Exhaust Repairs in Kingston

Life in Kingston means a lot of lane driving: high hedges, tight passing places and the odd scrape over a raised centre strip or a rough verge. All of that is unkind to the pipework under your car. A bracket that has worked loose, a flexible joint that has split or a silencer that has been knocked will make itself known sooner or later, usually as a rattle or a sudden bark from underneath.

At Automaster we look after the whole exhaust and emissions side of petrol and diesel cars and vans, from a simple blowing joint to a catalytic converter or diesel particulate filter (DPF) problem. This page explains what to look out for, what the work involves and what to tell us when you ask for a quote.

Why is my exhaust suddenly loud or rattling?

A loud or blowing exhaust nearly always means a leak: a rusted section, a failed gasket at a joint, a cracked flexible pipe or a silencer that has corroded through. A rattle is more often a loose heat shield or a hanger that has let go, though it can also be the inside of a catalytic converter breaking up.

Drivers on lanes like those around Kingston can also catch the system on a raised hump or a stone, so a new noise after a bumpy stretch is worth having looked at.

• Deep roaring or blowing note on acceleration
• Rattle that changes with engine speed
• Exhaust hanging low or touching the ground
• Fumes smell around the car when stationary

What does exhaust repair or replacement involve?

We inspect the system on a lift, checking pipes, joints, mounts, the silencer and the catalytic converter. Sometimes a section, gasket or clamp can be dealt with; where the metal is thin all through, replacement is sounder.

Time and cost depend on the make and model, whether the system comes in sections, how corroded the fixings are and whether a converter or filter is involved. We cannot say what is possible until we have looked.

Can short journeys block a diesel particulate filter?

Yes. A DPF traps soot and clears it by burning it off, and that needs the exhaust to get properly hot for a sustained period. If most of your driving is a few minutes out of Kingston and back, the filter may never complete that clean-up and can clog.

Expect a DPF warning light or a car that feels flat and drops into limp mode. A DPF warning needs prompt attention: ignoring it can turn a manageable job into a bigger one. We run diagnostics to see whether the filter is blocked or whether a sensor or engine fault is behind it, then advise on cleaning, repair or replacement as the findings allow.

Where do I bring my car from Kingston, and do you cover the villages around?

Our garage is at Longcombe Cross near Totnes, and drivers from the South Hams villages come to us, including people from Bigbury, Ringmore, Modbury and Kingsbridge as well as Kingston.

Automaster handles MOT testing, servicing and repairs alongside exhaust work, so if an emissions failure turns up at test time we can look at the cause in the same place. Tell us your registration, the symptoms and whether it is petrol or diesel when you get in touch.

Is it safe to keep driving with an exhaust problem?

A small leak at the back of the car is a nuisance, but exhaust fumes inside the cabin are dangerous because they contain carbon monoxide, which you cannot see or reliably smell. If you notice fumes inside the car, open the windows, stop driving it and get it checked.

The same goes for a pipe dragging on the road, a warning light combined with a sharp loss of power, or an emissions fault that has put the engine into limp mode.