Muffler Louder

Q: My car is louder than it was a couple of years ago, but I don’t see any visible holes in the exhaust system. What might be the problem?

A: Inside most mufflers are baffles. The baffles help reduce noise. Since mufflers rust from the inside out, it is most likely that your muffler is worn out. When replacing the muffler, you may also consider replacing the intermediate pipe (the pipe between the muffler and the catalytic converter) and the tailpipe. Replacing all of these components at once makes installation much easier as compared to only replacing the muffler.