Fellas

I have an 02 xtype 2.5 and I recently started smelling a strong odor of gas in the cabin of the car. I took it to a local shop and they said I had a backside exhaust leak (close to the firewall). That is the reason for the strong smell. Well the guy said he would not work on my car because it is a very tight fit to fix the leak. He said the 03's are easier to work on. Do you guys know how much this usually costs to fix or any other possible solutions? Thanks