My car is a Brilliant Black 99.5 1.8TQM. I am currently Garrett Chipped with 3500 miles.

Took delivery of it on 11/23/99. Finally got the time on 12/01 to get it installed. Two things went wrong unfortunately during the install. The first thing was that the end of the pipe that connects to the muffler got bent during shipping. It would not slide over the muffler's pipe. I could have filed a claim with UPS, but that would have taken weeks to do, and it wouldn't be worth it. I had the muffler shop use a pipe expander to round it out, which they were able to do. The second problem with the install is the bolts that connect the downpipe to the turbo cracked when they tried to take them off. This is fairly common since these bolts are subject to extreme temperatures when the turbo is hot, so they contract and expand in the holes. When we tried to remove them, they simply wouldn't move. Anyone who has had a new exhaust installed that connects to the turbo knows how much of a pain that can be. The shop machined me some bolts to replace them.

The real hard part of the install was getting to those bolts. It took hours. It was very difficult to reach them and undo them. My muffler shop had a hell of time trying to get them off, and then of course, they cracked. When having yours installed, let your installer be aware of that potential problem.

Exhaust cost: $519 (including shipping & on special)

From: GreedSpeed

Total hours spent installing: 9

Total cost for install : $250

The guys there cut me a good deal considering how long it took them.

The exhaust looks awesome. Nice a subtle, yet very nicely fit and finished. It looks like a very classy and sporty upgrade. The two tips have tubes about the size of the OEM tips inside of them. I am considering having those removed. AWE sells this system with those tubes already removed. It's nice either way, IMO.

Performance is definitely there. Between 2000-4000 or so RPMS, the needle just screams up the rpm band. The 12-15hp is there, especially with that chip. My car is really quick now. I take off from stop lights and it's like the cars behind me haven't even moved yet. And I'm not even under WOT (Wide Open Throttle). It's fast and puts out a really nice sound. I'm still debating about upgrading the turbo to PES's SC System.

The sound is incredible. You start the car and the best way to describe the sound is comparing it with that of a Porsche 944 Turbo, but a little louder. Under soft driving, the sound increase is hardly noticeable. It's a very low grumble, and is pretty quiet. But under good acceleration, the sound gets fairly louder and emits a sweet tone. You can notice it even with the windows up. With the windows down, your car sounds like a German Beast! The sound is not Honda-ish at all, which my friends thought it would sound like. I have to admit it MIGHT be too loud for some people. Because when you hit that pedal, you can hear it.

Problems: I can feel the exhaust hitting my car. Everyone with this Borla system has the same problem. It has to do with the brackets and how the Stainless steel expands and contracts under high temperatures. I've read that there are 1 or 2 spots where it's actually making contact. A little adjustment in that area should take care of it. I'll be taking care of that later.

The other problem is the sound the exhaust makes in the rain. There are a few theories on this, but it's doubtful that there is anything I can do about it. I really don't care, but other people seem to. Check the archives for information on that.

Overall Diagnosis: My friend used to drive a 944 Turbo and had a Remus exhaust system on there, when I heard and drove it, I said "Wow, nice". When I took my car out for the first time and heard my exhaust, and felt the difference, I said "Wow, VERY nice"

By: Craig Hause     Email: cahause@ix.netcom.com     (Nov-01)

Make & model of car the product was used on: 2000 A4 1.8T

Had installation done at local muffler shop for $50.  Took less than one hour.  Very easy install.  The installer said I had about a 50/50 chance of one of the bolts breaking.  Luckily it did not. The bolts connecting downpipe to the cat can get pretty warped as it gets very hot in that part of the system.  

At first, exhaust note was kind of raspy and loud.  Over time, however, the sound deepened very nicely.  There is a very small burble at idle.  Barely audible from inside.  On the road at constant rpm (fwy), the sound is stock.  However, there is a nice deep grumble when accelerating which is what I expected. The throttle response has improved and I have noticed getting out of first gear, which used to be a fairly jerky process, is much smoother.  I have received many many compliments on the sound quality.  Some may think it's a bit loud, so I would recommend listening to exhaust in person before buying.  Also, the tips are polished stainless steel which is nice, but they could have been finished a little better like the rolled edges on the S4 exhaust.  It's pretty hard to find a 2.5" downpipe-back system with really nice tips that won't cost you lots of money.  

I would definitely recommend this product.