I have been reading and seeing that some people have actually encountered the same problem that I have right now. The bolts and gaskets for the midlength header/dp combo are simply too weak. I know these were recently upgraded but Mine literally snapped in half the first 50 miles I drove it. The other one snapped later that night. One or the other broke my gasket it the process. Please fix this problem as there are many of us who have obnoxious exhausts because of it.

If you have had this problem with bolts or gaskets from ZZP, testify here so that our future cobalt friends wont have the same trouble.

mine broke, but i spent less than 2 dollars to buy better bolts. not worth complaining about, go to home depot, spend $1.35 and get some heavy duty bolts :lol:

Yep, a common problem.

I was able to fit 1/2" bolts in all of my holes. I recommend that for everyone who I see is buying their header/dp combo before they install.

mine broke, but i spent less than 2 dollars to buy better bolts. not worth complaining about, go to home depot, spend $1.35 and get some heavy duty bolts :lol:

Yeah, it really is worth complaining about. If people don't know about this, regardless if it is $2.00 worth of hardware, you still have to rip everything apart and replace them, it's a pain in the ass. If they would just ship the stuff with the right hardware, there wouldn't be an issue.

replacing them at home depot is fine and dandy...and thats what im prolly going to do when i order. but the principle is it should come with everything it needs to be reliable in the first place...and its not like its going to cost them much more to fix it, do it right the first time!

replacing them at home depot is fine and dandy...and thats what im prolly going to do when i order. but the principle is it should come with everything it needs to be reliable in the first place...and its not like its going to cost them much more to fix it, do it right the first time!

i agree. i just thought it was more common that people knew that the bolts they send suck, and not to use them. but tons of people snap their bolts, and they should be upgraded by ZZP.

So does Home Depot also have stronger Gaskets? ..............pretty sure home depot doesn't have those in stock, buddy. And well put, why should I need to drive to home depot for these bolts, it would cost zzp less (buying in bulk), so it would cost them probably 1.00 per unit. Its about customer satisfaction

So does Home Depot also have stronger Gaskets? ..............pretty sure home depot doesn't have those in stock, buddy. And well put, why should I need to drive to home depot for these bolts, it would cost zzp less (buying in bulk), so it would cost them probably 1.00 per unit. Its about customer satisfaction

for me its not so much about cost...i could care less about 5 bucks on bolts...but, it is however about principle...if i make something and sell it to joe blow im not going to give him a half assed setup. I mean, yes..their exaust parts are nice...im going to be running them...but the kit as a whole is a half assed job if the first thing you have to do is replace parts they send you...like i said, just do it right the first time and send bolts / gasket that will do the job for the life of the parts!

Yep, I got the same shitty bolts but I upgraded before i put it on, You need 1/2 inch bolts instead.

I just ordered the combo. I'm going to run out to home depot this weekend before I get it installed. What need to be replaced, just the bolts?

Bolts, nuts and washers. The freckin send out aluminum washers, i couldn't believe that.

mine snapped. just pick up some new ones from lowe's or home depot!

I went through the same thing, the bolts snapped after 15 minutes while waiting in a drive thru for some grub. It ended up breaking the gasket so the cheap bolts ended up costing me ~30 bucks. I would def get stronger bolts, DON'T INSTALL THE ONES THEY GIVE YOU. I see these posts all the time ZZP should add an upgrade option to 1/2 inch bolts or supply them.

thx
-Brad

yeah this is crazy, so glad I clicked on this post, thanks guys.

My bolts have been fine. I could have sworn that zzp said in the group buy that they upgraded the bolts. Ha MfZx25z i definetly saw your car in the la fitness parking lot last week on street road. By the way i went to impo to get dynoed and got fucked royally, the dude apparently got drunk the night before and never showed up. needless to say i'll never be going back there. oh well

Mine broke as well. I got 1/2in. bolts from Lowes and they have worked perfectly.



The quality of the pieces was excellent; the bolts were the only real problem i encountered.

Kind of sad, I heard they had upgraded these bolts. I guess not. Why bother sending bolts at all if they are just going to fuck everything up. Glad I avoided this. That last bolt is a fukin nightmare.

They upgraded the quality of the bolt, but the bolt itself is still way too small for the size of holes in the exhaust. I was able to go up 2 full sizes from 3/8" (what they shipped) to 1/2".

My bolts have been fine. I could have sworn that zzp said in the group buy that they upgraded the bolts. Ha MfZx25z i definetly saw your car in the la fitness parking lot last week on street road. By the way i went to impo to get dynoed and got fucked royally, the dude apparently got drunk the night before and never showed up. needless to say i'll never be going back there. oh well

Damn bro I'm sorry for that they are usually pretty good for me. I feel like a dick for recommending you there, my bad.

My apologies to those affected. We bought the new 'upgraded' bolts from McMaster and here is there description:

Our strongest cap screws, these are great in severe service environments. They are made of high-grade alloy steel and are zinc yellow-chromate plated for rust resistance. Similar to PFC9, Tru-Torq, and Bow Malloy, these Grade 9 screws are head marked L9 (they are also known as L9 screws) and have a minimum tensile strength of 180,000 psi, which is significantly higher than the standard for Grade 8 cap screws. Screws also have a Class 2A thread fit. Screw heads are approximately 15-20% higher with the same head width as standard cap screws. Rockwell hardness is C38-C42. Length is measured from under head. Screws indicated with a † are always fully threaded. For best results, use with Grade 9 nuts

Maybe they sent us defective parts?

Zoomer, I don't think it is as much the a problem with the quality of the bolt as it is the size of the bolt. Like I have said, I was able to fit 2 full sizes larger into all of the holes. Instead of sending out 3/8" stuff, you should be sending out at least 7/16", if not 1/2". I went with 1/2" and it fit perfectly. With all that wiggle room with the 3/8" bolt, there is a much larger chance for problems.

Also the aluminum washers that are getting sent out are a big no-no. You should be using the same grade 9 or grade 8 washers.

Just my opinion.

yea, the washers look like one of those chinese hats when you take them off.

I just got mine today and there steel bolts.

I just got mine today and there steel bolts.

yeah...but i think the consensous is that they need to be a bigger diameter, about 1/2, and need to come with matched grade washers

Yeah I'm still going to go out and buy better ones.

Damn bro I'm sorry for that they are usually pretty good for me. I feel like a dick for recommending you there, my bad.

Its kool dude. Its not your fault.