As the final larger repair on my car, I got the exhaust repaired. The gasket between the muffler and the pipe going forward had broken apart, leaving a gap for exhaust to escape. It was noisy, enough that I had to turn music up a bit but not quite bad enough to need it done right away, so combined with my health issues, I let it sit for quite some time.
One place quoted over $500 for the repair. The flange was too rusted to get apart intact, so they wanted to replace the muffler and the pipe. My dad took it took Market Street Muffler in Akron. They cut and welded in a new piece of pipe in place of the flange for $60. Quite a price difference. It has been much quieter.
I used to do exhaust myself, but it can be a real pain to get the rusted parts apart. Often required cutting with an angle grinder or the like. My uncle told me about a place called All Star Muffler up in Cleveland. They just welded in new pieces, and did it for pretty much as cheap as just the parts when I did it myself. Their work always was good and lasted for me. But they’re way up in Cleveland. My dad found this Market Street Muffler which seems very similar and is much closer. I’m glad to have a place down here now. And I’m thankful for my Dad taking that in for me considering my anxiety problems of late.