a dealership mechanic stated that we had a small exhaust leak on the manifold. Don't fix it yet his answer

this is kind of strange coming from a mechanic at a dealer,but maybe he had a reason for saying this,if it would have needed done its looks like he would have recommended that it be repaired,i would have suggested it be repaired to save more cost in the future,maybe its not that bad of a problem right now,who knows what he was thinking when he said this,maybe he is trying to save you some money right now,beware though it could cost you more in the long run to get this repaired,good luck.

If your car isn't running loudly, and/or your check engine light isn't on, then you can overlook the leak a little. A free-flowing leak from the exhaust will trick the car's computer into thinking that a catalytic converter is not operating properly. When that happens, then you've got a situation that will affect gas mileage and performance. A small leak will not suddenly blow out (unless your car was built with a defective manifold), but will gradually get bigger.

well, he's right but wrong. but yet money is tight and this leak is not detrimental to the engine. the manifold will not blow, your engine will get louder and louder over time. if you baby it, it'll be all right. the reason why the manifold springs a leak is due to full throttle starts and/or flooring it! as far as the performance? actually it'll be better ie, peppy, faster on acceleration. though fuel mileage will be compromised but not at a significant reduction. a quick and efficient fix would be to mig weld it. all of the muffler shops can do it. however, it's against the law. (has to do with the e.p.a. regulations). your typical mom&pop muffler store will do it, if you slip them 50 to a hundred bucks!( they have to do it off the books). of course, i don't recommend doing something against the law. and you can't go wrong with having it done right.

Borrow a torque wrench from a friend. Go to the auto parts store and look in the Chilton book for torque specifications and check to see if they loosened. tighten to specified torque setting. If that doesn't work you need a new gasket. Hope this helps.