I recieved my exhaust yesterday, three weeks and a day from the day of purchase. I will rate everything out of 10, and explain why I think what I think about each.
Fit(5/10) The exhaust fitment in itself was terrible. In order for my friend and I to install the rear mufflers we had to use a rubber mallet to get them on; even after dremeling and filing each pipe. After all this, the tips are far too long. They stick out a good 3 inches from the rear, and WILL NOT move back in.
Sound(10/10) I will admit that the exhaust sound is awesome. Very throaty, and truly makes driving the car a lot more pleasureable.
Shipping (7/10) The shipping was pretty good, although the box was REALLY mangeled with one of the hangers actually sticking out the side. It may be just me, but that rather bothered me to see the condition of the box they shipped it in. The exhaust is not ALL that secured in there, so there could have quite easily been some damage..luckily not for me
Customer Service (4/10) Not only are they extremely hard to get ahold of by email, but I have not been able to get through on the phone...even after leaving a message. Maybe they dont check their messages......Very dissapointing.
I know that I am not the only one who has had such problems, my friend Tourige(who helped me install it) had the exact same problems. I am happy with the sound, which is a good thing, considering the fact that the rest was rather obismal...If your out for some serious frustration, but good sound by all means pull the trigger on a Trubendz system.
I always planned on getting a shop to do it for me. Maybe they'd charge me an arm and a leg to get it on
Originally posted by Berkel:
I always planned on getting a shop to do it for me. Maybe they'd charge me an arm and a leg to get it on
At least you want have to use your legs, arms AND head to try and align it all yourself 
Originally posted by Berkel:
I always planned on getting a shop to do it for me. Maybe they'd charge me an arm and a leg to get it on
do that, it will probably cost around the same and will fit a LOT better.
Only do this if they do Mandrel bends.
What does it matter if they can mandral bend or not? they are just fitting already bent pipes together.
Originally posted by Pudmunkie:
What does it matter if they can mandral bend or not? they are just fitting already bent pipes together.
oh i thought he was going to get the whole kit made up. I misread.
Take your fitment complaints elsewhere. Everyone's first impression is that an exhaust will slide together like bread and butter- but it doesn't. The reason it doesn't is to ensure you don't have to crush the smooth mandrel bends with your overtightened clamps because one pipe is that much smaller than the other
You won't have any leaks now, that's for sure.
Fitment problems come with everything. Get used to it.
MY Trubendz system went together perfectly. To get the tips centered exactly where I wanted them I had to heat up and bend a hangar about an inch (at most). Fitment for me was 9/10
I don't know what people's compaints are with customer service, I just ordered a y-pipe from them a week or so ago, it shipped and arrived in 4 days. (my exhaust took 2 1/2 weeks because they had to wait for tips) Shipping for me was a 10/10
Oh yea and customer service, Every time I've emailed them I have had a response the following day. (I've emailed them about 4 times in my entire dealing with them) Customer service 10/10
total install time for catback was about 60 minutes. (25 minutes getting rusted bolts off, 10 minutes to remove and hang, and another 25 minutes to get it sitting perfect, which includes bending the hanger)
Just sharing the other side of the spectrum.
(and for the price of the systems, you can't really argue)
I have nothing but good to say about them! Fitment was near perfect (according to the local shop that did the install)9/10
Sound? Well of course 10/10!
Shipping? I had a hanger poking throught the box as well but no damage to anything (how do you prevent the hangers poking through? ship it in a wood crate?!)9/10
Customer service? I had great communication with them!
(maybe I'm biased
cuz my car is on their site 
)?
Originally posted by Pre98:
Take your fitment complaints elsewhere. Everyone's first impression is that an exhaust will slide together like bread and butter- but it doesn't. The reason it doesn't is to ensure you don't have to crush the smooth mandrel bends with your overtightened clamps because one pipe is that much smaller than the other
You won't have any leaks now, that's for sure.
some people expect that when you pay 800 bucks (canadian) that everything will fit properly and that you wont need to make any adjustments.
everyone complains that one of there tips sticks out further than the other. thats cuz they have to flip over there muffler. lol. mine was the same way. looked crooked, and one stuck out further. flipped muffler, voilla!
oh and as for how far the tips stick out.... make sure you have the pieces put all the way together, lol.
That as well as hanging your car on *rubber hangers* (which flex and give way) Weld it. Problem solved.
I've looked before to try to find a picture of a correctly aligned muffler on the Trubendz kit. Can anybody post an under the body shot of the exhaust? Help a newbie out.
You can align the muffler just fine, it's the flex pipe that gets bent to hell.
The fitment of my TruBendz was a 5/10 also.
I have bought other performance exhausts in the past and didn't encounter these issues.
The HKS on my Rx7 and my MR2 fit perfectly.
Originally posted by TRicker:
everyone complains that one of there tips sticks out further than the other. thats cuz they have to flip over there muffler. lol. mine was the same way. looked crooked, and one stuck out further. flipped muffler, voilla!
oh and as for how far the tips stick out.... make sure you have the pieces put all the way together, lol.
Been there tried that, sure didnt work. They are DEFINATLY all the way together, we pounded them together with a friggen mallet....the fitments is without a doubt the [censored]
Originally posted by Pre98:
Take your fitment complaints elsewhere. Everyone's first impression is that an exhaust will slide together like bread and butter- but it doesn't. The reason it doesn't is to ensure you don't have to crush the smooth mandrel bends with your overtightened clamps because one pipe is that much smaller than the other
You won't have any leaks now, that's for sure.
SOME people want to help others make an informed decision, and NOT end up buying some poorly thought out exhaust....800 dollars for that BS grief while putting it together...sorry is to some of us thats BS...you waste your money how you wish though, seen as our complaints dont matter... 
Originally posted by converted_gm:
Originally posted by Pre98:
Take your fitment complaints elsewhere. Everyone's first impression is that an exhaust will slide together like bread and butter- but it doesn't. The reason it doesn't is to ensure you don't have to crush the smooth mandrel bends with your overtightened clamps because one pipe is that much smaller than the other
You won't have any leaks now, that's for sure.
SOME people want to help others make an informed decision, and NOT end up buying some poorly thought out exhaust....800 dollars for that BS grief while putting it together...sorry is to some of us thats BS...you waste your money how you wish though, seen as our complaints dont matter...
The problem with your statement is this....
You are assuming that Trubendz exhaust kits are crap because of the fit. Thats a little misleading. YOUR kit didn't go together as well or as easy as you wanted it to. For every 1 person that is dis-satisfied with their purchase, 5 or even 10 are happy with it. To say that Trubendz exhaust systems are crap, is a pretty ignorant statement. Try saying YOUR system isn't to your liking because...
Besides, Trubendz is the cheapest exhaust kti your going to find for these cars. So in essence, you bought the cheapest available, and you get what you pay for. (even though MOST people are completely happy with it) After all, Trubendz is the best bang for the buck exhaust kit.
Originally posted by posthuman63t:
Originally posted by converted_gm:
Originally posted by Pre98:
Take your fitment complaints elsewhere. Everyone's first impression is that an exhaust will slide together like bread and butter- but it doesn't. The reason it doesn't is to ensure you don't have to crush the smooth mandrel bends with your overtightened clamps because one pipe is that much smaller than the other
You won't have any leaks now, that's for sure.
SOME people want to help others make an informed decision, and NOT end up buying some poorly thought out exhaust....800 dollars for that BS grief while putting it together...sorry is to some of us thats BS...you waste your money how you wish though, seen as our complaints dont matter...
The problem with your statement is this....
You are assuming that Trubendz exhaust kits are crap because of the fit. Thats a little misleading. YOUR kit didn't go together as well or as easy as you wanted it to. For every 1 person that is dis-satisfied with their purchase, 5 or even 10 are happy with it. To say that Trubendz exhaust systems are crap, is a pretty ignorant statement. Try saying YOUR system isn't to your liking because...
Besides, Trubendz is the cheapest exhaust kti your going to find for these cars. So in essence, you bought the cheapest available, and you get what you pay for. (even though MOST people are completely happy with it) After all, Trubendz is the best bang for the buck exhaust kit.
ive read more about mis-fitment than ones that fit perfect.
I know it took me a good month or so before i was satisfied with the way the exhaust looks, and still the driver side is about 1/2" to far in.
So adjust it...lots of things you can do to fix a half inch.
And you know why you hear more about the bad ones...its because those with prefect kits have no need to make a post about it. So saying you read more bad than good is not a fair assumption. I get that you and the original poster had fitment issues, and that sucks. Nothing major where major modification has to be done to the kit, should have to be done. Little things like bending a hangar and adjusting how much pipe needs to be inserted into another for the perfect look, are pretty minor to me.
Originally posted by Pre98:
Take your fitment complaints elsewhere. Everyone's first impression is that an exhaust will slide together like bread and butter- but it doesn't.
I've installed/worked on Bassanis and Borla that slid together like bread and butter. 
Originally posted by GTO Pete:
Originally posted by Pre98:
Take your fitment complaints elsewhere. Everyone's first impression is that an exhaust will slide together like bread and butter- but it doesn't.
I've installed/worked on Bassanis and Borla that slid together like bread and butter.
I have also put together a few exhausts that go together perfectly. Im mean, ZERO issues.
I'm fairly tired of hearing about it is all I'm really saying. It's on the car, and fitment has been mentioned eleventy billion times already.
No need for an update about it every time someone buys a new Trubendz catback.
And a wonderful edit:
Originally posted by converted_gm:
Originally posted by Pre98:
Take your fitment complaints elsewhere. Everyone's first impression is that an exhaust will slide together like bread and butter- but it doesn't. The reason it doesn't is to ensure you don't have to crush the smooth mandrel bends with your overtightened clamps because one pipe is that much smaller than the other
You won't have any leaks now, that's for sure.
SOME people want to help others make an informed decision, and NOT end up buying some poorly thought out exhaust....800 dollars for that BS grief while putting it together...sorry is to some of us thats BS...you waste your money how you wish though, seen as our complaints dont matter...
Oh man, shut your [censored] face. If you had searched before you bought the [censored] thing, you would have realized some exhaust systems have fitment issues.
Originally posted by Pre98:
I'm fairly tired of hearing about it is all I'm really saying. It's on the car, and fitment has been mentioned eleventy billion times already.
No need for an update about it every time someone buys a new Trubendz catback.
And a wonderful edit:
Originally posted by converted_gm:
Originally posted by Pre98:
Take your fitment complaints elsewhere. Everyone's first impression is that an exhaust will slide together like bread and butter- but it doesn't. The reason it doesn't is to ensure you don't have to crush the smooth mandrel bends with your overtightened clamps because one pipe is that much smaller than the other
You won't have any leaks now, that's for sure.
SOME people want to help others make an informed decision, and NOT end up buying some poorly thought out exhaust....800 dollars for that BS grief while putting it together...sorry is to some of us thats BS...you waste your money how you wish though, seen as our complaints dont matter...
Oh man, shut your [censored] face. If you had searched before you bought the [censored] thing, you would have realized some exhaust systems have fitment issues.
Not to mention that Ford changed enough underneath the Contour over the years that some people couldn't even get the kit on without taking it to a shop for adjustment. The size/positioning of the gas tank rings a bell. I'd place as much blame on Ford as on Trubendz, if not more.
Wow. I'm having a such rough day so just bear with me, sorry.
The frequency of these threads just strikes a nerve with me. Never thought repeated threads would annoy me- I've become.. one of
them
Originally posted by GTO Pete:
...Borla that slid together like bread and butter.
Mine did, and this is the second or third car it's been on. So, Contour changes aside, some companies make exhaust that just fits. NOT to bash Trubendz, as I really like their product, but there is such a thing as a perfect-fit Contour exhaust.
My Borla would of melted my back bumper if I just mounted it as is.
The shop has to torch the pipes and pull inward towards the middle of the bumper. They were pressed hard against the side of the exhaust openings on the bumper.
im just waiting for my truebendz to arrive at my door. we'll see how it goes.. UPS is supposed to be here tomorrow with it.
what the best way to put them on, the clamps that they come with, or just weld it on?
i know welding is better but will the clamps be alright if i put tacky sealent around the pipes before i clamp?
You don't need sealant. Just clamp them.
I suggest you remove the old exhaust and slap up the trubendz pre assembled (w/out clamps) and get everything in its hangers. The adjust and use clamps as you get everything where you want it. THEN it wouldn't be a bad idea to go to an exhaust shop and have them weld it, or if you want to weld it yourself, drop the exhaust with clamps tightened, then weld, and remove clamps and put it back up. I am still running clamps on mine, with no leaks or issues of any kind.
Originally posted by CSVT1214:
The shop has to torch the pipes and pull inward towards the middle of the bumper. They were pressed hard against the side of the exhaust openings on the bumper.
So are my sisters. Have been since she got it. Luckily, no melting. I always bugged her about getting it fixed, but no joy. For sale now anyway.
For sale, and so far away
I got my exhaust last week.
the shipping out of 10 _8 (the box was holy like everyone else before me)
communication (considering i had nothing to comfirm. i can't really rate it, but once payment was received i was sent a tracking number.
sound and overall performance. 10 out of 10.
i got the trubendz non rez borla cat back. i love the sound, its not raspy at all. borla is supposed to be the second loudest they offer. flowmaster being the loudest.. but flowmasters have a very different sound.. (just sound raspy to start with)
we couldn't get it on ourselves, those two bolts on the flange were fuzed hard core by rust.. i had to bring it to my buddy's shop..
the left tailpipe hanger had to be removed and replaced, the tip didn't come out correctly otherwize.
and the muffler its self barely fit in place, he had to hit the heat sheild back and bend the pipe where the cat was to make it fit.