Renault Exhaust
What hangs under a Renault depends entirely on whether it burns petrol or diesel. The petrols run a catalytic converter; the 1.5 dCi runs a diesel particulate filter, and cars.co.za notes that clogged DPFs on the second-generation Duster are "by no means uncommon". Those are different parts, different money and different problems.
- Trade counter at 89 Chris Hani Road, Briardene
- Collect from the counter, or courier with the carriage in the quote
- Price, condition and fitment settled on a written quote
Exhaust, explained
An exhaust is not a lifetime part and Renault does not pretend otherwise — the maintenance-plan wording in Renault South Africa's own brochures lists the exhaust alongside the clutch, the shock absorbers and the wiper blades as an item covered under servicing rather than under warranty. It is a consumable that happens to be made of steel.
What it consists of depends on your fuel. The petrol cars run a catalytic converter in the system. The 1.5 dCi runs a diesel particulate filter, and cars.co.za says of the second-generation Duster that clogged DPFs are by no means uncommon. Those are different parts with different failure modes and very different consequences when they block.
On the question of twin exhausts
On the question of twin exhausts, we want to be careful rather than confident. We looked for evidence of any Renault sold here in this range leaving the factory with a genuine twin system and did not find one — the sources we could read describe even the hottest local Renault, the Mégane RS, as having a single centrally-mounted tailpipe. But those particular pages carry no publication date, so we would rather say we found no documented twin system than tell you flatly that none exists.
If you want a dual setup on a Renault, treat it as a custom fabrication job.
The everyday failures are unglamorous
The everyday failures are unglamorous: corrosion at the joints and the welds, a rotted flexi-pipe behind the manifold, a broken rubber mounting letting the system swing and crack, and gaskets at the flanges. Most of those are cheaper to fix early than to ignore.
How you know exhaust are on the way out
Recognise any of that? Tell us the model and year and we will go and check what we can get hold of for you.
The questions we ask before we price exhaust
Renault South Africa's own maintenance wording lists the exhaust as a serviced wear item rather than something the warranty covers. What hangs under the car depends on the fuel: the petrols run a catalytic converter, and the 1.5 dCi runs a particulate filter that cars.co.za says clogs on the second-generation Duster by no means uncommonly.
In plain terms, the call you have to make is whether your car runs a catalytic converter or a diesel particulate filter — and the model name on the boot lid is not enough information to make it.
Include the model, the fuel type, and which section has actually failed when you ask us about exhaust. Two questions up front beats a part that has to be couriered back.
Exhaustwe source
Further reading on exhaust
Independent sources, not ours. Worth a look if you want the background before you enquire.
Exhaust — what customers usually ask
How much does an exhaust system cost in South Africa?
We quote per enquiry, and on this part the range is genuinely enormous: a rear silencer is a different order of expense from a catalytic converter or a particulate filter, and a full system is different again. Most exhaust jobs are also partial rather than complete — one section has rotted and the rest is sound. Tell us the symptom and which section, and we will price that rather than the whole system.
Does my Renault have a catalytic converter or a DPF?
Petrol cars have a catalytic converter. The 1.5 dCi diesel has a diesel particulate filter — cars.co.za refers to the DPF directly when discussing the second-generation Duster's 1.5 dCi. Which matters because they fail differently and cost differently: a cat is usually killed by an engine running rich, and a DPF is usually blocked by short journeys that never let it regenerate properly.
Is a used exhaust section a sensible buy?
For the larger and more expensive pieces, often yes — manifolds, downpipes and rear boxes off a low-mileage accident-damaged donor can be very good value. For anything that has spent years underneath a car on our roads, inspect it properly first: surface rust is normal and cosmetic, but scaling, soft spots and pinholes are not. Ask for photographs of the underside if you cannot see it in person.
Can I fit a twin exhaust to my Renault?
It would be a custom fabrication rather than a fitment. We found no South African Renault in this range documented as having left the factory with a twin system, and the sources describing the Mégane RS put a single central tailpipe on it. So there is no factory twin setup to source second-hand — anyone offering you one is offering a fabricated system. That is legitimate work if that is what you want, but it is a performance-shop job, not a parts purchase.
Why is my exhaust rattling?
Start with the cheap causes. A perished rubber mounting lets the whole system move and knock against the underbody, and a loose heat shield rattles at particular engine speeds — both are trivial to fix. The more serious one is a broken internal baffle in a silencer, which sounds like gravel in a tin and means that section is finished. Get it on a lift and it takes minutes to tell the three apart.