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I bought a catback from XLR8 about 10 months back now and I've been dealing with so many headaches that I wanted to warn the people of this forum. I got the exhaust installed at a local shop and it was running good for a few months. After a while, I heard so much rattling that it was unbearable for me to drive because NY roads suck and I would hear the exhaust banging everywhere. I went to 3 different shops to try and diagnose the problem but they couldn't diagnose the issue. The part of the muffler wouldn't even hook onto the hook of the car properly. That might be cause some of the rattling but it doesn't fit and even if I did try and force the hook to fit, it would fall off and start rattling again. The horrible rattling wasn't the only issue. I went with the exposed exhaust tips (like an idiot) because I felt like I wanted to see atleast something coming from my bumper. Not only did I not even see any tips unless I was looking under my car, the "exposed tips" burned off my bumper. I spoke to an XLR8 rep on the phone trying to diagnose the rattling issue and he said that he hasn't heard anyone else complain about any rattling issues. I've been back and forth with the same guy through e-mail but nothing ever got resolved. At one point, he said that the company that manufactures the exhausts would send me new clamps and gaskets. Huh?! new gaskets and clamps are going to solve the rattling and burnt bumper issue? I've been patient and nice up until now but since I haven't received a response from the XLR8 rep, I'm going to assume he's dismissed my issue as a stupid complaint and just warn anyone else thinking of purchasing the XLR8 catback. Don't waste the time and money that I've wasted.
Not to hate on xlr8, but when it comes to any mods, it’s important to remember that aftermarket companies don’t do nearly as much engineering work as the manufacturer does. There’s a reason why aftermarket parts are much much cheaper than OEM parts. It’s not only xlr8... it’s most any aftermarket brand. It looks like they didn’t consider how close the exhaust tip was to the plastic... though that now makes me wonder... did the shop install the exhaust incorrectly somehow? It would seem the exhaust should hang as necessary and even during mock ups, xlr8 would’ve seen how little gap there is between the pipe and plastic.
I cant really say one way or another, but I’d imagine that would be something they caught right off the bat, during development. And if no one else is having rattling issues and melting plastic issues, maybe the shop that did your install did do something funky they shouldn’t have. Just speculating.
Can you explain the rattling in detail a bit more? Does it happen at a certain rpm?
The reason I ask is because a couple of us 3G'ers have issues with the baffling in the muffler fall apart, and that caused an insane rattling noise. XLR8 took care of the customers who encountered this issue the best they could.
The best advice I can offer you right now would be to try and get stuff fixed under warranty. Once it runs out then you're going to be paying out of pocket.
That's frustrating . I HATE rattles. As far as the bumper damage, it seems to me that the tip is both too close to the bumper. And more importantly, not protruding out far enough. The exhaust gasses instantly rise when exiting the tips which is why you'll see factory exhaust systems protrude a bit from the rear of the car (if they have tips and not just a downpipe exhaust) OR they'll use plastic that is designed to withstand the heat from the exhaust gasses (assuming the tips are more recessed). Since the TLX wasn't designed with rear exhaust tips, they apparently didn't use a higher temp plastic like you'd probably see on the 3G and 4G TL's.
I might consider having the tip slightly extended and possibly lowered a bit. Of course, that doesn't fix the existing damage or the rattling.
Can you explain the rattling in detail a bit more? Does it happen at a certain rpm?
The reason I ask is because a couple of us 3G'ers have issues with the baffling in the muffler fall apart, and that caused an insane rattling noise. XLR8 took care of the customers who encountered this issue the best they could.
The best advice I can offer you right now would be to try and get stuff fixed under warranty. Once it runs out then you're going to be paying out of pocket.
I don't know xlr8's warranty policy because I've been complaining to them about this issue for over half a year and they've been slow to do anything about it. The gasket they supposedly were going to send me never came either (Obviously wouldn't have fixed anything but their effort isn't there either).
I'm not sure how to describe the rattle. It does happen when rpms rise but thats partly because it keeps hitting either the frame or the rear bumper (clearly can be seen from that damage). The hook thats on the muffler that is supposed to imitate the hook from the oem muffler doesnt fit onto one of the hook which also could be causing a lot of the rattling.
That's frustrating . I HATE rattles. As far as the bumper damage, it seems to me that the tip is both too close to the bumper. And more importantly, not protruding out far enough. The exhaust gasses instantly rise when exiting the tips which is why you'll see factory exhaust systems protrude a bit from the rear of the car (if they have tips and not just a downpipe exhaust) OR they'll use plastic that is designed to withstand the heat from the exhaust gasses (assuming the tips are more recessed). Since the TLX wasn't designed with rear exhaust tips, they apparently didn't use a higher temp plastic like you'd probably see on the 3G and 4G TL's.
I might consider having the tip slightly extended and possibly lowered a bit. Of course, that doesn't fix the existing damage or the rattling.
I'm probably going to end up swapping my bumper for the 2018 one and then chopping off the tips of my exhaust and getting new ones that would fit the 2018 bumper.
. I HATE rattles. As far as the bumper damage, it seems to me that the tip is both too close to the bumper. And more importantly, not protruding out far enough. The exhaust gasses instantly rise when exiting the tips which is why you'll see factory exhaust systems protrude a bit from the rear of the car (if they have tips and not just a downpipe exhaust) OR they'll use plastic that is designed to withstand the heat from the exhaust gasses (assuming the tips are more recessed). Since the TLX wasn't designed with rear exhaust tips, they apparently didn't use a higher temp plastic like you'd probably see on the 3G and 4G TL's. 