I heard a rough exhaust noise from my 1999 Solara (mileage less than 75,000) that my excellent mechanic diagnosed as a failed flex exhaust pipe, something that an automatic transmission causes to wear out on many cars. He estimated it would cost $1700 to fix. The Toyota Nation website confirmed costs of $1400 to $1750. Doing it myself was out of the question since the flex unit was in a very inconvenient spot; cutting out the old part then welding in the new one was beyond my toolbox.The owner at Meineke Car Care Center at 1975 Green Bay Road in Evanston showed me exactly what was wrong, how it could be corrected and also how my car?s architecture compared to others. In 2 hours they replaced the flex unit and adjacent piping with new materials for $759.45, including tax. There were no surprise extras. Management and technicians were polite and professional. My car is now as quiet as when it was new and the back pressure makes acceleration smoother and less costly.
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