I've had several remarks in various threads, so thought I'd create a new one to bring them together.
I found the absolute last shop in town that would touch my car, and today they finally did the work. They replaced stock muffler with a MagnaFlow that has a built-in cut-out on each side of the car. It's a much smaller version of essentially what we have stock. For those in Austin, it was Meineke muffler on 183 at McNeil.
Surprisingly, it's really not that much louder. The butterflies work perfectly, and quiet mode - despite mufflers being so tiny - is similar to stock. Loud - which is purportedly a straight pipe - is noticeably louder, but just enough to notice.
Deceleration pops are particularly nicer
Done for $750 (plus tax) out the door.
Recommendation - save your $$ and patience and ignore the ridiculously priced kits by the big names in aftermarket "performance" exhaust. Now that I know what this is like, I would have foregone the adjustability and made this SO much easier and likely cheaper. Straight pipes from the axle back are perfectly livable. It does not encroach on the stereo or conversation with a passenger.
The exhaust valve CEL did fire. We reset it, but it came on again on a short trip later. When I pulled the fuse it did the same thing, but then reset itself. I'll keep an eye on this...
Now I'm thinking about the Kooks for the full effect.....
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