It looks like the seam just opened up. I'd take it to a muffler shop
and ask them to just reweld the seam. If the rest of the material is
so bad, that it can't be weleded, isn't it likely that a lot of the
exhaust system is close to failure as well? The biggist concern I
would have is whether or not you can find a shop experienced in
welding stainless steel. It might be worth talking to the service
writer at your local Lexus dealer. Is the system combletely welded
from the front catalytic convertors to the rear, or is there another
bolted joint behind the Y-pipe? You possibly could remove the Y-pipe
and take to an experienced welder. The Lexus catalog
(http://www.lexuspartsonline.com ) lists a seperate pipe for the front
pipe, you it is possible you could purchase that and have it welded
in. The cost is shown as $334 (see http://tinyurl.com/2h9g3t ).

Dean <deanbrown3d@yahoo.com> wrote in news:1177341730.157672.227980
@q75g2000hsh.googlegroups.com:

These appear to be factory exhaust parts, still installed on the car. The
silvery-colored heat shields are still present, which is how I know it's
still factory.

You have suffered a rust-through of the exhaust pipe due to internal
moisture. When this happens, it is a certainty that the rest of the system
is very close to being perforated as well.

It appears it took eleven years for your factory exhaust to hole itself.
Not bad at all.

What to do? All that is practical is to replace stuff. You can do this one
of two ways:

1) Cheap out, getting Monkeys-R-Us (The Cheap Exhaust Specialists) to cut
out and replace the worst bits, rip off the heat shields, and install
clamps, simian-quality welding and Chinese-quality steel.
Repeat every six to twelve months ad infinitum to have the next holey bit
replaced.

2) Bite the bullet and have the Toyota dealer install one-piece, top-
quality factory parts (with heat shields) to replace the old one-piece,
top-quality factory parts (with heat shields) that lasted eleven years.
Now forget about it for another eleven years.

Guess what my choice would be, and guess how I (a non-professional) might
arrive at such a decision?

I'll bet that once you get those shiny stainless heat shields off,
you'll find a very, very rotted exhaust system underneath. The portion
of the actual pipe that is visible looks HORRIBLE! If that's the case
then I wouldn't patch, I'd replace. Before any decision is made you need
to look at more of the system than what can be seen through that gap in
the heat shields.