<p>Someone hit us 4 cars that were stopped. Not too much damage but I notices the exhaust pipe is a little loose, hanging lower by about 1-2 inches. Can I still drive until the insurance claim is settled?</p>
<p>Keep the window down in case the exhaust is leaking.</p>
<p>Also, that could be a very cheap fix–so I’d get it checked before you assume you need to wait for the insurance claim.</p>
<p>Is the sound from the exhaust noticeably louder after the accident?</p>
<p>If so, then the impact most likely broke a connection somewhere within the exhaust system.</p>
<p>See if by kneeling or laying down you can visually examine the exhaust system to try and see if anything is obviously disconnected or broken. Be careful if the car has just been run, the pipes are hot.</p>
<p>A damaged exhaust MAY allow carbon monoxide into the passenger compartment, and you might smell the exhaust gases (the carbon monoxide itself is undetectable by scent). There is a potential for death, but is unlikely while the car is moving at speed. Prolonged idling in traffic with windows closed is a no-no.</p>
<p>If there is no noticeable break in the pipes, it could be a broken, bent exhaust hanger bracket, or the pipe itself got deformed by the impact.</p>
<p>If you want to be really sure, take it to Midas/Meineke or similar chain. They’ll do a no charge no obligation exhaust inspection.</p>
<p>Whether you wish to drive it is really a convenience rather than safety factor if you are prudent about it if the exhaust positioning is the only issue.</p>
<p>If it falls off don’t pick it up until it has a chance to cool. I made that mistake once.</p>
<p>Thank you for the replies. I don’t notice it much louder or smell exhaust. At the moment I don’t trust my senses. Imagination is playing a trick on me. I’ll take it in to get the pipe looked at. I think we do have a meineke nearby. Thank you.</p>
<p>Back when I was in college (early 80s) my tailpipe pulled away from the muffler. Daddy clamped a spinach can between the two and I drove it like that for quite some time before I had it repaired. And that only happened because the entire muffler fell off and we hitched it back up to get to the mechanic with an old electrical cord. To this day, I feel like I get bonus points in home repair if I can fix a problem with materials on hand and avoid a trip to the hardware store.</p>
<p>Sounds good. I could ducktaped it!</p>
<p>You’re right Iglooo, I’m sure there was some duct tape involved in the engineering.</p>
<p>Don’t be surprised if the duct tape burns off the first time you drive it. Exhaust systems generate tremendous heat. </p>
<p>Hope it’s nowhere near your gas tank or a run of electrical wiring.</p>
<p>Rather than using duct tape (which will fail on an exhaust pipe) you could visit an auto parts store and buy some parts to possibly repair the area. They usually have this in the displays in a muffler/tailpipe repair section. It’s cheap. </p>
<p>But if you don’t want to crawl under the car and see exactly what the damage is, do what violadad suggested and take it to a muffler shop or another auto repair shop. You don’t want something to fall off, possibly causing an accident behind you, or an exhaust leak, which is dangerous if it enters the cabin. This fix at the muffler shop should be inexpensive as well unless there’s a major issue.</p>
<p>Thank you, dads. Without your warning, I might have carried the duck tape repair. Whew! I am going over to the bodyshop this morning to get the appraisal for the insurance. While there, I’ll have them do something about it. One more question; After a collision, is the car’s structure compromised? If I get hit again, would the car be less able to withstand the impact?</p>
<p>Whether the stuctural components were damaged or not totally depends on the specific damage. The only way to tell is to have a competent body shop evaluate the damage. A lot of damage doesn’t affect the real structure and can be fairly easily repaired. Aside from additional impact issues, damage to certain structural components can cause alignment problems. Again, a competent body shop should be able to ascertain the real damage. From your OP it sounded more like a minor tap than a major hit.</p>
<p>I took it to the dealership. They worked on the exhaust pipe. Just had to be reattached. I will talk to the bodyshop there soon. Thank you.</p>