Hi all,

New here, 2000 Legacy Outback Limited wagon, 2.5L MT. I'm hoping for a tip or two. I was informed by my dealer that I have a cracked y-pipe, and they wanted $380 to fix it (in addition to nearly $500 for brake work plus other stuff that I said NO to).

Been looking around and I've seen a Borla header, wondering if it contains this y-pipe and if it will work on my outback. I haven't crawled underneath yet to see for myself exactly where the crack is--hopefully I'll get to do that this weekend. So, the questions:

1) Will the Borla header work on the outback? Often those online catalogs list it for the 2.2L engine...does that matter?

2) How easy/difficult is it to install? I'm mildly handy (oil changes & brakes myself), but can't afford to kill my car in my driveway by getting in over my head.

3) I don't want a loud exhaust...I like free flowing stuff but not noisy. I suspect that headers alone won't add much sound...am I wrong?

4) Could I skip it for a while and have the crack welded shut?

Thanks a bunch for any insight!