so my friend and i pulled out the angle grinder and chopped out the muffler. I was surprised to find it was a glasspack, not that i knew what to expect. i went down to advanced auto parts and grabbed an 18"- 2 1/4" piece of exhaust pipe and am just waiting for a chance to weld it back together. I hope this is relevant or interesting to someone.

 

You'd be surprised how many people have that reaction when I tell them that my intake and header came from ebay. They act like the parts seep radiation (even after I note that they have performed flawlessly for 15k miles) and are made of aluminum foil.

I just smile, and enjoy knowing I paid around $200 for both of them, and that they work flawlessly.

 

I'm very interested in this. How did it go? Did you finish it yet?

 

The scuba does MOST of the silencing, so I doubt it will be very raspy. Looking forward to seeing a video clip!

 

I just wanted to bump this thread back up because I was curious to see if ScionFred and TrevorS made up after that debate lol

 

I got the axle back mostly finished, i still need to have my friend weld me up a hanger for it. no sound clips yet, I'm missing a gasket from my s-pipe to the scuba and currently have an amazingly obnoxious exhaust leak, once i get that fixed i'll show people how it sounds. My friend said he was having trouble welding because the original exhaust metal would burn through much easier than the pipe i got from AutoZone. He said something about high voltage and feed with low ams or something, he said it was hard to weld them together regardless. something to take into consideration if you want to use the old exhaust tip as I did.

 

Just another bump, everything is still working perfectly!

 

I may have missed the posted hp gains through out this whole thread. With just the intake and header what was the hp gains?

 

No dyno's on mine, There are plenty of intake and header dyno's around though. I'll post a link if I can find one!

 

http://www.importtuner.com/powerpage..._scion_xb_rs5/

 

Please excuse my ignorance re: this catagory.
I'd like to know if i do not install a catback exhaust (thats the exhaust from header on back, right?) will it negate putting on a header?
Is there welding involved if i replaced the whole thing? I do not care about sound at all! If the catback only gains 2-5hp then I would not install it. I want to look and sound stock as much as possible.
CEL blocker. Exactly where does this attach (new header?) to and what is meant by pointing it up or down?
Has the header been modded since this review to fix the dip stick issue?
It sounds like if I buy the CAI and header reviewed here i would gain roughly 10hp or more and take an hour to do both, right?
Sorry if i have repeated myself but this would be the first time i will have modded a vehicle. The xB is my only source of transportation and i'm looking to get a few more ponies out of it w/o thrashing the engine or tranny.

 

This is a great thread. I have a lot of "name brand" parts on my car and sometimes I feel like I just paid for the name LOL

 

You can install the catback along with the header. You will not need to weld, as the point of bolt-ons is to literally... bolt them on. Exhausts range in sound. I'm not sure how the generics sold on eBay sound, but I believe there is a sound clip in this thread of an axleback.

Once you install a new header, you are eliminating the O2 sensor that comes in the stock OEM header. This will trip a Check Engine Light. To eliminate the CEL, install a CEL eliminator. This will install on the O2 sensor near the flange, which is basically where the header connects to the exhaust piping in the undercarriage. Simple screw them together and you space out your O2 sensor, which in turn virtually eliminates that CEL. Typically direction does not matter.

The dip stick will have to be spaced out. If you have the right tools, you can bend the dipstick bracket to space it out properly.

Since you have never modified a car, installing this equipment will take longer than an hour. Make sure to follow the directions you find on this forum exactly and take your time. If you do not have the right tools, you need to get them or else you will prolong the install process.