Muffler - 94 Accord

I need to replace the muffler on my Accord. My local independent
Honda/Acura shop says they can do the standard "bolt-on"
Honda muffler, but it would cost $250 installed.

Does their term "bolt-on" mean the muffler could be replaced by a
normal handy human being who does not have welding equipment, but
who could order the part from one of the online parts houses?

Or, is there any particular reason not to just use one of the
aftermarket muffler shops at perhaps $100?

 

An OEM muffler will last the longest. Yes, a normal or even
abnormal person can handle this without welding equipment.
See the drawing at
http://www.bkhondaparts.com/billkay/jsp/prddisplay.jsp?catcgry1=ACCORD&catcgry2=1994&catcgry3=4DR+LX&catcgry4=KA5MT&catcgry5=EXHAUST+PIPE+%282%29&ListAll=All&vinsrch=no&systemcomp=Electrical%2FExhaust%2FHeater%2FFuel&prdrefno=&quantity=0&act=&count=0&hidSwitch=Switch&hidIrno=%7C002

Given the OEM price is about $150, I would do it myself.
Though I confess on my 91 Civic, I have used aftermarket
muffler shops a few(!) times for that $80 special they
always seem to have. The aftermarkets just do not last long,
though. The latest muffler is from a junkyard; is OEM; and I
think has over 150k miles on it. Cost me $30, which I think
was overpriced, but I did not have the time to shop around
at other junkyards. Of course, one has to have a sense of
humor to buy a muffler from a junkyard. This muffler is over
a year old and doing great, though. My doggone old Honda
will not die yet I refuse to spend serious money on it.

 

If you plan to keep your Accord for a while, the $250 part +
installation may be worthwhile (especially if you live in the rust
belt). The replacement Honda muffler comes with lifetime parts/
installation warranty. Just make sure that the invoice from the
dealership states free installation in addition to the lifetime
muffler replacement warranty.

 

wrote in :

And keep that invoice handy! Put the invoice in your glove box.

Unless you're a regular at the dealership, you may be denied warranty
coverage if you don't have the invoice. They archive their records after a
certain length of time, and may be unable to look up the invoice in their
system when you eventually do need the job done.

Warranty replacement should cost you not one dime for anything at all.

OEM mufflers are the very best there are for your Honda, and will last by
far the longest. Plus they fit the best.

 

I replaced the mufflers and some other exhaust pipes on my 95 and 93
Civics myself, and it was easy. The best deals on quality exhaust
parts for Hondas of this vintage can be found at rockauto.com. who
even have Honda exhaust system parts. Right now, they have a 5%
discount coupon. Their customer service is second to none.

 

Peabody says...

Thanks for the replies.

I should have explained in the beginning - my 94 Accord has 60k
miles on it, and a lot of that is short hauls of a couple miles or
less. So it's no wonder the muffler has died.

But, you know, at 4k miles per year, I just wonder if the
aftermarket muffler wouldn't be good enough. Unless, of course,
they just don't fit right.

 

short-haul kills mufflers because they don't get hot enough to burn out
acids and moisture. cheapo mufflers die /way/ sooner than oem, so the
economy of their purchase is somewhat false.

 

I've been doing research on finding the Honda muffler
online, but am a bit confused by having too many options.

Every site I go to shows two options for this muffler,
showing either the old or new numbers or a mixture of the
two:

18030-SV1-A30 -- replaced by 18030-SV1-505

18030-SV4-A30 -- replaced by 18030-SV4-405

But there's no indication how I tell which one I need. One
possibililty is that the SV1 numbers are for US-made Hondas,
and the SV4 are for Japanese-made Hondas. But even if
that's true, I can't tell if the parts are in fact
different.

Then just to be contrary, hondaautomotiveparts.com uses part
numbers 4878277 and 4878371.

Can someone shed light on this please?


If it matters, the car is:

1994 Honda Accord LX 4-dr sedan, 49-state em., AT

It has the single exhaust pipe.

 

bkhondaparts.com shows the prices to be the same for these
two parts. I have had this happen before with other parts.
The online OEM dealers always tell me they are the same
part; no difference. I do not know why this duplication
occurs. I asked once and there was no explanation, other
than IIRC something about Honda changes its part numbers
from time to time as some sort of adaptation to new models
that come out. I guess it is possible the source
manufacturer changed, too. Maybe it is a way to optimize
inventorying. This point comes up often at honda-tech.com
and no one bats an eyelash.