Car damaged on highway

[supe]

The story:
Driving back from Kelowna, just passed Golden on a one way highway strip I was following a semi, probably too closely when I saw he drove over a pretty big rock. I didnt have time to stop or avoid it. Driving over this rock created some pretty horrendous noises. I quickly pulled over and saw this rock wedged in the middle of my car. I found another rock about 2-3 inches high and used it as a ramp to drive one of my wheels onto, luckily it was enough for me to unwedge the stuck rock.

The symptoms:
When I hit the highway again my whole exhaust system sounded a lot more rumbly with it being very loud at 2200 rpm on any gear. I kept an eye on my fuel economy closely but it doesnt seem affected. Other than that, the car seems to be driving fine. No leaks or any other mechanical damage is noticed.

Today I jacked up the car and took some pics. It looks like the cat is dented in. I couldnt find any punctures of any kind through the exhaust system. There is a pipe that looks like it got sandwiched pretty good.

The car:
2007 Nissan Altima

Conclusion:
So with that, any suggestions on how I should proceed? Any comments, questions or suggestions are all appreciated.

Pictures:

http://img59.imageshack.us/img59/7053/img9366q.jpg
http://img51.imageshack.us/img51/7105/img9367h.jpg
http://img405.imageshack.us/img405/3130/img9368r.jpg
http://img600.imageshack.us/img600/3961/img9369.jpg
http://img197.imageshack.us/img197/9401/img9370j.jpg

[88CRX]

Be grateful it didn't clip the oil pan!

Take it to an exhaust shop (carline) and they should be able to straighten out the hangers if it's rattling or anything. If not I'd just leave it, pretty sure my midpipe looks 10x worse then that from being so low :nut:

[KandabashiDevil]

If the noise is intolerable, buy a very subtle aftermarket system.

It will be much cheaper than an OEM replacement from Nissan.

[510-Trevor]

Call your insurance company and see if you are covered for this sort of accident.

Get it inspected by Carline or another reputable shop and see what your options are.

[dimi]

Just buy a cheap used OEM exhaust. Those should sell for dirt cheap, especially if the car is "modifiable" and people tend to go for aftermarket exhausts.

Don't call your insurance cause of an exhaust leak :facepalm:

[supe]

I'll take it to carline and get them to figure out the problem first, then maybe think about other exhaust upgrades.

Thanks everyone.

[duaner]

It damaged the resonator, not the cat, and the y-pipe. You'll want to buy this: Racingline Y-pipe (http://racinglineperformance.com/shop/pc/viewPrd.asp?idproduct=23&idcategory=20)

The OEM y-pipe has a horrendous flat section in it with a tight bend, which it looks like the rock squished down even more, close to the exhaust hanger. You'll get decent gains and better sound. I don't know how that would work if the pipe is damaged and not the cat. Technically a shop can only do it if the cat is bad.

A resonator will be cheap enough to replace. Carline should have some on hand or quick availability.

[g-m]

may as well remove the cat while you're fixing the resonator. Nobody likes a dirty cat

[Lucky97]

i actually have a y pipe if you interested. oem it came out on my 08

[CapnCrunch]

In the first pic it looks like your frame is bent?

[Zero102]

The frame isn't bent, there is a dent in a frame rail, but that is not really a big deal. Touch up any bare metal spots to prevent future rust problems using some spray-on or brush-on undercoating after cleaning the area.

[supe]

Quick update.

Big thanks to Lucky97 for selling me the part. My dad and I got it installed this weekend and everything is back to normal =)

Also big credit to beyond in general, otherwise I'd be out a few hundred. I'll have to pay it forward.

[Zero102]

Nice, thanks for the update :thumbsup:

[Lucky97]

glad i was able to help you out man!

[Toyota Racing]

My exhaust makes that sort of noise too. My dealership said I need to get my exhaust replaced for $400.