Aftermarket UEL reliability?
 

Hi Guys, how long-term/OEM-reliable is an aftermarket CATLESS UEL?

I am just wondering if any of you have been running a catless UEL for at least 4 years, with no issues?

So far i've read issues may only be leaks that arise if one doesn't replace gaskets upon installation but im more curious about long-term effects. Any possible issues that may impact the rest of the exhaust system if running catless for years?
(1) heat?
(2) engine oil impact?
(3) degradation of adjoining exhaust components due to increased heat?
(4) faster gasket degredation due to going catless?

Though I dont track, just worried since we live in a hot tropical country.
(i have an OFT)

Thanks!

its a gamble with the budget offerings: whether they crack at the welds, or the block flanges are at wrong angle from factory not allowing for complete seal.

many people sing praises for the jdl, gruppe-s, plm, that are priced more middle market.

ive had a budget 'cnt' that have not had any problems with the unit for about 2.5 years.

i dont do much stop & go so id imagine oil temps are fine with continuous airflow at highway speeds, but i dont monitor it either. you can have powdercoat applied inside & outside of the pipes, but it may double the price of the unit itself.

best bang for buck mod you can make now that you have tuning solution.

I dont think you need to worry if you are just doing street driving.

however as you getting into track driving its a safe route to coat the header with thermal coating, hood louvers, and an oil cooler.

Get yourself a quality unit, which uses quality components, hardware, etc. Double check install, or have the install done by a reputable shop. Keep in mind, human error does exist, and issue can arise with any header. Don't be afraid to do a lot of research before pulling the trigger.
:popcorn:

Thank you! So far the JDL and Tomei seem to get the most quality comments but only from a visual point. Havent heard of even budget headers failing.

Thank you. My driving will be the exact opposite, stop and go!

The only thing I shy away from whenever possible regardless of who makes it and for what car are flex joints since I have seen them fail on numerous occasions. Otherwise you shouldn't have any issues long term.

If you use "OEM reliable" as a gauge (usually less than 2% individual parts failure), aftermarket fails anywhere from 5% to 20% of the time depending on the brand.

From a purely reliability perspective, expect aftermarket parts to be anywhere from 2x to 10x as likely to fail as your OEM manifold.

Part of this is how the rest of your exhaust is set up. Many people put on aftermarket exhaust systems or do not properly inspect/replace the bushings, and end up causing slight fitment or exhaust system movement that makes the entire system fail at the weakest point. Often this becomes the thinner aftermarket manifold, and the end user will blame the maker of that manifold when in actuality the blame can be traced to another part of the exhaust system.

Furthermore, your OEM manifold comes with the (minimum) 3 years/36k miles base warranty. Most aftermarket parts would be lucky to provide you with a 1 year warranty, if any at all.

FYI.

if ur in stop n go, you still arent likely to experience sustained high rpms in contrast to when you drive hard (track/ autocross)

do a bit of thumbing through the engine exhaust subsection. more relevant info to your original concern.

Thats for the estimates! Great stuff. What the the likely parts at risk if I do go aftermarket UEL? I am planning to leave the catback stock since most of the sound change I want should already come from the UEL.

Had UEL catless (openflash) for over 4 years running E85 most of the time


some track time. Hot climate in Australia


have adjusted radiator fan to come on earlier, no coating on header
about 60,000 km

I am not an engineer nor a risk analyst. If I were to guess, the first part to fail would be your new UEL headers since they are thinner wall construction.

Actual results may vary.

Do you have data to back those numbers up, because I can pull numbers from my colon as well.

Also OP, JDL offers a lifetime warranty on their products

I've had the OFH (V1) for over five years and 100,000 miles. No problems at all.

Sounds great.
Runs great.
I'm in Florida.

im running the CNT uel, lots of autocross, drag strip a few times, planning to finally do a real track day this year. i wrapped the header, because i believe higher underhood temps could lead to coilpack failure...but ive got no hard evidence. just go for it.

OP,
As long as you buy a quality product and install it properly you should have no problem. I would do research to find out what parts will work the best for your specific goals. If it costs a little more save to get quality. An oil cooler will help in over all longevity and helps keep oil pressure stable.

For OP a lifetime warranty is great, just have to ship to/from the Philippines.

Aftermarket warranty claim percentage vary wildly by industry. For OEM, here's a reference as you requested. I'm sure tcoat can chime in with his own internal figures if he wants to.

http://www.warrantyweek.com/archive/ww20150409.html

Note the supplier percentage being relatively consistent, but OEM data being up and down. Many claims on the OEM side is not passed onto suppliers because they decided to eat the cost or it's part of a recall.

Japan suppliers would probably see a similar percentage, if not less.

Shipping to/from the philippines and burger land would be terrible I didn't notice that. Good luck finding data to show the failure rate of aftermarket parts though. This link to me does not prove that OEM parts are more reliable than aftermarket parts. It all depends. To me, it depends on who makes the part and who installs the part. Very few things that have gone wrong for me have been due to a defective product. The only thing that comes to mind is a liquid cpu cooler that started leaking within days of my installing it. I returned it and got one that was backed by a nice big 6 year warranty, which is an eternity for a computer component.

If something goes wrong its usually because I use it incorrectly. For instance, last year I damaged my headphones by repeatedly picking it up by the "can" as opposed to by the headband. It was repaired under warranty. For what its worth, I'm generally pretty good at treating my things well. Electronics that I own last much longer for me than those owned by my brother

As far as cars go, nothing on my car has gone critically wrong, not in its stock state nor in its modded state that can be attributed to manufacturer defect unless you count a chirping high pressure fuel pump. So far the only things that have gone wrong were due to the dealership not wiring my foglight switch correctly and me stupidly not insulating wires with electrical tape. In both instances the fuse box did its job. My opinion is that most things go wrong due to user error

All that being said this is just one giant anecdote that may or may not mean anything to anyone

I can be very specific on examples of warranty claims and percentages, but then I'd reveal 90% of the OEM makers for aftermarket performance brands out of Japan, Taiwan, and most of Southeast Asia that do not manufacture their own products in-house.

This would cover a lot of brands you and I are familiar with, and it would burn many, many bridges for a lot of people.

The percentages aren't pulled out of nowhere, I used to (and still am) dealing with aftermarket parts warranty claims. The biggest difference between OEM and performance aftermarket is that OEM have much higher QC at the manufacturing level (and thus lower levels of outright failure), whereas performance aftermarket usually have higher profit margins and thus outright replacement of a defective product is honored immediately.

In the end, the end user gets the same result.

You did point out one major factor that goes unnoticed by most: "who installs the part". Too many DIY/armchair mechanics install their own products with no real idea of how to diagnose a problem.

For full disclosure, the segments I've been involved in include exhausts, wheels, suspension kits, suspension components, engine components, head gaskets, body kits, OE Performance brands, and if you want to count non-automotive, I've worked at a top 3 OEM MB/VGA maker, as well as in multi-billion e-commerce handling direct vendor accounts.