had a power flow exhaust fitted today.
makes one hell of a difference. townie is now very nippy and much quieter.
it also solve my mystery noise as posted in another thread.
apparently, i had a very small split in the exhaust which could not be seen until it was off the townie. the blowing was making the mystery noise. as it was such a small split, it had a higher tone than the normal sound of an exhaust blowing.
next job is to have two new tyres and tracking done, followed by air conditioning topped up.
steve........
- (#10577) Steve Lewis, 1 May 04 12:12
Steve,
Glad to hear you are getting on top of the problems and i found that every job you tackle you learn more about the townace and gain an understanding of how she works,i am abit gutted as i got my exhaust fitted by kwik-fit the 2 back boxes and i wish i knew about powerflow,but still will have to wait afew years now for my exhaust to start blowing before i get my one fitted,how much did it set you back and what was the service like,how long did it take
dennis
- (#10577) dennis, 1 May 04 13:21
It cost £300. Apparently you can get them as low as £250 in some places, but not the one nearest me. :(
It took from 9:45 till about 1:15 ish.
I did try kwik fit, but they said they couldn't do it, as it was not on their books. I would have preferred to use kwik fit as they would have been cheaper, but at least this one is guaranteed for life, how ever long that it is.
Steve..
- (#10577) Steve Lewis, 2 May 04 10:18
Thanks Steve
I paid £150 for my new exhaust and it guaranteed for 2 yrs and i expect it to last 5 yrs,with powerflow you have to take her back every year for them to check your exhaust to keep the guarantee going,in the long run £300 is well worth it,its one less thing to worry about.good luck
dennis
- (#10577) dennis, 3 May 04 04:06
Powerflow have said nothing about taking it back every year for a check.
I was just told that it is guaranteed for life, any problems, take it back and they will sort them immediately.
Steve...
- (#10577) Steve Lewis, 3 May 04 11:02
hi steve,
i am 99.99% sure that powerflow will want to check your exhaust every year and its up to the owner to take it back otherwise you might find yourself out of guarantee,see below i found this in ace answers
look on the website www.powerflow.uk.com and look for contact us,give them a phone call.
dennis
gud day guys! does anyone have an idea if powerflow is good for our 2cturbo engines? i am fed up with the recurring exhaust pipe getting broken/damaged most of the time. i am planning to have my exhaust pipe plain and simple. the thing is there are guys telling me it is not a good idea. can someone help me? your help would be very much appreciated.thanks and regards to every body.
- nelson p. palispis, 9 feb 04 02:33
works for me. i've had my powerflow for nearly 3 years now. it's a pain taking it back each year for a check but at least i have piece of mind when the mot comes around. i think there are quite a few other regulars on here that have powerflow exhausts and would endorse what i say. think your mates are winding you up or definitely not speaking from experience.
however, something to bear in mind. the product is good but not necessarily the shop doing the fitting. i've heard a sad tale of a real cowboy job being done on an mr2 using powerflow. so recommendation by word of mouth would be good, failing that check the workmanship after. remember it's guaranteed for life.
- ian dunse (derbs), 9 feb 04 02:59
- (#10577) dennis, 4 May 04 01:49
i have just emailed powerflow for clarification.
i have also just read the invoice and it says nothing there.
i also note that it says toyota hi-ace, instead of townace. no registration details mentioned.
steve.........
- (#10577) Steve Lewis, 4 May 04 03:13
It would be interesting to hear from Ian Dunse to see if he had any come backs on his guarantee , I will send him a e-mail to see if he still happy with powerflow,will be interested to see what you come up with
dennis
- (#10577) dennis, 4 May 04 05:03
No need for an e-mail Dennis, I'm in lurk mode.
When you get your powerflow exhaust fitted you should get a card which acts as your guarantee and has the provision for entering in inspection dates. The supplier should enter in when the next inspection is due (ie 12 months hence) and you should return within a month of that date. Following inspection you should get a stamp to say it has been done. The warranty is void without the annual inspection. Any remedial work is done free by the installer but I think it might exclude hangers/fixings.
Yes I'm happy with my powerflow, third inspection is due in 2 months.
- (#10577) Ian Dunse (Derbs), 4 May 04 05:45
Steve
A wise move contacting Powerflow. As I've said in the past, some installers are better than others and it doesn't look like your's is following the Powerflow rules. Their big selling point is the offer of a lifetime guarantee. Without a piece of paper/card stipulating just that could put you in a dodgy position if you should need to call in that warranty in the future. If inclined I dare say the installer could stipulate the mandatory 12 month guarantee and no more. Hopefully Powerflow will lean on the franchise who should then rectify their 'oversight'.
You might also want to contact the installer and verify the position and ask for something in writing about the lifetime guarantee.
On the other hand of course your installer may be very confident of their craftmanship and think an inspection is unnecessary. However, if you were in the motor trade and had an opportunity to renege on a warranty (by a customer failing to submit their vehicle for inspection) wouldn't you implement it? Not that I'm casting any aspersions on the motor trade of course ;-)
- (#10577) Ian Dunse (Derbs), 4 May 04 05:59
I have had a response from powerflow. They confirm that annual inspections are required. They also confirmed that I should have been given a warranty card, which gives all the info required. I have emailed the supplier / fitter and asked for a card to be posted to me. No response yet. I will give them till Thursday to reply to my email before I do anything else.
The supplier / fitter was "Southern speedshack" at Dover.
Steve......
- (#10577) Steve Lewis, 4 May 04 11:57
Hi Ian,
Just got back from work and switched on the pc to try find your e-mail but you found us instead,pleased that you confirmed the grey area and how you keep your exhaust in guarantee with the installer,useful to know when i go down that path or any one who has already had a powerflow exhaust fitted with no card handed to them by the installer,as you say the installer might well be good at his job but 18mts on he might want to see your inspection card and like most motor traders it the cusmoter who is wrong.
Steve let us know how you got on with powerflow.
dennis
- (#10577) dennis, 4 May 04 12:25
i spoke to my powerflow exhaust supplier / fitter yesterday. i asked why i had not been given a warranty card or been told that an annual inspection is required to keep the warranty in place.
his response was, we keep the cards, as we found that most customers were losing it. he confirmed the annual free inspection was required and apologised for not telling me. he said that the guarantee is with him and it is in his interests to keep his customers happy.
so what do i do now? he sounds genuine, but i am a little concerned that although i have an invoice for payment, there is nothing on there about any guarantee, or annual inspection.
steve.......
- (#10577) Steve Lewis, 7 May 04 05:39
Steve
appreciate your predicament, you don't want to wind the installer up but you need proof of the warranty which you haven't got. The warranty card also shows the date of when you need to go back and the warranty is with powerflow rather than the installer. What if the installer goes bust for example?
So I think you need to have it out with him and threaten him with going over his head. Incredible isn't it?
- (#10577) Ian Dunse (Derbs), 7 May 04 05:55
I think I will drop powerflow another email and ask for further advice.
I won't mention the supplier / fitter at this stage.
Steve..
- (#10577) Steve Lewis, 7 May 04 06:59
Steve,
Not too sure what your installer is up to,the warranty card should be kept by the owner and its up to the owner to keep it in a safe place (like with log book.mot.insurance docs ).
Ian right in what he says above what if the installer stops trading how can you approch powerflow for help if you cannot prove the exhaust has been inspected every year,your installer may think he acting in your best interest but is he ?.
I would pop in and speak to the installer and ask him for the card (nicely at first)
keep us informed
dennis
- (#10577) dennis, 8 May 04 03:05
I have emailed power flow again and had a reply.
They said that the warranty for the parts is with them, the warranty for the labour is with the dealer.
There would be a problem if the dealer went bust, as he is responsible for the labour. They did not say who would be responsible for the labour should the dealer go bust.
They insist I should have a warranty card for my own protection.
On Monday, I will send a registered letter politely asking for a warranty card and giving my concerns.
I will do it this way, so I have some proof of trying to obtain the card. If this fails, then I will approach powerflow and make a complaint and name the dealer to them asking them to intervene.
Steve.....
- (#10577) Steve Lewis, 8 May 04 05:05
Steve
did you get a reply from powerflow or get the card from the installer.
dennis
- (#10577) dennis, 20 May 04 04:50
I sent a recorded delivery letter which the supplier received on Th May, politely pointing out my fears about the warranty should they go out of business, and asking for a warranty card to be sent to me without delay. I also pointed out that I had spoken to power flow without naming the supplier and they stipulated that basically no warranty card = no warranty.
I will give two weeks from receipt of the letter before assuming they have no intention of responding and asking power flow to intervene.
I think that is enough time to supply me with a warranty card.
Steve.....
- (#10577) Steve Lewis, 20 May 04 06:46
The letter was received by the supplier on 13'TH May.
So if there is no response by Tomorrow evening, 21'ST, I will contact powerflow on either the Saturday or Monday.
Steve......
- (#10577) Steve Lewis, 20 May 04 06:50
By coincidence this afternoon whilst out, the supplier rang and left a message saying that he had just got the letter and would try to ring this evening to try and resolve the problem. (The only way he can do that is to issue a warranty card)
He hasn't, so I will ring him tomorrow.
I am hoping that if he refuses to issue a warranty card that powerflow will intervene. If they don't then the warranty they advertise is meaningless.
Steve.....
- (#10577) Steve Lewis, 20 May 04 15:13
Stick with it Steve. You know you are in the right.
- (#10577) Ian Dunse (Derbs), 21 May 04 01:22
Oh and make sure you keep a log of all phone calls and correspondence and dates - just in case this gets nasty.
- (#10577) Ian Dunse (Derbs), 21 May 04 01:34
Steve
Where are Southern speedshack in Dover? I am local and cannot place them.
- (#10577) Mark (Dover), 22 May 04 03:42
I did not have time to phone them yesterday as planned, but this morning a warranty card arrived in the post.
I do feel that in this case the supplier was genuine, at least he seemed to be, however I now have protection even if he goes bust, and that was causing me concern.
@Mark..... They are based in Poulton Road, up past the hospital.
I must say that I am very happy with the exhaust system, my Townie is running better now than it ever has in the 4 years or so that I have owned it.
Steve......
- (#10577) Steve Lewis, 22 May 04 04:42
Good news indeed. Of course you will never need it but at least you have peace of mind .....
- (#10577) Ian Dunse (Derbs), 23 May 04 04:47