Just adding my experience on this topic. My V6s is now 7 years old and recently one of the active exhaust valves failed, resulting in horrible rattling and half of the system loud all the time. Seems like all the older systems at least will fail at some point, don’t know if later system components were higher quality.
I’ve only found two UK firms that cut out and weld in replacement stainless steel components at much less cost than OEM back box: Tony Banks in Leeds who seems to have been doing this for some time, and Mod-Stock in Ewell. I live in the south east so got mine done by the latter. Chris at Mod-Stock is ordering in these replacement valves in the hundreds so assume this is an increasingly common problem.
Very happy that my exhaust now sounds original again!
