Does your muffler have holes in it that is causing your car to be really noisy? If so, you're likely wondering what you can do about it. Here are three methods for repairing a damaged muffler.
Muffler Tape
One easy solution is to use muffler tape. While it's called muffler tape, it actually uses a strong resin to patch the hole by applying a special tape to the surface. This can be a quick fix for your noisy muffler, and it is possible to do it on your own if you are capable of getting underneath your vehicle.
You'll want to start by using a wire brush to get rid of any rust or corrosion around the place on the muffler. Then you'll want to prep the muffler tape, which can be messy, so be sure to wear latex gloves so the resin doesn't get on your hands.
Next, you'll need to soak the tape in a bucket of water to get it completely wet, then you loosely wrap the tape around the part of the muffler that is leaking. Then you gradually wrap the tape tighter, creating several layers of tape over the leak. Wait for the resin to harden, and then take your car out for a test drive. Muffler tape can definitely make the exhaust system quieter and buy you some time until you need to do more work to repair your muffler.
Welding
The other option is welding, which may not be possible for the typical person to do at home without the right equipment. Welding actually involves taking new metal material and bonding it to the muffler to go over the holes. It is best to use a mechanic to weld the muffler because it's about more than having the right tools for the job. It's important to have experience with welding so that you don't mess up the muffler and cause more problems.
Welding may also require taking the entire muffler off the vehicle so that the muffler can be welded in hard-to-reach places. This will make the repair much more complicated for the average person that has never removed a muffler before from a vehicle.
Replacement
Of course, you can always replace the muffler with a new one. This may be necessary if the holes in the muffler are beyond anything that can be fixed by welding or taping the muffler. Thankfully, mufflers are an easy and cheap part to replace if necessary.
For more information about muffler repair, contact a local mechanic.
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