Need to fix some holes i made above the silencer, through the insulation
 

Well guys i have a problem in my car...i wanted to put some screws and so i made some holes in here

(this is above the silencer (silencer its ok, no holes in there!), where we use to put the CD player) and things went wrong...i made a hole in the thermal insulation too....by mistake...
http://www.imagenic.net/images/exeitakotu1i23gzxuf.jpg

http://static.bmwfans.info/images/epc/MTAzMjhfcA==.png

its part number 12 on the picture above...

Now i need to fix these....i hope it is possible to fix like it wasnt there.....


I went to BMW dealer and they told me they could fix it soldering or welding (which one is the right term ??) the screws and the insulation since there is a hole in there they could also provide the needed resistance to the screws through the insulation

I am very very concerned with these stuff but i believe it can be fixed, am i right ?

My concerns are with the holes i made and since there is the silencer in here....would it be some gases from the silencer inside my car or could they insulate these and no problem ?

Can you please help me cause i am very worried with these thing....i guess it could be fixed without any problems in the future but....

Also, what kind of screws can i use in here since there will be a soldering /welding in here ?

Thanks a lot for all the help you could give me!

Back to stock, needs new parts. Welding up a hole and grinding it smooth will most likely set something on fire. You could go get some stainless steel nuts, bolts and washers that'll just fit through, and fit the holes tightly (go to ACE or something). Then dip 'em in high temp rtv and tighten them in. The bolts and washers alone should do the job but filling the crevices with the rtv will keep the bolts from ever coming loose and really seal where the bolts just can't. It's not the cleanest fix ever but it will make a functional repair. You'll most likely want to stick a small strip of heat insulation over the bolt heads in the car area though just to guard against heat transfer through the bolt heads depending on how close the exhaust they are. Oughta work

Man thanks! My big concern its with the exhaust gases...thats not a problem ??? I mean, apart from the bolts and stuff i really dont wanna have exhaust gases getting inside my car....what do you think of that ? THANKS!

That's why I suggest using the high temp RTV in the holes and on the bolts The bolts and washers SHOULD do it just fine but RTV will make sure it's fine and stays that way. And as long as your exhaust system doesn't have any leaks it's exiting past that point anyway. So again, should be ok.

But thats my real concern, if it has any leak, will the exhaust gases pass or they dont pass ? I mean, if i insulate, would they pass through the holes ?

Thanks a lot for your explanations!

If you goop the holes and bolts up with the RTV you should not have any exhaust leaks into your car, if your exhaust system already has leaks nothing is going to solve that aside from fixing the exhaust itself. Just out of curiosity WHY are you so concerned? Is there something else going on here?

MAn i am concerned since exhaust gases are dangerous, arent they ? Having them inside my car isnt good, am i right ?

Insulating the holes will avoid any exhaust gases from entering my car or not ? Thats my big concern

Thats my real concern. What do you think of that ? If i had some exhasut gases getting inside i will notice them ??

Thanks a lot for your explanations!!!!!!!

Yes, you are absolutely correct that exhaust gasses in your car are a bad thing. That is WHY I'm saying you need to goop the plug bolts with high temp RTV. It will seal and crevices and solidify the nuts/bolts so that you don't get any gasses in the car or bolts loosening up over time.

That being said, I have worked in closed shops where some bonehead has fired up a car and not hooked up and exhaust hose to it. After politely punching him in the nose, I hooked up the hose. How did I know? I could smell it and it was a very clean running car. You SHOULD be able to smell a leak but with holes that small I highly doubt you'll have a problem that is beyond oh say, driving with your windows down or sitting in traffic (and this is if you do nothing to fix it). If you're moving chances are you'd never know even if you had a leak and did nothing just due to the cars aerodynamics.

It is OK to be concerned but if you do a good repair job, let the stuff set up, maybe pour a little water on it and see if it leaks first after its dried, then you should have no troubles whatsoever. If your cars in good shape and properly maintained you shouldn't have any leaks in the exhaust system itself either. Do the fix, water test it, no leaks you're good to go. Check it in a week or two after you do it just to verify your work to make triply sure you did it right.

Today i went to BMW dealer,they will take a look at this and then tell me what they plan to do. I left some inox bolts with them but suggested that they evaluate first what they could do! First (some days ago after i explained what did happened), they suggested me to weld the bolts with the thermal insulation, but now they will look at the car to see which one is the best solution.

Whats the part above the silencer ? I mean, there is the silencer and above its another part, isnt it ? Which one is ? I am asking you this cause the silencer its the part before the exhaust pipe extension, right ? But above the silencer its another part isnt it ?? Catalyst ????? Isnt it ?

You are saying that having some exhaust gases inside would be noticed or not ?

Thanks a lot for your patience man and explainations!!!:thumbup

You should notice any exhaust gasses in your car. But you get exhaust gasses in your car in minute amounts anyway just by driving on a freeway or in traffic. Looks like you got it handled though, good luck with it.