Does any one know how long a stock "S" exhaust system should last in years / miles? How about a good quality aftermarket system? What percentage of its expected life would a UUC system with 35,000 miles have used up? Thanks for any information.

 

AFAIK, the stock system and most aftermarket systems are stainless steel. If so, they'll likely last until you're sick unto death of them. And then some.

 

Borla says 1,000,000 miles

 

AFAIK the OEM system is not stainless steel and will rust out well before an aftermarket stainless system.

 

I didn't think the stock exhaust was stainless steel. That's one of the things that has always given me trouble on my cars because my daily drive is so short, the pipes don't heat up enough to burn off the moisture. I only had one car with a stainless steel exhaust and obviously didn't have a corrosion problem.

If I were to get an after market exhaust, for me it would have to be stainless steel.

 

102k on my 03 r53 and the original exhaust is still good.One layer was pealing off a corner on the passenger side when I got the car in Feb of 09 (94k),but it doesn't look any worse now,sounds a little more resonent at idle though.I want a new exhaust system but can't bring myself to spend the cash until the old one is really blown out!It amazes me that the original aluminized steel has lasted this long.

 

I had 115K miles on my old '02 MCS before I totalled it and it still had the OEM exhaust. It should be a milder stainless steel compared to aftermarket systems. To prove it, just take some 00 or 000 steel wool or 600-grit (or other fine) sandpaper and rub on a small part of the pipe surface. The original luster should return.

 

That would explain it's long life,but I do see some rust where the outer layer has peeled off.

 

Mine exploded a few months ago, 2003 with 50 000miles.

The actual muffler casing rotted out and caused a hole in the muffler.

I also live in Canada where they salt the roads in the winter.

 

You reminded me of a good point. Salt conditions will definitely shorten the exhaust's life, so anyone that lives farther north, such as Pennsylvania, New York, Wisconsin, etc., may not get as many miles out of it.

 

I believe all late model exhaust systems are SS these days. Some SS may just be better than others.

And from what I have seen on the S models, the resonator ( passenger side ball) starts flaking and rusting before the actual muffler does. The one on my MCS was almost rust through at 80K miles. And back in the day, those were not bad numbers for an OEM exhaust.

How long they last would depend on your individual MINI's use, and that goes for any car. Lots of short trips everyday and they will not last as long as say if you had a 1hr commute to work every day. When the system heats up they are more efficient at dissipating the moisture from the system, so the hotter, longer the better.

Of course, most 02-06 MCS owners begin their exhaust ventures with a "One Ball Mod" anyways, just like I did. ( pass side resonator delete )