A pipe lap joint for use with vehicle exhaust systems which includes an inside pipe end telescopically inserted into an outside pipe end with the pipe ends secured together by a band clamp. The outside pipe end includes a sealing zone having a collapsible sealing slot that enables the outside pipe end to be drawn tight over the outside surface of the inside pipe end via the band clamp to thereby provide a fluid-tight seal between the pipes. The sealing slot extends from an open end of the outside pipe end and includes a pair of opposing sidewalls each having a tooth and recess. As the band clamp is tightened, the sealing slot collapses such that the teeth of the sidewalls move into the opposing, complementarily-shaped recesses, while adjoining circumferential edges of the teeth engage each other to thereby form a fluid seal.