[rudyrednose]

Greetings,

I have always been told that people living close to work (less than 5 minutes) had terrible exhaust system longevity because the muffler never went hot enough to evaporate remaining water in the system.

What about the Volt ?

I got my 2017 Volt in August. So far, I have optimized my (longer) trips to maximize battery use, that is run the ICE on the last leg of highway then switch back to battery upon leaving the highway to arrive home on battery with close to nothing remaining (in the battery).

However, with winter at our doorstep, ERDTT will have the ICE run for short lenghts.

So, should I be concerned about how I use the ICE or am I worrying for nothing ?

What is the experience of long term Volt users in colder climates ?

 

[MikeyCVolt]

GM likes using stainless steel exhausts and the one GM vehicle that I owned for 20 years never had a problem with the exhaust. So unless they goofed on the Volt's exhaust, I doubt there is anything to worry about.

Mike

 

[dannycamps]

The oldest Volts on the road at heading towards 7 or 8 years old so there is not a lot of empirical data to go on yet but I don't recall hearing any cases of failing exhausts yet.

 

[Mister Dave]

For what it's worth: http://gm-volt.com/forum/showthread.php?11614-Exhaust-Pipe-Rust-Concern

 

[Steverino]

The oldest Volts on the road at heading towards 7 or 8 years old

The first few Volts were delivered December 2010. So coming up on 7 years, yes.

 

[MP81]

I wouldn't worry too much - as others have said, the exhaust is stainless, so there shouldn't be an issue.

It's likely 409, so it'll patina, but that should be about it.

 

[jcanoe]

Starting in the 1980s, at least in the US, manufacturers were required to warranty their vehicle emission systems for 7 years. This included the exhaust system, manufacturers switched to stainless steel exhaust system components. 5 minutes is probably not long enough to fully warm up the engine and exhaust system to drive out any moisture. 10 or even 20 minutes would be better for warming up the Volt's engine and exhaust but unless you want to sit and idle the Volt wasting fuel there is really nothing that you can do to stop ERDTT once the temperature dips below - 9.4 C (15 F) unless you are willing to mod the Volt's temperature sensor circuit.

 

[imanjunk1963]

Oddly I was just thinkng about the same thing regarding the exhaust sytem after painting my calipers and having a volt going now on 5yrs. Seems the pipes look quite rusty for a stainless steal system. Time will tell. I hope to have an upgrade before it needs replacement.

 

[emg77]

Yeah, I had pretty short trips (about 7-8 miles) in my previous Saturn Astra with a stainless exhaust, and after 9 years and 120,000 miles, it was still just fine. The only part I had to replace was the flex pipe after about 8 years, and they just welded in a new one at a cost of about $100.

 

[Steverino]

Stainless steel "stains less", rather than never. It resists corrosion, and depending on the alloy, some SS will show rust more than others. Exposure to chlorides (salt) is typically the #1 cause of stainless steel rust. Wash well and often. Here's a guy who says applying WD40 to clean SS will help prevent rust. Never tried it, and suspect the closer you get to the engine the more likely this treatment will simply burn off quickly.

 

[Mister Dave]

GM exhausts are made of 400 series stainless steel (most likely B409M). Related article:

http://www.baosteel.com/plc_e/02news/ShowArticle.asp?ArticleID=2183

And another short article on 409 and 304 stainless steel for exhaust systems:

https://www.maperformance.com/blogs/maperformance-blog/77005123-409-and-304-stainless-steel-bet-you-didnt-know-these-details

 

[ianjay]

The exhaust system on my 1989 Cadillac Fleetwood is still quiet after a long life in a salty northeast environment. The exhaust on one of my 1990 Rangers finally had to be replaced two years ago (the muffler was still fine). I hope my 2012 Volt has a good system, but I'm almost expecting damage from it being such a low car not rust out. I do make a habit of rinsing the under bodies of my cars in the winter.

 

[UncleDon]

Is it possible that in some way the ice doesn't care that it runs short cycles? Maybe the engineers considered this. It seems to be a well engineered car.

 

[JRRF]

There's a reason Midas has updated their business model to fix a lot more things than mufflers anymore.

 

[alfon]

Today, unlike exhaust systems from the 1950's to early 1970', usually will last the life of the car. I remember when I was a kid growing up in the 1950's and 1960's it was common to see mufflers and exhaust pipes lying on the side of the road all rusted out. Today you seldom see a muffler or exhaust pipe on or along the roadway.

 

[JRRF]

Today, unlike exhaust systems from the 1950's to early 1970', usually will last the life of the car. I remember when I was a kid growing up in the 1950's and 1960's it was common to see mufflers and exhaust pipes lying on the side of the road all rusted out. Today you seldom see a muffler or exhaust pipe on or along the roadway.

And that's why Midas did plenty of business as primarily a muffler shop back then.

 

[Stromfahrer]

I asked this question a few years back and got some very helpful responses:

http://gm-volt.com/forum/showthread.php?55937-Short-ICE-sessions-bad

 

[snic]

I have a 15 year old Infiniti with only 65,000 miles. It's been driven almost daily - so, that means a LOT of very short trips. I've had to replace the muffler just once, earlier this year.

If the above is indicative of current exhaust system longevity, I predict that your Volt's exhaust system will last at least 10-15 years even if the engine comes on for just 5 minutes every day.