Borla headers and broken welds
04-25-2003, 09:43 AM
#16
Registered User
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Baltimore
Posts: 29
Car Info: 99 Impreza RS
I have Borla headers and cat-back system on my '99 RS and they work and sound awesome. They have been on there for over a year now and I have zero complaints. N/A you probably just got a bad set. As far as fitment I had no problems at all. My buddy and I put the whole system on in under 2 hours. I can tell you are not satisfied, but to anyone who is thinking about the Borla headers, I recommend them. My friend has an '02 WRX and he just put the MRT setup on. Yes, it is top quality heavy-duty stainless steel with nice welds, but the weight appears to be significantly heavier than the Borla system and I personally don't think it sounds as good as the Borla system.
04-25-2003, 10:42 AM
#17
Guest
Posts: n/a
borla headers
I have bren trying to decide on the right exaust system for my 98 RS for 2 years lol....i have heard pretty much every system and all the prices for them all and it pretty much comes down to what you want.....do you want pure power? do you want the BEST sound? or do you want some pipe but on a budget? MRT headers back is only around 700 dollars shipped!....its straight back design produces almost MAXIMUM amount of power available for prettty cheap,compared to other cat back systems + headers+cat.
BUT it doesnt sound as good as the ULTIMATE sound , borla headers, random tech cat, and stromung cat back, around 1350 shipped. Or do you just want some moderate sound for cheap...go to lous custom exaust, custom welded 2 1/4 cat back for 140 bucks , sounds good and is light on the wallet =)
o yea...the "boxer" sound u get from borla headers is something about the exaust impulse harmonics being inturupted by the different lengths in the headers. But if youare going turbo...I talked to a few guys at forced air technologies and they say the STOCK headers actualy alow the turbo to spool faster. they DONT recomend any aftermarket headers, as they have tryed ALL of them. SO....what do u want....POWER or SOUND ? =0)
BUT it doesnt sound as good as the ULTIMATE sound , borla headers, random tech cat, and stromung cat back, around 1350 shipped. Or do you just want some moderate sound for cheap...go to lous custom exaust, custom welded 2 1/4 cat back for 140 bucks , sounds good and is light on the wallet =)
o yea...the "boxer" sound u get from borla headers is something about the exaust impulse harmonics being inturupted by the different lengths in the headers. But if youare going turbo...I talked to a few guys at forced air technologies and they say the STOCK headers actualy alow the turbo to spool faster. they DONT recomend any aftermarket headers, as they have tryed ALL of them. SO....what do u want....POWER or SOUND ? =0)
Last edited by IllNastyImpreza; 04-25-2003 at 10:53 AM.
04-25-2003, 10:46 PM
#18
Registered User
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: ChicagoLand
Posts: 64
Car Info: 2.5rs with Eighteens!!!lol
WEll, actually if you wanted to have the ultimate in price versus performance, the Tech Works Engineering equal length header has got to be the way to go. After that you have to consider offerings from SYMS, JUN, HKS, and AQUA etc... as the "ultimate" AND most EXPENSIVE (but who really knows for sure if it is not more hype, than anything else, in that case?)
04-26-2003, 10:41 PM
#19
Guest
Posts: n/a
Hey Guys have any of you spoken "directly" with David Borla?? he sounds very sincere to back up his product. As far as quality with the NA headers I have no experince, but I have just installed one his new WRX turbo headers. The welding was of very high quality on this unit. And fitment was very good.
Nick
Nick
04-26-2003, 11:05 PM
#20
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iTrader: (12)
Join Date: Nov 2002
Location: Reno, NV
Posts: 18,369
Car Info: 1993/2000/2001 GF4 mostly red
Borla has indeed been extremely good about backing their products and trying to maintain a presence in the community. The problem is, the Subaru apps just don't have very good quality control or something. The material is good, but they are either poorly engineered or poorly constructed. At some point, nearly everyone has had a crack or a leak. The good part is, Borla will either fix it, or in many cases, reimburse you to have it welded locally. Besides, for $300 and great sound, it's still not a bad deal.
04-28-2003, 11:54 AM
#21
Guest
Posts: n/a
I bought my Borla Headers for 270 shipped from www.ptuning.com. I didn't notice that much in the way of power gains, but I also have to do something about the stock cats before I get my cams. The sound is pretty awesome though coupled with my rattling Stromung Catback. 
Anyone know how to get rid of the rattle on warmup? I have Kartboy Exhaust hangers, and they did the trick for a month.
Anyone know how to get rid of the rattle on warmup? I have Kartboy Exhaust hangers, and they did the trick for a month.
05-04-2003, 07:10 PM
#23
Guest
Posts: n/a
hmmm...i just got my borla header installed on satuday. took 20 minutes at the shop. fit perfectly with no problems. it sounds like a monster, and it works well with my apex n1 cat back exhaust. i can feel some gain after 3500rpm. i also have rallispec fastroad cams, injen cai, magnecroe sparks/wires, unorthodox racing pulleys, and more. im thinking about getting a hgih flow cat now... or a test pipe so yea, the borla header is working fine with me.
so yea, the borla header is working fine with me.
05-10-2003, 08:27 AM
#24
Forester Specialist
iTrader: (3)
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: Sonoma County
Posts: 3,985
Car Info: '98/'04 Foresters (S & XT)
Please cut it out!!
Originally posted by david borla
I want to be very clear about this. We will not stop until you have a product that you are satisfied with!!! However, It's up to you to contact us as we cannot contact you. Please give us a chance and call customer service. It's a free call!! 877-GO-BORLA. Ask for Richard or Gabriel.
I want to be very clear about this. We will not stop until you have a product that you are satisfied with!!! However, It's up to you to contact us as we cannot contact you. Please give us a chance and call customer service. It's a free call!! 877-GO-BORLA. Ask for Richard or Gabriel.
I went to the Borla factory (as I live literally within 2.5 driving miles) when I first bought my Forester, and asked if they had headers for it. I was assured that they were taking delivery of a Subaru Forester test vehicle that week to fit them.
I called Borla about a month before I purchased the headers, and I believe I talked to a person named Alejandro(?). Because I had heard rumors of fitment issues, and I live so close to the factory, I decided to see if they would install them for me. He assured me that if I bought them from a Borla dealer, that he had someone from the factory that would install them.
Well, I called Renick Subaru, and confirmed with them that the headers they have would fit my Forester. They assured me that the sales representative that sold them a LARGE quantity of these indicated that it would fit ANY 2.5 liter engine of the Impreza/Legacy platforms. The Forester is an Impreza with different body panels attached. The engine layout the exhaust setup, and all fitment are EXACTLY the same.
Well, I went to have the headers installed at a local muffler shop, assuming (which made an a$$ of Borla and me) that they were bolt-on. They weren't.
I went back to Borla, looking to have them make good on the promise to install these headers. The person who I originally spoke to doesn't seem to be there anymore.....(maybe he was making promises Borla can't keep). I was told that they NEVER designed ANY headers for the Forester platform, they would not even look at my car, and would do NOTHING for me!!
I went in person and got the same RUDE A$$HOLE who basically told me the same thing in person with the attitude of....."Didn't you F***ing get it when I told you on the phone??"
"We don't ever do custom work here, and we never said it would fit a Forester. If you do anything to modify the headers, it will void the warranty." To his credit, he finally spat out a name of a custom race shop in the Valley, whose number he didn't have, but he'd call me with it, that does custom work. He never called back with the number, but I got it from 411.
The only thing that needed to be done is to dent the one header pipe by about 1/4" to clear the oil cooler on the engine. I was willing and able to pay a couple hundred bucks to see this done right, by the factory, and maybe the warranty would be there.
Well, now I'm getting rid of these. Does nothing but add noise, and there are obviously no performance gains to be had!!
If you wish to respond, David Borla, you can PM me, and I'll send you my phone #'s, and since I'm local, I can come in.
To the rest of you, I just want to let you know how they do business. Make your own judgement!!
Last edited by Roo; 05-10-2003 at 08:44 AM.
05-10-2003, 08:57 AM
#25
Registered User
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Join Date: Nov 2002
Location: Reno, NV
Posts: 18,369
Car Info: 1993/2000/2001 GF4 mostly red
To be honest Roo, this is the first instance I've heard of a problem with the company rather than the product. I've never once seen the Forester listed as an application of he headers, even though in theory they should work. As far as few power gains... well, yeah. Nobody said they're worth X horsepower. Dyno will probably show about 4-6 at the wheels strictly from the headers. It seems more like you were the victim of a disgruntled (or desperate) employee. Also, I've never heard of any manufacturer that was willing to do custom work.
05-10-2003, 09:27 AM
#26
Forester Specialist
iTrader: (3)
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: Sonoma County
Posts: 3,985
Car Info: '98/'04 Foresters (S & XT)
Well, to simplify.....
Here are the main issues I have with Borla.
1. When I first contacted them, they assured me they were just in the final stages of fitment on a Forester. I offered to let them use mine (thinking I might get a discount on them??), and they told me they were taking delivery within the week on a dealer supplied Forester.
2. They mis-inform the Dealer to sell more product. The Forester platform is basically the Impreza platform with a couple of really minor differences (excluding body style). I figured in the year and a couple of months that I had waited (from #1), that they would have ironed out any fitment issues, etc., and when they assure the dealer that it fits xxx, that indeed it will.
3. Customer service sucks, and company does not back up promises made by employees. The person (Alejandro?) that I talked to assured me that they would install these headers, and most likely it would be installed by a tech in the R&D department, so that any fitment issues that I was concerned with would be able to be resolved quickly.
4. Attitude adjustments are needed at that company. When someone calls, is local, and is willing to come in, pay pretty good money ($200-$300) to get this installed (only costs $295), and am told to go pound sand (in different words, but attitude, and "I told you on the phone........") really goes a long way towards bad customer relations.
If I were them, I would have gone ahead, installed them, charged me a couple hundred, and learned something from the install that they could use to make more money. It would have had me singing their praises, how they went out of their way, etc., and I would have recommended them to anyone who asked. As it is, I would recommend these to hmm.....no one.
I was the guinea pig for several Forester owners who were looking to see how these worked in order to see if it would suit them. I have since told most of them how Borla does business, and hopefully they will follow my advice, and look elsewhere for performance headers.
I'm sure I'll never hear from 'David Borla' or anyone else from this company, other than maybe an attorney telling me to cease and desist slandering them. BTW, I'm not slandering, just telling the facts the way that they happened.
-Gregory
1. When I first contacted them, they assured me they were just in the final stages of fitment on a Forester. I offered to let them use mine (thinking I might get a discount on them??), and they told me they were taking delivery within the week on a dealer supplied Forester.
2. They mis-inform the Dealer to sell more product. The Forester platform is basically the Impreza platform with a couple of really minor differences (excluding body style). I figured in the year and a couple of months that I had waited (from #1), that they would have ironed out any fitment issues, etc., and when they assure the dealer that it fits xxx, that indeed it will.
3. Customer service sucks, and company does not back up promises made by employees. The person (Alejandro?) that I talked to assured me that they would install these headers, and most likely it would be installed by a tech in the R&D department, so that any fitment issues that I was concerned with would be able to be resolved quickly.
4. Attitude adjustments are needed at that company. When someone calls, is local, and is willing to come in, pay pretty good money ($200-$300) to get this installed (only costs $295), and am told to go pound sand (in different words, but attitude, and "I told you on the phone........") really goes a long way towards bad customer relations.
If I were them, I would have gone ahead, installed them, charged me a couple hundred, and learned something from the install that they could use to make more money. It would have had me singing their praises, how they went out of their way, etc., and I would have recommended them to anyone who asked. As it is, I would recommend these to hmm.....no one.
I was the guinea pig for several Forester owners who were looking to see how these worked in order to see if it would suit them. I have since told most of them how Borla does business, and hopefully they will follow my advice, and look elsewhere for performance headers.
I'm sure I'll never hear from 'David Borla' or anyone else from this company, other than maybe an attorney telling me to cease and desist slandering them. BTW, I'm not slandering, just telling the facts the way that they happened.
-Gregory
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