The Brabus exhausts and their associated straps are notorious for corrosion. The exhaust straps corrode so badly that it is not uncommon for them to fail after only a couple of years. Therefore, it is always worth keeping a spare strap for that inevitable day arrives. A part code can be found here.
Replacing the strap is fairly straightforward and is worth doing when you have the back off for routine servicing. The strap is shown to the left of the tail pipes.
This strap has severely delaminated and it on the verge of failing. When the strap does break, the exhaust won't fall off but a lot of stress will be put on the bolts that clamp the exhaust to the turbo manifold. Greater problems could occur if left this way.
To remove the strap, use a 12mm socket on the top bolt. Remove this bolt completely.
Slacken the two E12 bolts on the underside of the strap but don't remove them completely.
Support the end of the exhaust so that it doesn't drop when the strap is freed. Equally, do not force the exahust upwards. In this case, we have used a jack to provide light support.
Remove the E12 bolts from the gearbox and open the strap to remove it.
Compare the state of the state of the strap with the new one.
The old strap was holding together by a thead!
Take the new strap and remove the bolt from the top. On the back of the strap, the securing nut is held captive.
Rather than opening up the strap, carefully slide it along from the end. You will need to remove your exhaust support while you do this.
Locate the strap and fit the E12 bolts to the gearbox to hold the strap in place. Don't tighten just yet.
You will need to pull both halves of the strap together using some jaws in order to fit the top bolt.
Tighten the top bolt fully.
Once you are happy that the exhaust is correctly supported, tighten the two E12 bolts on the gearbox.
Some people have been tempted to treat the strap with anti corrosion paint before fitting. Generally, this doesn't improve the life of a Brabus exhaust strap and can even speed up the corrosion process! We recommend to leave the strap unpainted.
