well i got my exhaust looked at by the guys there again on saturday, they cleaned up the welds. not trusting their workmanship i took it to another reputable exhaust place today for them to look at it. the guy said he couldn't find any leaks with the stethescope. win! the only thing he said he would have done was lifted the pipe abit higher and the hook on the varex looked disgusting but other than that, he reckons the TIG welds between the pipes are satisfactory and the welding on the flanges are satisfactory. i then asked him why the soapy water bubbles when we sprayed on it and he said that with the pressure from blocking the exhaust, the air needs to go somewhere. the tiniest hole will push out the air and hence the bubbles. so we lowered the car again and left it at that. however, the "buzzing" at high RPM is still there. which i really dont mind as it doesnt happen when i drive normally or with the varex closed. i read up a bit though that the 2.5 inch pipe for an NA 1.8L is too big but there has been constant proof on this forums that the 2.5 is good for the 2zz-ge engines. so what else could be causing the buzzing? maybe i should chuck in a magnaflow resonator so it eliminates the buzzing sound? all-in-all 250 bucks for this piping is good. i believe i got it bang for my buck exhaust. i still wouldn't recommend them to anyone though because of their attitude problem