Rust Stains in 2009 Forester

billyb

I noticed that my 9 month old Forester with less than 12,000 miles started staining my driveway and garage with what looks like rust.
Looking closely I noticed the exhaust pipe in between the 2 mufflers is completely rusted and this is where the rust drips must be coming from.
Anyone have any problem with rust spots from underneath your Forester. I live in NE Ohio.

xwesx

How long are the trips you take, on average? Short trips of just a few miles will often result in premature corrosion of the exhaust system due to water buildup inside the pipes & mufflers.

billyb

Home to work is about 20 minutes (15 miles) back and 15 miles forth. Of course there are other potential stops like groceries and gas stations, etc. which add to time and mileage.
A few long trips (several hours) are also taken once in a while.
Does that answer your question?

xwesx

Yeah - distance is not the problem, it may be salt that is the more likely culprit perhaps combined with poor materials. The location of the dual mufflers really put them in harm's way for road spray.

I put 220,000 on a '96 Outback and the exhaust system still looked fantastic (it was even shiny!), but that one was stainless steel, and I seriously doubt they still use those given the massive jump in price over the last fifteen years. Oh, I should also mention that my commute was nearly identical to yours (15 miles).

It is those really short ones (0-4 miles or so) that can chew up an exhaust system real quick.

p0926

I had a 1990 Jeep that I bought new in 1992, rust ate totally thru the exhaust before I had it a year! Probably because it had sat on the dealer lot and been thru numerous short test drives.

-Frank

billyb

I just assumed the Forester had stainless steel exhaust. Is this not the case?

ateixeira

That's long enough that any condenstation will burn off and evaporate.

It's the short trips that kill an exhaust, where the exhaust doesn't even get a chance to warm up properly.

xwesx

Well, even though I have 2010 Forester, I am not sure of the exhaust materials. The exhausts were SS back in the late '90s, but then the cars came standard with many items that are now options, so cost cutting is the name of the game these days.

It should be covered within the emissions warranty, shouldn't it?

ateixeira

I'm not sure either, to be honest. I googled it and was buried in hundreds of ads for aftermarket stuff.