Repair Exhaust Rattle : Subaru Forester

[@emtscythe3782]

Good ol customer service there. Taking time to help out someone with small things to allow her to get what she needs. That's why God has Blessed you Eric. Keep it up My Brother.

[@ijosef]

+Emt Scythe Absolutely. How many shops would've told the poor lady a worst case scenario in an effort to up-sell their services, or at least insist she put on all new parts, for which they would've charged hours of labor and 100% mark up on the parts?

[@paulkirkland1535]

Emt Scythe:my thoughts exactly. I sure God will continue to bless him.

[@TheWwong]

Shout out to you and other honest mechanics! Some shops would tell this lady she needs a whole new exhaust system.

[@UBBERTANKER]

ICU2 alota of shops dont weld exhaust they bolt on and off parts. if a repair is not practical that way I will refer them to a shop that will weld and bend exhaust etc

[@EZRider1979]

Nice job Eric, nice to see someone who is honest and willing to help a customer out.

[@GarthGoldberg]

Eric, your common sense is great. We need more of that in this country.

[@haywardsautomotive6156]

Great customer service and that is why you have a backlog. Customers know when they have a great repair shop that does quality work at a competitive price and will not take them to the cleaners. As always another quality job by SMA!

[@killerclown1740]

The flash light zip tied to the helmet is a great idea .

[@SouthMainAuto]

+Jason Delamarter Easy to see what you are doing :)

[@djm5811]

Go figure a MECHANIC that cares about his customers! You are the man Eric!!!

[@1954BJohn]

Your skills, honesty and compassion for your customers are really cool Eric - I hope they appreciate it.!

[@SouthMainAuto]

1954BJohn They seem too...

[@TheDisgruntledMechanic]

South Main Auto Repair As a viewer for awhile and a South Main Auto Repair customer of Eric's I can attest to the fact that he is all of the above mentioned!! And yes we do appreciate it. With relatives in his neck of woods their automobiles will not go anywhere else for repair.

[@scottfirman]

My father set me up in the yard with stock metals and a torch set and tought me to weld,it was the best class I ever had on welding. I learned to weld many types of metals and how they should look. Thanks dad!

[@denniswilkinson1118]

Great video. I like the way you keep your customers in mind by not taking them to the cleaners and keeping them safe.

[@SouthMainAuto]

Dennis Wilkinson Nope you want them to keep coming back ya know

[@normansmith7806]

Good job welding on that rusty metal, no holes :-) . That is great customer service buying the customer a little time on a exhaust system!

[@GarthGoldberg]

***** A little time could be two years or more.

[@Y10Q]

that car is probably 6-8 years old and it is already got a lot of rust down there.

[@jerrybraeger4799]

I watch many of your wheel bearing replacements on Subarus very true to life unlike in the south where no torch is needed

[@williamdaniel6802]

Eric, love to see the "Old School" mentality. A few minutes of your time to help out a customer in need. That is how to keep customers coming back. Also, thanks for the basic welding information.

[@scottfirman]

Damn Subaru rattles. I bought my wife one. The heat shields are always loosening up and rattling. I took a majority of ours off,especially up front. We added clamps,wires you name it and until it warms up,rattle rattle. I should just weld the shields onto the mainfold. On all my older ones,I ended up discarding all the heat shields except the ones up under the car. No one drives in long grass here anyways,no fires to worry about. In the old days,no one used heat shields. Thats why Dodges starters always went out.lol.

[@shaun27ful]

Nice to see a company with good customer services, I'm sure when she pays for the tyres she will be back to have the exhaust renewed you can't beat loyal customers and you cannot beat good customer relationships very nice video my friend

[@SouthMainAuto]

shaun pi Oh yeah she is a regular good customer.

[@vincentneri708]

Great Job Eric! The suspense is building to see your dads shop. Thanks for all the great videos.

[@RaoulThomas007]

***** We've seen it from the outside...

[@jefferybye2169]

I have much respect for you for going the extra mile when you dont have too..to me thats a great mechanic and great shop and a all around good dude..great job Eric O

[@spasmonaut10]

Haven't found a particular need for one yet, but my granddad convinced me to start with MIG welding a few years back and I will be going that route when I finally break down and buy one. Good video to give some basic insight into MIG welding.

[@johnmurphy6366]

Good on ya,Mr O,for looking out for those on a tight budget!!above and beyond normal shop protocol.

[@rickjames9477]

why people give thumbs down is beyond me. I appreciate all your video's man, for ne as a viewer, it's just free knowledge and entertainment. For you in some ways it's giving away trade secrets and being a PITA filming and posting... Thanks gawd there are individuals like you out there that put effort into it! Cheers man

[@SouthMainAuto]

Rick James Bah I'll give them a way. We all need help time to time right?

[@GarthGoldberg]

Eric: I hadn't seen this video until today, but it was timely for me. My VW Eurovan had an annoying growl. I replaced the rusted out center muffler section but found that the front hangar on the catalytic reactor had rusted away. The dealer said, "We don't weld. We don't do any fabrication." They wanted to sell me a new catalytic reactor for $1,452 plus labor. I had no CEL or codes. Engine was running fine. The local guy at Midas welded up the hanger for $57.

[@SouthMainAuto]

Garth Goldberg Bingo! Sounds like the right fix to me :)

[@chase7359]

That's why your people's mechanic. Nice job doc.

[@uprednecked]

when a weld has holes in it its called porosity. usually caused be poor contact with shielding gas or comtanited metal such as moisture or oil and grease. Great video Eric!

[@rickjames9477]

can't wait to get home to my miller dual voltage input.. I have an old land cruiser that needed an exhaust, after getting a quote for a 1000 from a local shop. I bought a welder and pre bent sections of pipe and flex pipes, hangers etc and did the job for 1000 bucks and have a nice big welder now! :) I

[@SouthMainAuto]

Rick James Nice least you have the welder now :)

[@mrb1864]

got to love your early vids, the honesty effort and little shyness makes them gold . good job patching that up, save her few hundred bucks and bet she get 1 or 2 years on it easy and for sure new tyres and alignment where the money wants go , no point having an AWD and junk tyres pointing all over the place lol, although once the wires start fraying out they almost be like studded tyres ! lol . Used transformer migs way go, I picked up mac and snap in tidy order the mac is decent 180 unit was cheap as needed torch and new earth lead , chucked on 12ft leads and it my main shop runner, the little snapon is light job carry around . Proper good welding even on mig is a tough skill and needs constant use keep good every job .

[@supercoupe6288]

great video Eric, like seeing what mechanics can do to help customers out in a pinch.

[@dcrickerson9775]

Nice job and great customer service.

[@CHIBA280CRV]

That is a very good video . I tried welding the exhaust on my nephews car with a MIG welder no gas, just shielded wire. I have to say it sure did not look anything like your welds . My welds look like hundreds of beads stuck together and it still leaked !.. Thanks for the interesting video , I learned something new...

[@SouthMainAuto]

***** Practice practice practice :)

[@tubesurfer23]

Always been afraid to weld but you make it look so easy and explain everything so well. Thanks for all the videos and pro tips I have learned so much from your vids :)

[@SouthMainAuto]

tubesurfer23 Oh man Mig welding is the easiest thing to do. IMO

[@duncanotema]

The exhaust is just exhausted

[@TheTexasCoder]

Just when I thought I couldn't love your channel more...you bust out the mig WITH shielding gas!! Now it's a party!!! :) Thanks for posting! Have an awesome week, brother!

[@SouthMainAuto]

TheTexasCoder Haha glad you enjoy

[@SteveRobReviews]

Nice welding there Eric. My own preference is flux core on my 120v & 240v welders . I'm not welding body panels or real thin metal, I use my tig for thin gauge- most of my stuff is rusty & non structural. Flux core is smokey and more sparks but I find it works great , I'm welding outdoors so mig doesn't work so good for me. 👍

[@SouthMainAuto]

Steve Rob If I go to a friends house to help out or an in field repair on tractor or something I like flux core too.

[@jtech23]

I agree with Ivan, welding the OE pipes is a better repair then replacing them with the aftermarket stuff. I haven't welded all that much, it's something I really need to learn. That flashlight ziptied to your welding helmet is a cool hack!! I have found that using a face shield is a lot better then safety glasses but I also wear eyeglasses. Although wearing safety glasses is better then nothing at all!!

[@SouthMainAuto]

Jonathan Milbury Yeah my flashlight allows me to see back when I use to do a lot of welding...

[@anti0918]

Jonathan Milbury I have to agree about the face shield. I wore safety glasses and still got a piece of rust in my eye working on an exhaust, and it was stuck in there for a couple days no matter how much I tried to flush it out.

[@TheGreatdane56]

YOU ARE a great man and a good representative to our profession i highly commend you i love watching your videos now i have found your channel thank you

[@hunkydude322]

Good man Eric only a hand full of guys left in this world, a muffler shop would have taken this woman to the cleaners , i too have a mig welder like u said with a litlte practice youll get the hang of it, good video.

[@jusmavideos33]

As always.. Thumbs up! Great work Eric.

[@molsky13]

Eric your a knight in shining armour the good people of main are lucky, where im from she would be just quoted on a new exhaust great video

[@SouthMainAuto]

+molsky13 and the people here in NY

[@1971ufcfan]

love the vids Eric !! Keep them coming!! Been watching for over a year now and have learned a lot of helpful tips. One thing I'm going to clarify is about mig welding or GMAW. You've mentioned in a couple vids that it doesn't require much skill . When welding thin exhaust and such as you do , your mostly correct. But welding heavy structure overhead or vertical up, dual shield flux and other situations it does take quite a bit of skill. But don't take it the wrong way , I do enjoy your channel , and I think you a great mechanic.

[@wyattoneable]

Very nice of you to help her out.

[@Wallie2004]

I know this is a old vid but that flash light zip tied to the helmet is clever as hell.

[@danclack9648]

Can't believe I never thought of mounting a flashlight on a welding helmet. Good idea.

[@Dubiels]

Hey Eric. Been subscribed for a little while but just found this video. Gave me confidence to go buy a welder for myself. Thanks for posting.

[@hawaiianf1504]

Always a blast to re-watch your vids. You rock bro.

[@helivesonforever]

I need to check my exhaust out. This will help a ton! Thanks!

[@AntonioClaudioMichael]

Good repairs and decent welds Eric O Christmas jingles fixed @SouthMainAutoRepairLLC

[@Darth_Sidious_66]

I've heard if you have an exhaust system problem, just pour lacquer thinner in the gas tank and it'll fix any issue, including cracks :)

[@SouthMainAuto]

Vern Fonk Haha wow must be magic lol

[@brucepierce6124]

South Main Auto Repair Right from Scotty's mouth.

[@indianabob7166]

I see you got some "thumbs down". I think these are the first ones I've seen you get. I think it may have been because you were not pushing the weld puddle forward. Instead you were pulling it down. All the things you were saying about Mig welding I find them to be correct. There are a lot of old welders that have no clue that "duty cycle" is based on a ten minute cycle. Like you said 20% = 2 minutes. I think you did a great job,keep up the good work.

[@satamanschmidt3428]

INDIANA BOB You only need to PUSH with Aluminum when using a spool gun. For steel MIG either push or pull works equally as well.

[@indianabob7166]

SATAMAN Schmidt I'm sure there is more than one way to skin a cat---- But I'm a retired Miller service tech, when I attended Miller weld school they always taught us to push the weld puddle forward for better shielding gas coverage. No matter what the base metal is.

[@JokariX]

Congrats for getting 10k subs, you deserve that if any! Anyway my friend owns a exhaust repair shop, he does that work everyday. When you do this work everyday from 7am to 5 pm it develops to it's own way of art!! He is only one who does that in 100 mile radius from this city! I can say you did a good job putting this exhaust together. I wish I had car mechanics like you here, but no, most of them just cheat you and they do poor work :( :(

[@SouthMainAuto]

JokariX We have a couple independent exhaust shops around here, only one real good one though and the guy does great work. I wish more shops just did good work too. I don't get it. Not sure why people have to "cheat" and things like that ya know

[@JokariX]

South Main Auto Repair Yeah that's why I started repairing cars by my self over 10 years ago. Car repair shops here start from $73 per hour. So only way is to do it yourself :)

[@SouthMainAuto]

wow I am still at $65 :)

[@tam1381]

A Resonator, well Eric never heard that expression before, but I quite like it.Tam.

[@SouthMainAuto]

+Tam Couch What do you call them?

[@tam1381]

+South Main Auto Repair .A Silencer different names for all sorts.Rotors we call brake disc's, wires we call ignition leads.

[@misterkota1252]

You are thinking of the muffler. The resonator is different, it tunes the sound of the exhaust. The muffler silences the noise.

[@Cragified]

I wish honest small shops like yours still existed around here. The big franchises have buried every independent. I tried to get something similar to this done and the shops here wouldn't touch it claimed it was too rusted (no worse then this) and would only replace the whole system (included manifold?!?) for over 1,100 dollars. Said screw them rented a welder and practiced a bit and welded it up just fine on my own, sure it's ugly but it works.

[@pedlpower]

Honest shops disappeared when the honest customers disappeared.

[@DJDevon3]

Neat modified helmet light. :P

[@SouthMainAuto]

***** Gotta see man

[@eddiemartinez265]

Hey eric new tires and a trip to your brothers shop to reset camber and toe. Your a good guy eric lot of shops would just say you need tires and new pipes pay up. Thats why fol;ks go to you they will get a fair deal.

[@adamtrombino106]

My Miller 190 is too hot for welding exhaust... However the frying bacon acronym is right on. So is the disconnect the battery protocol. I saw a guy smoke an ECm on a GM many moons ago via a poor ground.

[@63256325N]

You're a good man, the lady thanks you...(I bet). Thanks for the video.

[@csflmich2239]

Thanks for the great job and detailed welding tips. Subscribed.

[@gylanunderhill]

Great videos as always Eric you keep posting and I'll keep watching. Like the hack with the flash light, I got a gas-less welder have to say I have only used it a couple of times and find it painful to use, it just lacks power and spits everywhere, It does the job but I think gas are better. Oh and do you have any plans to go see Eric the car guy next year for the annual meet up? Although it would be a heck of a drive!

[@SouthMainAuto]

Gylan Underhill Practice and mess with the heat and wire speed you will get it... as far as going to ETCG I highly doubt it. To hard to run a business then drive hours for a hot dog and soda haha. Just to much to do around here is all.

[@Rickimusic]

You are a good man, Eric. 👍

[@mr2law]

Nice video and good customer service . Hot smokey finger :) . You should do a shop/toolbox tour video. I will copy your flashlight hack.

[@SouthMainAuto]

mr2law Bahh can't feel them any how haha

[@tigergreg8]

I wonder where this shop is located. Seems like an honest guy.

[@PineHollowAutoDiagnostics]

Nice welding fix on the exhaust, Eric! Do you charge a flat rate for welding repairs? I have found that welding the factory OEM pipes is often a much better long-term solution than installing cheap, thin aftermarket exhaust components that will rot out after two years :)

[@SouthMainAuto]

motoYam82 I agree, aftermarket is like toilet paper thin. I just charge by the hour is all.

[@tctwg1]

Pine Hollow Auto Diagnostics 🖕🖕🖕🖕

[@scottthrelkeld2075]

You did not mention to dis connect battery , I learned the hard way , blew computer , radio and battery !!!

[@joetiller1031]

When I worked at the plant I retired from we had no mig stick only we done lot of pipe welding small pipe used for acid small pipe is harder than large pipe to weld.

[@jackshimano1994]

YET ANOTHER honest,cost effective repair-where possibly BETTER repairing OEM unit-than replacing a vibration prone item where MO$T other mechanic$ would REPLACE and profit from replacement -with a THINNER gauge AFTER MARKET unit =KUDOES to you

[@wp300]

Nice job Eric! Just by looking at the exhaust, is there an easy way to tell the difference between a resonator, a muffler and catalytic converter?

[@SouthMainAuto]

Will Peters From the engine back, converters first then resonator then muffler

[@theoldwizard998]

A real Maine Yankee would have just put a couple of stainless worm gear hose clamps on that back bracket ! Down South, they would use bailing wire !

[@upallnight888]

For DIYers that doesn't have a mig welder, couldn't you have just use a couple of muffler clamps to reattach the bracket back to the pipe? That would get you by until you replace the entire pipe.

[@SouthMainAuto]

Upallnight Oh yeah that would have worked fine

[@patrickblanchard1338]

FYI remove ground wire from battery before welding.

[@2CARGARAGE]

You should do another day at the shop video

[@SouthMainAuto]

MrTJ JeepKJ I've given it some thought

[@pedlpower]

The problem with doing a temporary fix is if it breaks in a month or so the customer will be back wanting it fixed for free. They conveniently forget all about how you told them it was temporary and there is no guarantee as to how long it would last.

[@steveallen5496]

Did I see your finger smoke a little bit? :)

[@SouthMainAuto]

Steve Allen Yeah it smoked. I can't feel them any how lol

[@Pablo_Automotive]

Another great video. =)

[@charlesmiller5078]

Excellent welding actually, with what you had to deal with. Good Job. So what's the story with the Florida tag on the wall ? I like looking around the shop while your working. The camera has really nice and clear video. I started a channel along time ago, but never posted any, anything to it. But never owned a camera :)

[@SouthMainAuto]

Charles Miller I started a radio station too but never had a mic or any records so that kinda fell through. Any how if I ever show a video of the office you will see I collect plates from all over. The plates I put up out in the shop are people I killed for not paying their bill. No not really they are just some extras. Decor I think they call it...

[@DerGolf2000]

During MIG Welding. What about taking OFF the neg. Pole of the batteri? What are you teached in the US? Here in Europe (Denmark) you are teached to remove the negative of the batteri for not fryring the alternator or the “computers”.

[@robertdavis6708]

Sounds like your weld wire take out spool might need some grease Eric O

[@robertbarcus1963]

Another Subaru integrated design. Exhaust rattle. Surprised they don't somehow charge extra for that extra noise they make.

[@pedlpower]

Don't forget the free head gasket leak!

[@Tedybear315]

The thumbs down? People that wanted their brake parts cleaner fix......

[@SouthMainAuto]

+Tedybear315 lol must be...

[@jerrybraeger4799]

Pretty normal for Subaru crack the welds. If you got welder no big deal

[@Oboingo13]

Your Vids are Grrrreat! Thanks man!

[@SouthMainAuto]

Michael M Thanks

[@jamesdayton9530]

What about the loose "heat shield"? She is still going to have a rattle noise.

[@SouthMainAuto]

James Dayton Nope I fixed it . Off camera, good eye. The noise she was hearing was the broken hanger though.

[@geojor]

good information,thank you...

[@arcdraw]

I thought rule #1 was " make sure to use brake clean on all repairs"

[@SouthMainAuto]

arcdraw AHHHhhh your right!

[@dannyhenson6532]

hey thanks for a good log don't worry about the thumbs down my friend u got a thumbs up form bud keep up the good work u do I like see or work u do you got a gift my friend good job

[@SouthMainAuto]

Danny Henson Thanks Danny

[@dannyhenson6532]

welcome bud

[@TexasPLNR]

Rust wreeks havoc on underside of cars in your region. Have you noticed any benefit of the underbody coatings; oil based and urethane types? I've noticed that weld areas of exhaust systems preferentially corrode much more than non-welded parts, even in TX.

[@SouthMainAuto]

Texas Pipeliner You know before it was illegal and everyone sprayed there car with used oil and kerosene that seemed to be the best IMO

[@hddm3]

weldingtipsandtricks is awesome! jody is cool you would like his channel

[@satamanschmidt3428]

hddm3 I agree. He's DA MAN.

[@rich2034]

Gotta ask...did you fix the heat shield that was 'floppin' around? :) We need more mechanics like you....most would have gone for everything at once..tires exhaust and anything else they could find/make up.

[@SouthMainAuto]

Rich 372 Yep got that reattached off camera. Just had to remove the nuts and use some fender washers on it to reattach it .

[@rich2034]

Figured you probably did... :)

[@gtptim2007]

Good to help her out with the little things. But my question is how can you weld for such a period of time with bare skin exposed. If that was me my skin would be on fire by then.

[@Ottonic6]

That loose clamp that you welded probably caused the resonator to crack.

[@frankallenjr7251]

Welds look Fine to me!

[@michaelherbert8213]

I tell the people that hate on my welds that I weld for purpose not looks. How do you feel about flux wire vs argon? Thanks for the video

[@SouthMainAuto]

Michael Herbert Well I have used both, I prefer a shielding gas actually.

[@SilentServiceCode]

What happened to the Dr. O intro. You stopped using it after Dec 21, 2014.

[@SouthMainAuto]

SilentServiceCode Long story actually. I started YT being silly with some friends (we were car dr.'s) then I saw, hey wait people really watch this stuff so I got a little more serious about it, and well here we are today :)

[@RaoulThomas007]

SilentServiceCode Maybe Dr. O can make a video at 10,000 subs and then say at 50,000 (just around the corner)!

[@coupescuts]

Just stopped by at SMA but no Eric O!

[@SouthMainAuto]

coupescuts Oh man! I am outta there on the weekends, next time give me a heads up or swing in during the week. Had a viewer there Friday too, actually he brought his truck to be worked on and stayed in a motel lol.

[@coupescuts]

+South Main Auto Repair No worries. I was on my way back through NY realized I was passing straight past Avoca on 86. I'm only about 4 hours south of you so Ill stop by again some day.

[@SouthMainAuto]

You got it, just hop off exit 1! Usually when viewers drive by they leave me notes in the key drop box haha

[@budgaugh66]

Your welds look better than some of the shit welds i see at work.. lol.. keep up the good work. you're very well rounded.. skillwise

[@SouthMainAuto]

budgaugh66 Thanks

[@eddiereichel9354]

So Eric O What is your opinion on the battery disconnect when welding? Personally I dont think it matters one way or another the only way to protect the ECU from welding voltages would be to disconnect said ECU. In my opinion disconnecting battery will not protect it.

[@eddiereichel9354]

Well damnit...I already wrote all that out and literally hit send and you started talking about the ground being close to work area and to disconnect battery...hahahaha

[@dwoodog]

Nice work. I'd like a chance to play with a welder.

[@barrythomas6429]

Eric the car (exhaust rattle) guy.. At least this Eric can weld :)

[@mikes4408]

When you disconnect the batt for welding is it the neg side?? Thanks, going to try to repair some rust so may be welding very soon have small mig.

[@tubesurfer23]

Mike Shelly When you disconnect a battery for anything, always start with the negative side

[@SouthMainAuto]

Mike Shelly Yes I unhook the negative

[@lukecartwright1803]

hey eric. i see a lot of mac tools. would u say u are partial to mac over the other brands. i buy alot of mac 2 and matco snapon. do u have a favriot?

[@w0ffe]

Terminology nag: the preferred term for the lead that goes from the welding machine to the work is "workpiece lead". Ideally, you should connect the workpiece or metal table to ground (e.g. building steel) using another, independent connection: www.thefabricator.com/article/arcwelding/staying-grounded

[@scottwhite2109]

I have seen people put hose clamps to secure the bracket lol

[@carlosfavela9616]

Good Eric good