Car Repair Tips: How You Can Repair an Exhaust leak Yourself

Every day, your car’s exhaust system is exposed to various elements such as road debris, pebbles, hot weather during summer, snow and salt during winter. If the exhaust takes a beating out of any of these, the exhaust pipes can develop cracks and leakages over time.

If such leaks have occurred, your car will start to make noises. Your car's emissions will increase, and your Check Engine Light will turn on.

In some cases, large leaks can fill your car's cabin with carbon monoxide which can be seriously harmful to your health. Why take that unnecessary risk?

You can locate and repair your leaking Exhaust Coventry yourself by following these simple instructions.

1. Raise Your Vehicle

To locate a leak, jack up the driver’s side of your car. Don't lift it at an angle. When you raise a portion of your vehicle, its weight gets centralized into the small space under the jack.

2. Locate Leakage Area

You need to start inspecting from the front end of your car’s exhaust piping. Check for any signs of damages like scrapes, cracks, rusts or holes. If you don’t see any physical damages, start your car’s engine, and you should be able to spot the leak via visible exhaust smoke.

However, an exhaust pipe can reach extremely high temperatures while driving. Give it time to cool down before attempting a repair.

3. Clean Leakage Area

After you have located the spot of leakage, you have to clean it thoroughly in 3 simple steps.

• Grab a steel-toothed brush and scrub the area to clean any mud or rust. Most of the repairs are not effective if the cleaning is not thorough. Keep your eyes protected while you clean.
• Once you have cleaned most of the dirt and rust, use sandpaper to scrub off the remaining bits of dirt. It also helps to create small micro-abrasions that help the tape or epoxy you are about to use stick better.
• Use acetone to wipe the pipe around the leakage. It helps epoxy to bond better with the metal. You have to be very cautious while applying it.
  

4. Seal the Leak with Exhaust Tape or Epoxy

After all the cleaning work is done, wrap the exhaust tape around the leakage area. Make sure the area of the leakage has at least two layers of tape around it.

If you use exhaust epoxy to seal the brake, use a wooden tool to apply it and mix the two parts. Epoxy starts to seal the leakage on your car’s exhaust immediately.

5. Use a Patch

Firstly, you need to determine the size of the patch required for securing the leakage area. Then, use a pair of heavy duty scissors to cut a strip of aluminium and use it as a patch. Seal it with more epoxy for better security.

A faulty exhaust system may cause failure at an Cheap MOT Coventry or anywhere in the UK. If you fail to repair it by yourself, visit Central Point MOT for an exhaust repair ASAP. They can also help you pass the MOT at their facility.