Well, I have now experienced the worst Budget has to offer in every aspect of the purchase process. From the initial contact, to the purchase process, to the shipping delays, and now to the horrendous fitment and installation issues.

After spending nearly 3 man hours with Blake (Xlcrew) and another certified mechanic here in OKC trying to put this damn thing on, I would rather be driving the local ricer instead of mine right now. Fitment is ridiculously poor, not to mention Budget's packaging was so negligent that the crush gaskets were already "crushed" upon receiving them. In order to get this thing on, we had to use the old copper crush gasket in the rear manifold and upon startup, I now have a massive leak coming from that port and my car sounds like the Civic around the damn corner. Fitment issues ranged from problems initially getting the rear manifold lined up to now having the pipe sitting to where it is approx 2 cm's from the floorboard underneath the car (the way the pipe was fabricated, it was the only location it would go).

BTW-the test pipe I ordered came only with the pipe itself and no gaskets or bolts or nuts that were required to complete the install. I have now spent over 15 dollars on hardware alone to get this project completed after 4 trips to AutoZone and O'Reilly's.

If I had forseen the issues that I have encountered with Budget Exhaust over the last month, I would not have considered them and would have either gone with Warpspeed or Cattman.

I will post pictures of the mangled gaskets I was sent and I hope to have a sound clip of the leak as well.

EDIT: Some members are having problems viewing the pictures. They are all uploaded onto my CarDomain site and I recommend that any of you interested in Budget go check these pictures out.

http://www.cardomain.com/memberpage/448666/8

 

Call them and ask them to send you another one.

 

and like i said...threaten to post about them in here (even though you already did) they dont want to lose thousands of customers

 

Hmmm..... and I wonder why they call themselves "Budget"... sorry to hear about your problems...

 

Here are the pictures:

Look at how far this hangs down compared to others:

Budget y-pipe on my AE:



Warpspeed Y-Pipe on Xlcrew's 2000:



Here are a few displaying how poor fitment location is against the floorboard:

 

i have my budget y pipe and i love it...no issues, fast shipping etc...everybody has a horror story whether its cattman, stillen, budget or any company bc i've read all of them on here...there is always going to be a bad experience but that doesnt mean it happens every time...people seem to be under the distinct impression that you get the best product by spending the most money which is not necessarily true all the time...just bc it's called budget and not the "cool" Cattman doesnt mean its not the same quality and performance

 

Pictures of crushed gasket:

 

Kruppa -- the only problem with your argument is that Budget has given me poor service from day 1 when I originally went to them about setting up a group deal due to serious purchasing interest from over 20 members on the Org.

After sending them several emails and voice mails, I waited patiently to receive a response from them for over a week and they replied by offering free shipping to Org members...I was pleased with this offer. I called the next Monday to order a ypipe for my Cali-spec which, at that time, they had none fabricated and told me it would be two weeks to create. Once again, I patiently waited and called them back two weeks later and made my order on Monday, Feb 7th. At that time, they promised me 3-4 day shipping which should've got my package here by, at the latest, Friday the 11th. Come Monday the 14th, still waiting for my pkg, I find out that they did not ship the package until Wednesday the 9th, 2 days after I placed the order (when they said the pipes were all ready to ship out).

I received the test pipe and ypipe that Monday afternoon....the test pipe without gaskets or hardware (bolts, nuts, etc) and the ypipe with two mangled gaskets (one completely destroyed--see above) and the other barely usable. The ypipe also came without any hardware (bolts, nuts, etc) which is the reason I have had to make several trips to AutoZone.

This whole process over the last month has been very aggravating and this is the first time I have received less than adequate products from a company recognized on the Org. For 225 dollars, I expect the product to be exactly what I was told it would be.

I will be calling them Monday to alert them of my situation and then we will find out how willing they are to reconcile the problem.

 

i know that there are horror stories with everyone, but i mean it's just kind of screwed to recieve gaskets that were screwed up, and to have the fitment issues we did, the back manifold when we were working on it was almost 1/4" off, no joke, and got creative to make it fit right. my car has a wsp y-pipe, all the gaskets, hardware, and fast shipping, ordered it monday had it thursday.

here are pics of my exhaust notice the difference in the way mine fits compared to lance's

http://www.cardomain.com/memberpage/685701/4

 

Yah I guess you're right that is pretty crappy...i didn't mean to make it sound the way you took it...i did have a very positive dealing with them and i'm in no way trying to promote them or anything but i guess in this case you should tell people so they can inform budget to get their act together if they want further business

 

UPDATE: Just got back from Performance Muffler here in Norman and they diagnosed the problem. The main problem they say is due to the flange gasket being welded on at an improper angle by Budget, causing improper fitting into the manifold and thus the leak. This improper fabrication is also the cause of the fitment problem along the floorboard underneath the passenger seat.

I spoke to Rob at Budget this morning and he hurriedly got me off the phone and asked me to send him pictures through email. I will have to wait until Monday to hear anything back from them and at that time I will be asking that they ship a correct Y-pipe to me overnight so that I will not have to drive with this embarrassing sound for the next week.

 

That is ridiculous. I can't stand when places mess up and then act like it's not there job to help you. I ordered my damn b-pipe from them the same day you posted about the free y-pipe shipping, and i still havent got mine yet. I hope they send me a piece that fits properly. Sorry to hear about you bad luck man .

 

I paid a muffler shop 70$ Can. to put mine on and I'm glad they did the job. They told me it would take about 45 min. to do but it took over 2 hrs. They did alot of cutting to get the old one out and the Budget leaked at the manifold also. the guys told me the flange was welded at the wrong angle. I gave them the OK to heat up the main pipe and align the flange. Sounds great now.
MCE

 

I called Budget and spoke with Jeff Lyell earlier today (after waiting for them to call me back since yesterday morning) and basically he was unwilling to admit that the ypipe was improperly fabricated. He said that it appeared in my pictures that the test pipe they sent me is bending the ypipe back up against the floorboard and causing it to not line up correctly.

I told Jeff that I would put my old cat back on when I get home tonight to see if it is indeed the test pipe that is causing the problems. I asked him if anyone else has had fitment issues when running the test pipe/ypipe combo and he said no. He mentioned that after seeing what happened during shipping to the gaskets, that the test pipe could have been bent as well (doubt it). He said he would also send me a new test pipe if that was the case.

Jeff also promised to send me new crush gaskets to replace the old ones. We will see what happens.


Here are some comparison pics that Kevlo was trying to post:

Cattman -





Budget -

 

Their is suppose to be a bend after the flex:
http://www.cattman.com/img/prod/dsc_...4%20y-pipe.jpg
Cattman

Old School(my style) Budget

VS.


Pic off of LSS(new Budget) site.

 

my warpseed doesnt have a bend like that

 

I went out tonight and tried what Jeff had me do with switching the old cat back on there and rotating it different ways.....no difference and I will have pics again later. I will be calling him tomorrow to ask for either a full refund or a new ypipe that has correct fitment.

 

get a warpspeed

and kevlo911...for the love of god reduce the size of that dam picture

 

I can't, it's off Cattman's site.

 

Here is the email I just sent Jeff Lyell, owner of Budget Exhaust:

Good Morning Jeff,
As you can see by these pictures I have attached, putting the old catalytic converter back on made no difference to the location of the ypipe and there is still a problem with fitment. I rotated both the cat and the test pipe several different ways to see if it would make any difference and I saw no improvement, even with neither the test pipe nor the catalytic converter attached.

I took the car into Performance Muffler here in Norman and they assured me that there would be no way to get this ypipe to fit correctly on my car without it banging against the undercarriage. Thus, I see two resolutions to this situation: Budget can either refund the total cost of the ypipe (and the cost of shipping back to you, should you want it back), or Budget can fabricate a new ypipe that will fit properly with no issues.

I have been patient with this situation for nearly a week now and would hope that you won't take this message as angry or upset. I am at this point just becoming slightly aggravated with the whole ordeal and just would like it to be fixed as quickly as possible. To this point, Budget has been considerate of my requests, such as the mailing of the new gaskets, and I very much appreciate that. However, I would just ask that you look at all of the pictures I have sent you, as well as the information I have been given by my local muffler shop (whom I have done business with several times before), and reconcile the situation in an expedient manner.

Thank You

 

Here is the reply, I received this morning from Jeff:



"GOOD MORNING LANCE
I LOOKED AT YOUR PITCHERS, I WENT BACK AND CHECKED THE JIGS AND THEY FIT . BUT I SEE YOUR PROBLEM. IT COULD HAVE GOT DAMAGED DURINGING SHIPPING,OR MY JIG GOT DROPPED OR SOMETHING MY GUYS DID NOT TELL ME WHO KNOWS.THE BEST THING TO DO IS SHIP THE PIPE BACK (MARK ON THE BOX DEFECTIVE AND ON SHIPPING PAPER) AND I WILL REFUND YOUR Y-PIPE
AS SOON AS I RECEIVE IT.
I WILL E-MAIL YOU LATER AND LET YOU KNOW WHAT HAS HAPPENED,I HAVE ARRANGED TO HAVE A CAR COME IN IN TWO WEEKS SO WE CANT GET THIS PROBLEM FIX.
I'M SORRY FOR THE TROUBLE HAS CAUSED YOU,
WE HAVE SOLD ALLOT OF PIPES ,SOONER OR LATER WE ALL HAVE PROBLEMS THAT CANT BE CONTROLLED,WITH YOUR HELP I HOPE TO GET THIS WON FIXED.
AGAIN IM SORRY JEFF@ BUDGET"


So, at this point I will most likely just put the old ypipe back on and may either order a warpspeed, or just use that money for new brakes. I am not really sure what to do, but I am really disappointed due to the fact that I was really looking forward to the gains people have seen from the ypipe. This whole situation just has been a bit of bad luck.

 

See if you can find a used y-pipe (I got my Cattman used from Fezzik) in our Classifieds, or get one from WS.... the fitment issues on WS I've seen/heard are mostly on 5.5 Gens anyways...

 

Sorry to hear Lance, that dude can't even spell. I would go with Cattman if it were me.

 

I had absolutely no problem with my Budget y-pipe installation. I don't understand why you didn't deal with Budget earlier in the process rather than proceed with the installation and whine about it. I am sure they will resolve the issue to your satisfaction.

Its not as though they are the only supplier on the planet who has f@cked up. Just look at all the complaints about various stealerships.

When you recognized there was a problem you should have put the OEM parts back on and dealt with Budget rather than try to fit a square peg in a round hole.

 

How bout you go back and read the entire thread, buddy. As soon as I put the Budget Y on, I called them to alert them of the fitment issues. At which time, Jeff asked me to try the old cat on there instead of the test pipe to see if that made any difference.
It made none, and once again I contacted them to let them know.

You look pretty stupid coming on here and posting misinformed thoughts about the situation when you obviously haven't followed this thread since day one.

I am sure that there are several members on here that will agree with me when I say that I have been very patient with Budget and that I didn't jump to any rash conclusions.

 

ummm...SHUT UP

 

rmurdoch, dude come one read the thread, i was there for the installation. i know what has happened and lance has given them every oppotunity to make this right, they finally are but it has taken them a while. never once has he said budget was a horrible company. so please read before you type in a response. just my .02

 

i was considering going w/ LLC/ budget but not after this, i will check in for further updates on how the situation is handled, but furthermore, this is the only place soonr1 COULD come to post this problem while everything is taken care of; and for those of us who are in my situation are GLAD he is keeping us posted.

Anyway, i had a simliar prob with my cheap s.steel rear section not matchin the angle just over the rear beam, but i guess that is my fautl for not knowin that.

anyway, sucks soonr1, i'm sure they will take their time fixin this problem and that SUCKS!!


Good Luck

 

hey stillenmax, i would strongly advise you to go with warpspeed, they were great on the phone, answered all my questions, and i ordered it on monday, Martin Luther King day, and i got it that thursday. really quickly. all the gaskets were in nissan bags, and the fitment was perfect. sounds good, awesome quality and great price.i'd give them a call just my .02

 

thanks
i'll consider them, but i am slow to save $ and my car right now is low on my list...

 

thats what i have

but lance didnt wanna listen to me (something about me not knowing anything cause i didnt know what the best kind of oil filter was)

 

Well, I got the car up on a lift tonight and a buddy of mine and I got the stock ypipe put back on -- sounds nice and smooth again with no leaks or fitment issues, so all is good. However, the stealership charged me 11 bucks for a new crush gasket (%^&*), but I am just glad to be back to normal. It's so nice to have the car not sound like a ricer -- after a week of it, I had been through enough embarrassment.

 

Sorry that you had this bad experience. I had a VERY positive experience with Budget. I live in the area and was able to go in their shop and have them install the Y-pipe and modify my B-pipe. I paid minimal for the labor and got quite satisfying results. The Y-pipe fits fine, and they cut out and replaced the crimp on the B-pipe. In addition to all this, the connector between B-pipe and muffler was rusted out so they replaced the connector with a piece of stainless pipe. All was done within an hour and a half and I love it. Guys there are genuine and will do anything to satisfy the customers. I sent there a few friends including family members for various car repairs and they all came back with positive comments about the service...

 

Ya, I think one of the things that made this situation so difficult was the long distance communication. I too had heard good things about Budget and that was the reason that I went with them over Cattman, Warpspeed, etc. However, after doing some research after the whole situation, the other ypipes appear to have a bend to get the pipe away from the floorboard that the Budget did not. I sent my old one back to Jeff on Tuesday and I am looking forward to getting the whole thing straightened out.

 

So my pics helped

 

Well now this saga gets even more incredible.

To first give a brief update - Budget told me that I would not be getting a refund back until they received the ypipe back to their location in Canada, so I went to a local shipping store and told them about the product being defective and they just said to write "defective" and "return to sender" on the box and it would get back in a few days.

Well, it has now been 2 MONTHS since I dropped off the package - DHL has lost it somewhere because apparently the shipping store here in Norman did not issue a new airbill which DHL requires and UPS and FedEx do not. I was told at the counter that it would not need one by the store clerk and apparently DHL requires it even though they still took the package from the store without it.

So, basically my ypipe is sitting somewhere in the continental United States but only God knows where and I will not be getting the 205 dollar refund because it did not make it back to Budget.

This whole purchase has been a mistake and I should have listened to friends here on the Org about purchasing from either Warpspeed or Cattman. I mean seriously, what's Budget going to do with a messed up ypipe anyway?? They should have just refunded my money or sent me a new pipe.

Nonetheless, I guess I am just **** out of luck now -- screw DHL for this whole damn thing. (Can't you tell I am pissed?)

 

Sorry to hear about that, lol!

 

Since you have a AE, I would say big F-U to all them companies and get a set of HS headers and put them on. They make more power than the Ypipe does on our 01s anyways. I had big issues with my Cattman Ypipe in the past also, I'm glad I ditched it.

 

Are you saying that ypipes fit differently on AE's or something...because I have never heard of any such issue nor would I expect there to be any difference between the AE or any other '01 Cali-spec.