I can't tell you how many times I get a call from someone who tells me they were sold headers or downpipes from another company and were told they would fit with "minor modifications." Only for them to find those modifications anything but minor. A customer needs to realize when a company says that, it means they
DO NOT have anything that will fit your car. However, they want to take your money.
Adding performance parts to your Mercedes should be fun. I would imagine it's not very fun when you have headers rubbing hard against the heat shield. Or having to pay someone to completely re-
fab an entire downpipe system, costing a bunch of money. What if you had to take the
entire engine out only to find the downpipes you wanted to install don't even remotely fit? I get phone calls like this all the time.
Lots of shops selling you parts are just resellers who stick their name on junk made in China. These places have ZERO capabilities to fabricate their own exhaust parts. They try to fill a product void for certain Mercedes models by requiring the buyer to make modifications to parts made for another car. It's a horrible business practice done by shops that only care about taking your money.
When we build downpipes or headers we actually get the car into our shop and build the parts on the car. Then we make a fixture for those parts we build. Then we make another part from the fixture and test fit that part as well on the car. That 2nd set of either headers or downpipes stays with our fixtures for build reference later.
What do you do when the part you purchased is made in China and it doesn't fit right?. All that company can do for you is send you another part from China. These companies have zero ability to solve problems like this
If a customer has a fitment problem, we as the manufacturer have multiple means to remedy the situation. Since we build a companion part that always stays with our fixtures we are able to compare that to the part the customer received. This allows us the ability to fix errors in the build process if they arise.
Downpipes are not the same. M157 and M278 downpipes are different. A lot of calls I get are from people who were sold M157 AMG downpipes for their M278 Mercedes. The hanger locations are in completely different locations and the tubing is different as well. In certain years depending on the year, the hanger locations on the M157 powered AMG have hanger locations in different areas than others Like a CLS63 or E63S. The ball flange size (the part that bolts up to your factory resonator) from an M157 vs a M278 is totally different. This means the clamp will not fit, the ball flange will be way too big for the receiving flange.
S-Class M157 downpipes come in a few configurations. First there is the S63 W221 chassis that has a very long downpipes system with hangers that face outwards. Then there is the S63 W222 chassis that is a lot shorter than its predecessor as well as having a mounting hanger in a different area. As mentioned above The same rules apply for the S63 and the S550
We know about all these variations because we actually bring the cars in to do the R&D. We didn't play the guessing game that other shops in the Mercedes performance segment do. Nor do we roll the dice in hopes the parts we made cross over to other cars.
At MBH Motorsports you can be assured that the parts for your Mercedes-Benz are not only built to fit your car, but built to the highest standard of craftsmanship. We look forward to helping you bring out the full potential of your Mercedes at a level your Mercedes deserves.