As I shop for one of these, how 'big' is this concern? Do they 'all' crack?
How long have you owned it? 3 times seems pretty crazy and out of the ordinary. Mine has never and still is covered under the emissions warranty.
Both replacements were before me--I read about them in the mtc history when I bought it a year ago. 12k miles in its first 7 years, and 8k miles in the past year with me (virtually trouble free)
It looks like all the Mark Is (2005-07 roughly) will crack. Most likely long before 20K miles. The Mark IIs are much more reliable if not completely so. Some early cars had replacements with Mark Is and then ended up with Mark IIs when they failed. Mine were replaced in 2008. No problems with new ones. Dave
The exhaust bracket on my 2005 Spider 6 speed with 14,000 km broke 12 months ago, but the original headers had no crack. Changed brackets and header to Capristo.
Put me in the "out of the ordinary" category; on my 4th set. But then again, some cars are driven more than others 18k on my 2006 F1 Spider
These threads scare the crap out of me. I have a 2007 F1F430 with 6,500 miles and the original headers. Dealer says they are fine. I feel like I am just waiting for the bomb to go off.....
You are much better off than most because you have knowledge and knowledge is power. If you hear "ticking" "clicking" or heaven forbid any blunt trama from the engine bay. Shut her down and investiture carefully. When mine failed it was about 1 mile of driving with a ticking, then a loud clacking (metal on metal) for about 2 seconds before I selected "N", shut her down at speed, pulled off the road. I was so fast to react because of FChat and reading these types of threads, and it saved me from major engine repair. I should have been proactive and at least 1. Replaced the factory exhaust brackets with Capristo spring brackets for ~$600. I believe this is the source of the stress that causes the failure. or really should have also... 2. Replaced factory OEM garbage headers with aftermarket headers like Fabspeed or Capristo. The benefits are .a. piece of mind .b. much better sound .c. more HP/TQ
That is crazy I have an 06 with 16k miles I better have them looked at they have never been replaced.
I have an '06 spider. They have been replaced twice, the last time being in January 2012. I took the precaution of installing the Capristo brackets, but will likely add aftermarket headers at some point.
Stories like this made me buy the fabspeed headers and capristo brackets. The noise, HP and peace of mind are worth every penny.
Has it ever been explained how this design flaw occurred after the 355 issues? I appreciate the revs and heat but can it be that hard to design a proper set of exhaust manifolds?
My '06 430 coupe has the following stamped on the underside of each exhaust manifold: EM WUC 131-R on the right side manifold and EM WUC 131-L on the left. Anybody know if these are originals or are they replacements ?? Thx.
AFAIK, the Mark 1 are what came withe the 05, 06, 07 and some 08's 430. The Mark 2 are what the service bulletin calls for as replacement.
I think they are replaced for free as long as it happens under the allowed emissions warranty period. My date is approaching later this year.
According to my service records, my '07 430 Spider's manifolds cracked in 2011 with 5045 miles. So I'm assuming mine have been replaced with MKII's? If I have a one year Power warranty on my car, should I bother upgrading to Capristo brackets? Will this void my warranty? This topic comes up again and again. So much confusion over these damn headers!!!
Mine are MK2 and have done just over 13,000 miles on this set, i tried the Capristo brackets but unlike most i don't like / rate them so they got dumped.
I'm still on the mk1 but I'll replacing it next week just as an preventative measure...the added HP and sound help, too~
Just had my manifolds replaced on my '06 430 by the local dealer. I didn't hear, see or smell anything out of the ordinary (had the car for 4 yrs). But, because this issue is so widespread, I took it to the dealer recently and had them check it out. I had to initially pay for an exhaust system inspection, but they said they were cracked and replaced them for free under the 8 year warranty. I felt very lucky since the car is almost 8 yrs old. Since I only have ~10k miles on it, I was beginning to worry that I might have to pay for this repair in the near future. I did put on the Capristo springs last year and I hope this manifold set will last. Mad