Thanks for clearing that up, Stan.

Do you know exactly what they do make in-house?

Nearly everything ASM makes is outsourced to specialized companies for each specific part so they can utilize the most advanced tooling and manufacturing technique proprietary to each kind of part. This is the case with most JDM tuners such as Mugen and Spoon. As such, the ASM S-Special 70mm & 60mm exhausts {u]were[/u] outsourced and manufactured by a separate company in Japan. The unique design of the ASM S-Special exhaust makes it very quiet and produce a good amount of power but also creates a weak spot in the muffler that is prone to rattling when the exhaust wears over time. ASM has tried to resolve the issue with updated and new configurations but the same problems continue to occur on a small percentage of their exhausts over time so that is why they have stopped making the S-Special exhausts completely. Also due to the fact that packed mufflers get louder over time, ASM now solely produces the Siren exhausts which are manufactured by a different company and the quality of those is like nothing you've ever seen. Because many people in Japan have been trading in their S-Special exhausts for the Siren and we've requested ASM to continue making the S-Special, ASM has been refreshing used exhausts and repairing them with fresh front resonators and retrofitting the design changes. Most of these exhausts come to us because there is still a market for them here in the US but not so much so in Japan and we're able to offer them at a much lower price than a completely new unit.

Now that I've explained the situation you're probably wondering what we can do about the situation. What we've done for done for customers in the past who have purchased the exhausts from us or from one of our authorized dealers who haven't gray-marketed the exhaust is offered a replacement re-newed exhaust in exchange, free of charge. We have to eat the cost of shipping the exhaust back to Japan to get re-newed and wait months before getting it back. This is one of the many reasons why consumers should choose to buy from authorized sources. We try to support all the brands we carry and work with the manufacturers to offer a reasonable solution. If you got your exhaust from who knows where, all we can do is offer to sell you a new ASM front resonator and almost any muffler shop can cut off and weld in a the new one. However, I have heard people say that when they cut off the front resonator to repair it, it is usually just a small break in an internal weld and can repair the existing resonator without much trouble. Many times the cost of shipping the exhaust back to us will end up being more than getting the resonator repair locally so that should be kept in mind.

I have to admit that the S-Special exhausts meet the design expectations of ASM by being quiet while still producing power and have a high quality build but have not met the reliability requirement you can usually expect from ASM. This is obvious the main reason why they have discontinued the exhaust. The majority of exhausts do last for a long period of time without any problems but there are just some rotten apples that develop a problem.

-Aaron

That right there is reason enough for me to give you my money when it comes time for me to purchase an exhaust. It's nice to know there are still vendors out there who give a damn about their customers. :thumbup:

I recently called to see if it was possible to purchase a new front resonator and was told that it was not possible. Is it possible?

I apologize for that. I didn't notify everyone in the office that we had them in stock so they weren't aware replacements were even available. Please call back again if you're in need of one. And just fyi, we aren't making any money off the replacement resonators, we're selling them at our cost with no profit margin while forking out the money to stock them for people that didn't purchase them through dealers.

:spitcoffee: you are completely ignorant. china imports a big portion of steel from big 3 these days.

:thumbup: gotuning for the support and service.

If you don't qualify for a free replacement from GoTuning i would just get the resonator re-welded/repaired as Aaron suggested. I've seen a lot of different brands of exhausts and 99% of the resonators develop rattles due to a broken inner baffle/piping. The perforated piping is very weak since it has so many holes across the surface area, allowing cracks to form easily due to constant vibration. Cut the resonator off and have it repaired and take the opportunity to improve on it, maybe with a different/stronger inner baffle.

I think my resonator is rattling....... I have the titanium version though.....

bought the refurbished version of ASM 70mm from GoTuning a while ago,
after about 1000 miles it developed same problem OP is suggesting.
I got tired of the rattle and just cut off the resonator.
Now the exhaust is 'non-resonated' and I no longer have that nasty rattle.
Still very quiet under normal city driving under 3500 rpms, but it sounds much, much better now under WOT from 4000~redline.
No drone on freeway crusing speeds at all.

If you can live without the resonator with slightly increased volume, I highly suggest just cutting off the resonator and weld a pipe in place.
I spent $40 and I am more than happy although I still miss my old Amuse.