Replacement exhaust midpipe?

Car is a 2009 OB, non-turbo. My midpipe is leaking at the Y, pretty badly. Old age... Combine that with the leaks at both muffler gaskets and it's pretty annoying. Not loud but quite, well, flatulent.

Looking at the rest of the piping, the mufflers are in great shape but the midpipe is quite rusty so I don't think having a muffler shop weld up the holes is practical.

I'm looking at the Bosal 286-975, which can be had at a discount from Autozone right now. I wondered if anyone had experience with it? It's aluminized steel so it won't last forever, but I'm concerned that the bullet resonator will be louder than stock.

Any input appreciated.

OEM would probably be the way to go. It looks like it could be had cheaper too (depending on autozone discount), might come out even to the Bosal after shipping.

Welcome to the 2.5i club! Go have some fun with it.

Where is a good place to purchase OEM? I'm planning to call my closest dealer tomorrow but the list price on parts.subaru.com is like $365, whereas right now the Bosal is $140 with free shipping.

Don't get me wrong, I'd probably take OEM if I could get a good price on it, but $350+ is way too much...

Wow. I'm retarded. I was looking at the parts geek price for an API manufactured OEM replacement.

https://www.partsgeek.com/gbproducts/AC/18776-07622292.html?utm_source=google&utm_medium=ff&utm_content=APY&utm_campaign=PartsGeek+Google+Base&utm_term=2006-2009+Subaru+Outback+Muffler+API+18776-07622292+Center+06-09+Subaru+Muffler+07+08&fp=pp&gbm=a&utm_source=google&utm_medium=ff&utm_campaign=PartsGeek+Google+Basecid=6774379819&aid=79287199093&keyword=833681413845%3A%3Apla-833681413845&kid=833681413845&gclid=Cj0KCQjwlN32BRCCARIsADZ-J4t5nNlNmM15s8uDE1Oj6iUuECWU_lWlAg3wwxR04F5uuMRxVVVgPQAaAq4nEALw_wcB

Longest URL ever. Bosal might be your best bet. A quick browse showed that some of the other OBs over on the Outback.org board thought about running &/or ran Bosal replacements as well. I hope you didn't miss the Autozone discont.

I think extreme motor sports carries after market quality parts, a lot geared towards people looking for "upgrade" performance. If I have the website correct, there are a ton of aftermarket exhaust set ups for 2.5l Subaru's. I only mention it because, to a point, we pay for a quality OEM part because it says Subaru on it. I wouldn't cheap out on what your replacement mid pipe is fabricated from or the welds. I know you aren't looking to create more flow or less restrictions to the system. The bottom level buy in products are basically just quality replacement parts. I am militaristic about OEM parts with a lot of my car. Your not going to affect the integrity of the mechanics with a cheap exhaust pipe, but they constantly heat and cool and exposed to the environment as much as any part of the vehicle I know. If the car is in it's later stages in life, go for the bargain brand. Otherwise, consider it a 5 to 10 year investment you won't have to second guess as the undercarriage naturally ages over the years.

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Wow. I'm retarded. I was looking at the parts geek price for an API manufactured OEM replacement.

 

https://www.partsgeek.com/gbproducts/AC/18776-07622292.html?utm_source=google&utm_medium=ff&utm_content=APY&utm_campaign=PartsGeek+Google+Base&utm_term=2006-2009+Subaru+Outback+Muffler+API+18776-07622292+Center+06-09+Subaru+Muffler+07+08&fp=pp&gbm=a&utm_source=google&utm_medium=ff&utm_campaign=PartsGeek+Google+Basecid=6774379819&aid=79287199093&keyword=833681413845%3A%3Apla-833681413845&kid=833681413845&gclid=Cj0KCQjwlN32BRCCARIsADZ-J4t5nNlNmM15s8uDE1Oj6iUuECWU_lWlAg3wwxR04F5uuMRxVVVgPQAaAq4nEALw_wcB

 

Longest URL ever. Bosal might be your best bet. A quick browse showed that some of the other OBs over on the Outback.org board thought about running &/or ran Bosal replacements as well. I hope you didn't miss the Autozone discont.

I hadn't run across the API before. Looks like more of a direct replacement than the Bosal, and cheaper to boot (even cheaper than the special). I am now finding accounts where the Bosal doesn't fit right - looks like they made a run that was about an inch too short, so I'm leaning away from that unit. I'll have to look into the API some more.

I think extreme motor sports carries after market quality parts, a lot geared towards people looking for "upgrade" performance. If I have the website correct, there are a ton of aftermarket exhaust set ups for 2.5l Subaru's. I only mention it because, to a point, we pay for a quality OEM part because it says Subaru on it. I wouldn't cheap out on what your replacement mid pipe is fabricated from or the welds. I know you aren't looking to create more flow or less restrictions to the system. The bottom level buy in products are basically just quality replacement parts. I am militaristic about OEM parts with a lot of my car. Your not going to affect the integrity of the mechanics with a cheap exhaust pipe, but they constantly heat and cool and exposed to the environment as much as any part of the vehicle I know. If the car is in it's later stages in life, go for the bargain brand. Otherwise, consider it a 5 to 10 year investment you won't have to second guess as the undercarriage naturally ages over the years.

 

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I have no particular love for OEM, as OE and aftermarket are often just as good for quite a bit less money. A new OEM midpipe is $365 (verified at my dealer parts counter) and for what I'm doing with an 11-year-old car that's just too much if I can get the equivalent cheaper. I do try to research and stay away from parts that become known to be no good though!

I'm not sure how the 2.5 exhaust comes off the manifold and routes back to your midpipe. If the leak was big enough to let outside air near the post cat 02 sensor, the extra oxygen would throw off the downstream voltage and change the A/F trims. I have a H6 engine and I know the right and left bank function separately. The nice well balanced boxer engine can't adjust the fuel trims to cancel out misfire on one bank. Probably different with the 2.5 with a single timing belt. Downstream aensor tries to regulate temp in the cat though and exhaust leak big enough and close enough could burn up a cat. You're getting it fixed though so it's gonna only be the problem you found.

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I love my quiet exhaust. Great for daily driving, and long commutes. I like hearing rumble too, but that's what the RX-7 is for.

What did you find on the API? Have you found any other potential candidates?

Yeah, I get my rumble from my M5.

The API only has one review but it's positive, I haven't really found other input on it. It looks just like stock. The price is hard to argue with as well.

I'm also looking at this:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Stainless-Steel-Exhaust-Muffler-fits-2005-2009-Subaru-Outback-Legacy/173342583807

Pricing here is also attractive and it's stainless, but I don't like the crush fittings. I suppose it wouldn't be much different than the one-piece OEM exhaust in the long run so I'm still considering it.

I'm kinda waiting for the next paycheck to pull the trigger, so it won't be long before I have to make a decision.