Brian B Posted June 23, 2021 Report Share Posted June 23, 2021 Hi All, I'm looking for a replacement silencer/ back box for my 2004 986.2 2.7L. The car needs to be MOT'd in July and I've been advised the current unit may not pass as it's got the classic split seams. Looks like a decent used one from a reputable breaker will be around £250 if I can get one (no luck so far). Cheaper units on ebay don't look much better than my own and the trusted independent specialist who I've used for other work on the car doesn't recommend welding splits. It also seems like a lot of money to spend on a used unit that's going to be as old as the one on the car. I've seen this stainless steel one on ebay as cheap as £189.99 which seems too good to be true. STAINLESS CAT BACK EXHAUST SYSTEM BACK BOX FOR PORSCHE BOXSTER 986 2.5 2.7 3.2 | eBay Reading through other chats on the forum I've seen references to "the ebay one". Is this it and has anyone any experience of it? is it any good/ worth fitting? My current exhaust (with split seams) makes a nice throaty noise so I'm keen to keep a sporty sound but I'm not after anything too boy racer. The car is my daily driver but it's mainly urban or country B-road driving so a bit of motorway drone wouldn't be a major issue. So apart from a used replacement or this ebay unit what other options would forum members recommend? Budget is an issue so I'm hoping not to have to spend more than £300 for the unit as I also need front discs for the MOT. Appreciate any suggestions/recommendations. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brillomaster Posted June 23, 2021 Report Share Posted June 23, 2021 ah yes, the ebay drone master special... just had one of them fitted to mine, and its definitely loud. and between 2500-3000rpm it definitely drones. does sound glorious when you're over 3000rpm though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brillomaster Posted June 23, 2021 Report Share Posted June 23, 2021 (edited) PS heres another £20 off that exhaust here: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/184155667855?epid=22033524457&hash=item2ae0887d8f:g:Z9AAAOSwXFJgdAva or you could risk this one: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/255022473350?hash=item3b60862086:g:DBgAAOSwK0Fgzdf5 Edited June 23, 2021 by brillomaster more information given Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
½cwt Posted June 23, 2021 Report Share Posted June 23, 2021 Cheap after market ones are often reported as droning at cruising speed, some like it some don't. If you want sports exhaust noise, great sound. If you want OE spec it'll drive you mad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian B Posted June 23, 2021 Author Report Share Posted June 23, 2021 5 hours ago, brillomaster said: PS heres another £20 off that exhaust here: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/184155667855?epid=22033524457&hash=item2ae0887d8f:g:Z9AAAOSwXFJgdAva or you could risk this one: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/255022473350?hash=item3b60862086:g:DBgAAOSwK0Fgzdf5 Thanks Brillomaster - and thanks for the better price! So at least it's not a con. And at £170 it looks like a decent option vs £200+ for a rusty used unit even as a stopgap until budget permitted something else. On balance would you recommend? Ta Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian B Posted June 23, 2021 Author Report Share Posted June 23, 2021 3 hours ago, ½cwt said: Cheap after market ones are often reported as droning at cruising speed, some like it some don't. If you want sports exhaust noise, great sound. If you want OE spec it'll drive you mad. Thanks ½cwt. Given your extensive knowledge and familiarity with the forum are there any other reasonably-priced after market options apart from this ebay cheapy? Cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
½cwt Posted June 23, 2021 Report Share Posted June 23, 2021 (edited) 15 minutes ago, Brian B said: Thanks ½cwt. Given your extensive knowledge and familiarity with the forum are there any other reasonably-priced after market options apart from this ebay cheapy? Cheers Nice of you to say, but mostly smoke and mirrors, just too much time reading the forum whilst WFH for the last 15 months and owning a Boxster for nearly 3 years doing most of the work myself. There are others far more qualified. Dansk seems to offer the nearest to OE based on feedback on here but best bet is look up people how have done and exhaust and see if you can meet them to get the 'live' experience. Remember if you want the sports exhaust experience it is easier to get them the more muffled OE experience. The challenge is reasonably priced. Manifolds and U bends from the common eBay listing seem to work out well if you need those too. That said a salvage box from a lower mileage newer car should be in better condition if yours is high mileage or older. Steve Strange at Douglas Valley Breakers will tell you the mileage of the donor car for major components and send extra pictures on request. I've just had a replacement driver's seat from him for example - a bit of work and it ahs come up really well and a lot less wear than on my 100k mile old seat. Edited June 23, 2021 by ½cwt 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RalphyBMW Posted June 23, 2021 Report Share Posted June 23, 2021 7 hours ago, brillomaster said: or you could risk this one: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/255022473350?hash=item3b60862086:g:DBgAAOSwK0Fgzdf5 That one is mine, sounded very impressive but does drone a bit at certain speeds. 12 years ago I’d probably have loved it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian B Posted June 23, 2021 Author Report Share Posted June 23, 2021 22 minutes ago, ½cwt said: Nice of you to say, but mostly smoke and mirrors, just too much time reading the forum whilst WFH for the last 15 months and owning a Boxster for nearly 3 years doing most of the work myself. There are others far more qualified. Dansk seems to offer the nearest to OE based on feedback on here but best bet is look up people how have done and exhaust and see if you can meet them to get the 'live' experience. Remember if you want the sports exhaust experience it is easier to get them the more muffled OE experience. The challenge is reasonably priced. Manifolds and U bends from the common eBay listing seem to work out well if you need those too. That said a salvage box from a lower mileage newer car should be in better condition if yours is high mileage or older. Steve Strange at Douglas Valley Breakers will tell you the mileage of the donor car for major components and send extra pictures on request. I've just had a replacement driver's seat from him for example - a bit of work and it ahs come up really well and a lot less wear than on my 100k mile old seat. Thanks mate. I've tried Steve at Douglas Valley and he has nothing at the moment but I've still a bit of time to check back with him. I've located a used US-import that looks totally rust-free....but it's £400. That's a lot to pay for a used unit. Dansk prices are out of the question at the moment. I'll keep looking... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
½cwt Posted June 23, 2021 Report Share Posted June 23, 2021 27 minutes ago, Brian B said: Thanks mate. I've tried Steve at Douglas Valley and he has nothing at the moment but I've still a bit of time to check back with him. I've located a used US-import that looks totally rust-free....but it's £400. That's a lot to pay for a used unit. Dansk prices are out of the question at the moment. I'll keep looking... I feel your pain on prices, however £400 for a decent used back box doesn't seem too unreasonable. Check the list price from Porsche for a new one if you think Dansk is costly! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chukkieegg Posted June 24, 2021 Report Share Posted June 24, 2021 I had noisy backbox as baffles were gone and was unsure what to do I found a used dansk back box on ebay for £350 delivered it's has a small dent in it but otherwise not been on donor car that long was in very good condition and cost £120 to get fitted with new brackets supplied by exhaust centre but then I didn't want the drone It's not any louder than orginal box but does have a deeper note which I like so search ebay ads you may be lucky Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brillomaster Posted June 24, 2021 Report Share Posted June 24, 2021 (edited) 12 hours ago, Brian B said: Thanks Brillomaster - and thanks for the better price! So at least it's not a con. And at £170 it looks like a decent option vs £200+ for a rusty used unit even as a stopgap until budget permitted something else. On balance would you recommend? Ta If your car is your daily driver, and does any urban driving, then on balance, i probably wouldn't recommend the ebay one. mine is just a weekend b road blaster, and every time i start it i think 'wow thats loud' and then when trying (and failing) to drive quietly through a village, i feel everyone is watching me go past thinking whos the twonk in the poor mans porsche. but it all comes good when the NSL sign appears, and you can stretch the legs in 3rd a bit 😉 dont suppose you're anywhere near leamington spa are you? if so you're welcome to come over and hear mine fitted... Edited June 24, 2021 by brillomaster Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ninesomething Posted June 24, 2021 Report Share Posted June 24, 2021 (edited) I'd have one for the price. I had a milltek on my Subaru that droned like hell bang on 70mph - cost well over a grand too.. Fixed by putting a motorcycle exhaust baffle in there. If you're a wee bit creative you can solve it. Or take it to an exhaust specialist before you fit it and see if they can suggest something. Edited June 24, 2021 by JonSta Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian B Posted June 25, 2021 Author Report Share Posted June 25, 2021 On 6/23/2021 at 10:48 PM, ½cwt said: I feel your pain on prices, however £400 for a decent used back box doesn't seem too unreasonable. Check the list price from Porsche for a new one if you think Dansk is costly! I daren't 😂 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian B Posted June 25, 2021 Author Report Share Posted June 25, 2021 On 6/24/2021 at 6:23 AM, Chukkieegg said: I had noisy backbox as baffles were gone and was unsure what to do I found a used dansk back box on ebay for £350 delivered it's has a small dent in it but otherwise not been on donor car that long was in very good condition and cost £120 to get fitted with new brackets supplied by exhaust centre but then I didn't want the drone It's not any louder than orginal box but does have a deeper note which I like so search ebay ads you may be lucky Good suggestion. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian B Posted June 25, 2021 Author Report Share Posted June 25, 2021 On 6/24/2021 at 8:34 AM, brillomaster said: If your car is your daily driver, and does any urban driving, then on balance, i probably wouldn't recommend the ebay one. mine is just a weekend b road blaster, and every time i start it i think 'wow thats loud' and then when trying (and failing) to drive quietly through a village, i feel everyone is watching me go past thinking whos the twonk in the poor mans porsche. but it all comes good when the NSL sign appears, and you can stretch the legs in 3rd a bit 😉 dont suppose you're anywhere near leamington spa are you? if so you're welcome to come over and hear mine fitted... Thanks so much for the offer. I'm in Belfast so can't take you up on it at the moment. We're well used to loud bangs here but I don't want to scare the neighbours or look a bit ridiculous for my age with something too boy racer so I'll try and find something a bit more civilised. However, it's good to know the ebay one is an affordable fallback option if the alternative is MOT failure and a period off the road Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Castaway Posted June 27, 2021 Report Share Posted June 27, 2021 (edited) I got a silencer from a US dry state (Ebay) and it is in excellent condition compared to the UK ones I saw for sale on Ebay, they just get an easier life over there! Might be worth the customs charge if you're going for OE. Edited June 27, 2021 by Castaway Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian B Posted June 29, 2021 Author Report Share Posted June 29, 2021 On 6/27/2021 at 9:04 PM, Castaway said: I got a silencer from a US dry state (Ebay) and it is in excellent condition compared to the UK ones I saw for sale on Ebay, they just get an easier life over there! Might be worth the customs charge if you're going for OE. Thanks Castaway. I've tracked one of those down too and it does look pristine in the pic - but priced accordingly!! Do you mind me asking what you paid for yours so I can gauge if this one is fair price? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Castaway Posted June 29, 2021 Report Share Posted June 29, 2021 Hi Brian, in August 2019 it cost $143 dollars, total inc shipping $231 and I will have paid customs too I expect. Ebay seller was redlineautosports if that's any help. cheers Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ninesomething Posted July 4, 2021 Report Share Posted July 4, 2021 As the drone is a harmonic thing people have bought a motorcycle baffle and put it in one side of the system. Because it breaks up the sound wave or possibly more accurately puts the 2 sides out of phase the drone is reduced considerably if not eradicated. If you google it I'm sure you'll find some info. If it works I like the idea of the top gear ebay box because being stainless it's job done forget it. And cheap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mortzz Posted July 4, 2021 Report Share Posted July 4, 2021 Why not just buy a good second hand one Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bally4563 Posted July 5, 2021 Report Share Posted July 5, 2021 In the short term get the seam welded for the MOT , this will then give you chance to broaden your search, I’ve welded several up over the years, being a double skin on the seam , plenty of meat to weld to, and a run over after with some exhaust putty, would probably see you good for 12 months. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brillomaster Posted July 6, 2021 Report Share Posted July 6, 2021 (edited) On 7/4/2021 at 3:58 PM, JonSta said: As the drone is a harmonic thing people have bought a motorcycle baffle and put it in one side of the system. Because it breaks up the sound wave or possibly more accurately puts the 2 sides out of phase the drone is reduced considerably if not eradicated. If you google it I'm sure you'll find some info. If it works I like the idea of the top gear ebay box because being stainless it's job done forget it. And cheap. well i can indeed confirm that a couple of 48mm x 140mm motorcycle baffles do fit in the exhaust, and they do completely remove the drone. however... they also remove all the noise from the exhaust when you get on it too, and introduce a weird whistling/whooshing noise. they stayed in for one run before being removed again. though, they did make me realise just how good the ebay exhaust sounds when you're over 3000rpm, its pure heaven. as my car is a weekend driver i can live with a bit of drone at 2500rpm, in exchange for glorious sound over 3000rpm. Admittedly that was both sides baffled... might try with just one baffle, but the idea of an assymetric exhaust doesnt sit right with me. Also, if you do buy baffles, dont buy the black ones. it screws with the 5mm bolts, and obviously, shoving a painted item up a hot exhaust pipe causes the paint to melt quite quickly. you'd be better off buying an unpainted baffle and let it coke up naturally. Edited July 6, 2021 by brillomaster 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.