2002graphiteviper
Enthusiast
I have been meaning to post this for a couple weeks - figured maybe this could help some people that will be installing in the near future (Jamie!)...
1.) Thanks JonB - order one day - got the next - called another VCA member over for a couple hours of fun. Corsa system...
2.) When removing the sill - those strange little caps - be careful. If you bend them - when you snap them back in when complete - they'll look chewed. Also, the remaining screw - right under the door hinge - not sure how someone can screw that back in with 1/2 inch clearance. So, ended up saving the screw - and just putting the cap over the hole.
3.) When removing the mufflers - it says that you can "tap" the old system towards the rear - and the pipes will come apart. NOT! Now, my car was less that a month old - and zero rust on any of the bolts - and we struggled with "tapping" that exhaust off... Sledge hammer was more like it - pretty much had to do some damage to the old muffler to get it off. Gerald can posts the pics that he has of that old muffler... Removing that muffler was by far the most difficult and time consuming part.
4.) Careful when installing - some of the pipes we installed had stickers on them that stated "drivers side" - and that was incorrect... Just takes about 30 seconds to realize the bends don't quite match for the sensor - so don't rely on the stickers...
5.) When tightening the clamps - start it up - look for leaks. Almost every one of the brackets we installed needed to be cranked on again due to leaks. And that is another thing - if you are torking them on - be careful - I snapped one of the bolts right off.
6.) Before you tighten any of the back hangers - or brackets - measure the tip outlets - and make sure that those have the same amount of space on each side - they tend to pull all the way to one side - and you don't want to figure that out after you've cranked all the brackets on...
7.) Make sure to clean those sills out as long as you have them off - I bet there were 3,000 pebbles in mine...! Not sure how they all get in there - but I could have made a small sandbox for the kid!
8.) This should have probably been mentioned in an earlier step - but when you have the exhaust off - with just the CATs hanging - make sure to fire it up and let the neighbors know what you're working on...! My neighbors love me!!!!!
So, just my two cents - if it was not for the muffler issues - I am guessing that two people could have gotten the entire job done in a couple hours... And although I notice that people say that one person could do it - I think that would be a pain in the a$$ - especially pulling the sills off, etc... I am sure it could be done - but to save you some time creating new swear words - invite someone else over to help...
Very pleased with the system - fairly inexpensive - and definately a change in the cars personality... The way it should come out of the factory...!
1.) Thanks JonB - order one day - got the next - called another VCA member over for a couple hours of fun. Corsa system...
2.) When removing the sill - those strange little caps - be careful. If you bend them - when you snap them back in when complete - they'll look chewed. Also, the remaining screw - right under the door hinge - not sure how someone can screw that back in with 1/2 inch clearance. So, ended up saving the screw - and just putting the cap over the hole.
3.) When removing the mufflers - it says that you can "tap" the old system towards the rear - and the pipes will come apart. NOT! Now, my car was less that a month old - and zero rust on any of the bolts - and we struggled with "tapping" that exhaust off... Sledge hammer was more like it - pretty much had to do some damage to the old muffler to get it off. Gerald can posts the pics that he has of that old muffler... Removing that muffler was by far the most difficult and time consuming part.
4.) Careful when installing - some of the pipes we installed had stickers on them that stated "drivers side" - and that was incorrect... Just takes about 30 seconds to realize the bends don't quite match for the sensor - so don't rely on the stickers...
5.) When tightening the clamps - start it up - look for leaks. Almost every one of the brackets we installed needed to be cranked on again due to leaks. And that is another thing - if you are torking them on - be careful - I snapped one of the bolts right off.
6.) Before you tighten any of the back hangers - or brackets - measure the tip outlets - and make sure that those have the same amount of space on each side - they tend to pull all the way to one side - and you don't want to figure that out after you've cranked all the brackets on...
7.) Make sure to clean those sills out as long as you have them off - I bet there were 3,000 pebbles in mine...! Not sure how they all get in there - but I could have made a small sandbox for the kid!
8.) This should have probably been mentioned in an earlier step - but when you have the exhaust off - with just the CATs hanging - make sure to fire it up and let the neighbors know what you're working on...! My neighbors love me!!!!!
So, just my two cents - if it was not for the muffler issues - I am guessing that two people could have gotten the entire job done in a couple hours... And although I notice that people say that one person could do it - I think that would be a pain in the a$$ - especially pulling the sills off, etc... I am sure it could be done - but to save you some time creating new swear words - invite someone else over to help...
Very pleased with the system - fairly inexpensive - and definately a change in the cars personality... The way it should come out of the factory...!
