Schump

I just got my nice, big pink inspection sticker after getting new front tires today. They said I need a new manifold to cat pipe as it's rusted "too much to weld" by the 02 bung and perhaps elsewhere. Haven't crawled underneath yet to see if the rest of the pipe is shot or not. They also said I need a tie rod end, but I'm guessing OEM is the best way to go there (are there even aftermarket tie rod ends, and if so, worth the $$ saving?) Where do yall get exhaust pipes from?

Being that mine is a 92 Delux 4WD extra cab w/ 181.5k/500k on the clock, any recommendations as to sourcing a manifold to cat exhaust pipe and tie rod end? I would guess, at least as experience as a WV/0000 parts manager that you can't beat OEM for the TRE, but that's just a guess as we tried 3 manufacturers to finally get a Passat5/A4 outer tie rod end that was up to snuff or the same as the OEM tie rod end.

Thanks,
Dave