Is the downpipe neck broken a common problem ?

[ninsei]

Hi. On my 2000 VW Beetle 1.8T APH, I'm in the middle of replacing the stock downpipe/CAT cause the metal neck of the downpipe is broken. The part near the turbo, between the turbo and the flexible part of the pipe. The part alone is $600.00 and it's upsetting cause the CAT itself is fine, but that's what you pay for. Now I heard this exact thing happened to a friend of mine with a similar year Audi A4 1.8T. That mechanic said the dogbone mount was shot, caused too much engine play/stress on the downpipe. So I look at my stock dogbone mount ('replaced about 20000 miles ago) and sure enough the small cylidrical bushing doesn't look so great. I guess I'll replace that too.

[Beetlecup]

There is after market down pipes that are cheaper with cats. Might give you a few extra hp also.