Good Morning. A friends 1996 Audi A4 B5 1.9 TDI (AFN I think) developed noisy exhaust and examination shows it has snapped off just after the cat element. The converter is quite new - still has paper label on it and while maybe 5% of the holes in the gauze are blocked (haven't touched them) and I am wondering if it is less than rocket science to weld the thing back together ?

The pain is that I cannot reach the cat's bottom flange with my mere human arms so was thinking of sacrificing - chopping off - the £11 connecting pipe between the cat and the centre silencer and bolting the rewelded cat to a new connecting pipe before offering this up to the turbo outlet flange. I figure it will be easier to join the connecting pipe to the centre silencer under the car than trying to get the connecting pipe / cat flange bolted up.

Is this a dumb idea? I only have a domestic garage, trolley jack and axle stands to access under the car. Poverty is an element here. Exhaust place wants £160 to replace cat and connecting pipe, parts place will sell new cat and connecting pipe for £84, but if cat can be welded back together I could get by with just a new £11 connecting pipe plus the cost of the welding.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions / advice.

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