I’m looking for technical help or recommendations on: Exhaust System
I have just bought my car and am wanting to do some jobs on it to improve it to my liking. Having bought the car for £3,000, my first job was to get it serviced and change the passenger seatbelt as it had a cut in it. Both jobs done and the drain holes cleaned out to remove the standing water. I understand about £300 of welding will be needed before next winter. In the meantime I will be sprucing it up and the jobs I need advice on will be wheels and exhaust system.
After watching a few youtube videos I think a Cobalt Cat Back exhaust is the way I will go, not too much but still a nice burble and a nice noise on acceleration.
The questions I have as I am not mechanic:-
Will a catback allow passing of the MOT?
Where is the best place to buy one and what is the cost to make sure I get the right one (two tailpipes - one on each side of the car).
Are there difference Cobalt exhausts and if so which is the quietest/loudest?
No problems passing the MOT with the standard exhaust on and the Cobalt fitted.
Moss Europe is the place to buy, only one option and it does have the twin outlets. It’s a straight swap, they even provide a gasket but you’ll need two fixing bolts unless they now come provided.
Only trouble is Moss are out of stock, have been for some time. Apparently they are having new stock in next year, a new model I gather.
The one I have fitted (4 years) sounds great not overly loud, just the correct sporty sound, how a sports car should sound.
Thanks Mick, I am in the market after xmas anyway, so investigating my options. Moss Europe I did look at but couldnt find what I thought I was looking for. Cost wise looks like sub £400 I think. I don’t want massive pops and bangs, I want a nice burble on tick over and a good sound on acceleration, which I think the Cobalt provides. So I will hold off and if they are bringing in a new model exhaust hopefully it will be good and not too expensive.
Good advice from Mick and they DO come with the bolts. (Whether the new model does is a different matter of course). Keep an eye out on the Forum and eBay, but you will have to be quick as they are very popular.
You can’t find the Mk3 Cobalt exhaust on Moss because it’s not listed, no stock.
Give it time and keep looking on there or even fire an email to them they might have up to date info soon.
I had the road type Cobra exhaust…droned like you would not believe. Sent it back for a full refund.
The Cobalt probably would have been a better choice. To be fair the Cobra may have been faulty…I’ll never know.
I had a road Cobra as well
it was a horrible droning thing so we both must of had faulty ones
i took it off and sold it
fitted a Cobalt and never looked back
Now I have a problem them, no Cobalt available (my first choice) and Cobra is too excessive, which I don’t want anyway. I believe Jetex is not much cop at all.
Did you guys have the centre pipe as well or just the rear box and tailpipes?
It was so bad it actually gave me a headache after a five minute drive. The missus drives the car to work so I’m back on the stock back box now… I’m too scared to try another exhaust
Not sure if Leeds is too far away for you but there is a a place there, Tony Banks Exhausts who will build you a custom exhaust to suit you. Anything from slight burble to howling banshee.
They did one for my old NB and are just about to do one for my NC model. I found them to be competitive on price and excellent service. Link to their website is below:
They said there had developed a new MK3 Cobalt exhaust and it would be due early 2021.
Conflicting information, maybe the person on the phone got mixed up with mk3 and mk4
I am in the same position, I wanted the Cobalt exhaust, Cobra seems too loud, Jetex no idea, apparently build in Finland or somewhere like that, someone on here has a Jetex and rates it.
Custom might be the only way to go, at least then you can say you don’t want it too loud etc
I fitted a Cobalt for a friend on his ND today. He dropped it at mine yesterday and is collecting the weekend so social distancing and all that.
I have driven it before and it drives identically to my own, same car, same model etc. I drove it today for a mile or so to get the factory sound in my head then swapped the exhaust for the cobalt. It’s a 20 minute job even laying on your back! Soooo easy. I dunno about the sound, outside the car and roof down it’s a delight. Roof up I think it’s a tiny bit boomy here and there but ok on the motorway at cruise, no boom there. I think in an RF it would be perfect tho. Lovely note on low throttle and it sounds stock on idle.
However, it has total transformed the car to drive. It’s bloody brilliant. Frees the engine up no end. Much better response under foot. Very impressed.
I was after the Cobalt back-box for my MK3 but it was discontinued and the website said developing an improved version. I contacted Moss this week to enquire on when this new version will be ready, and got back a no update or proposed date as yet reply
