Before a Borla Exhaust Silverado Install: My 6-Point Shop Checklist

This is the checklist I use before I quote a Borla exhaust, a CB radio, a bike GPS tracker, or anything else we install in the shop. I didn't build it because I'm organized. I built it because I've paid for the alternative.

I've been handling performance exhaust and accessory orders for seven years. I've personally made and documented five significant mistakes totaling roughly $3,600 in wasted budget and delays. Maybe $3,400. I would have to add it up. The exact number is not the point; the pattern is.

Here's the list. Six checks, no fluff.

1. Check the truck before you check the Borla part number

When a customer calls after searching borla exhaust silverado, the easy part is knowing the brand. The hard part is knowing which Silverado is sitting in the parking lot. Silverado is a family of trucks, not a single fitment sheet. Cab size, bed length, driveline, and factory exhaust configuration all change what should go under that truck.

I have installed the Borla 140845 S-Type cat-back exhaust system on more than one Silverado. It's a good system. I still don't order it based on the customer's description alone. I check the truck first and write the VIN on the work order. If the customer already knows the part number, that saves time. It does not save the two minutes it takes to confirm fitment.

My own mistake was not when the part arrived. It was earlier, when I listened to a customer say his buddy had the same year and therefore the same kit. He had a different cab and bed combination. I honestly can't tell you why I skipped the VIN check. My best guess is I wanted to be helpful fast. The exhaust box sat in the bay for a week before we could send it back. The return cost money. The wasted appointment time cost more.

2. Read accessory install sheets as carefully as exhaust fitment notes

Small orders cause the same embarrassment as big ones. A customer asked us to install a Qubo wired bike GPS tracker. I heard GPS tracker and pictured a battery-powered puck. I didn't read the word wired as a clue. We confirmed neither the mounting location nor the cable routing before quoting labor. When the bike was on the bench, the job took longer and needed different accessories than expected.

The price I quoted was wrong. The customer was polite. I still looked like someone who never opened the box. Now, before I quote any tracker, dash cam, or electronic accessory, I look up the install sheet and check the kit contents.

3. Ask what the CB radio is for before you pick a channel

CB radios still show up on work trucks, farm trucks, and trail rigs. The most popular CB radio channels are a useful starting point: Channel 19 is the highway and trucker channel, and Channel 9 is the traditional emergency or help channel. But channel choice is only part of the install. An antenna with a high SWR can make any radio useless.

I once finished a CB install and skipped the SWR test because the radio lit up and seemed fine. The customer could not reach anyone on Channel 19. The coax was pinched when we routed it through the cab. It took longer to fix that mistake than it would have taken to test it the first time.

Under FCC Part 95, CB radios have power limits. I won't modify a radio to push past those limits. That is not a sales objection. That is the rule, and a stronger signal is not the fix for a bad antenna install.

4. Answer the rear differential lifting question before the vehicle goes up

Can you lift a car from the rear differential? The honest answer is sometimes, but it depends. A solid-axle vehicle can often be lifted from the center of the axle housing. That is not the same as putting a jack under the differential cover. The cover is not built to carry the weight. An independent rear suspension vehicle is a different situation because the differential is mounted to the subframe and is not designed as a central jacking point.

Even when a lift point looks strong, I use the factory-approved position. If someone is trying to get all four wheels off the ground with one jack, that is a separate conversation about jack stands. No single lift point replaces stands.

5. Put the not-included items on the quote before the customer asks

I've learned to ask, What is NOT included? before I ask, What is the price? If a vendor has to add unexpected fees later, the final price was never the real price.

The vendor that lists every fee up front, even when the total looks higher, usually costs less in the end.

I apply that to our shop. When I quote a Borla exhaust Silverado install, I show the kit, the labor, the hardware line if something is missing, and the shop supplies. I also write down what could change. If rusted factory hardware adds time, I call the customer before doing extra work. That call takes two minutes. A surprise invoice causes more damage than a straight answer.

I will not quote a universal exhaust for a modern truck as if it is a real fitment. Universal can mean a lot of fabrication and hanger work. If the customer wants that, fine, but the quote should say it. I also won't promise a horsepower number for a cat-back. A cat-back can improve sound and reduce restriction, but the final result depends on the engine, tune, and the rest of the truck.

6. Test as if you have to explain the result to the owner

The job is not done when the vehicle comes down. It is done after the final test.

• After an exhaust install: start it cold, check for leaks at every joint after it warms up, inspect hanger and tip clearance, look for heat marks on nearby wires or plastics, then road test for rattles and drone.
• After a CB install: check the SWR, confirm the intended channel, and test both transmit and receive. Don't trust the display light.
• After a GPS tracker install: open the app, confirm it reports a location, and confirm the customer knows how to use it before they leave.
• After any lift work: inspect the jack points for damage after lowering and before the keys go back to the owner.

If exhaust clamps need re-torque after the first heat cycle, I tell the customer. Clamps and hangers settle in the first few drives. That is not a hidden defect. The customer should hear it from us before they feel something shift.

This list is not brilliant. That's the point. I used to skip obvious checks because they were easy and I was too confident. Then I paid enough to learn the lesson. If one of these steps saves one return, one re-do, or one awkward phone call, it's worth keeping.