Brabus exhaust installation is being finalized today.

Knowing how you change cars you would be better off keeping it and then selling the Brabus (super cost exhaust) when you return your car to stock.

Yeah that is probably the stronger of the two inclinations. The only problem is, as I think you can sympathize, is that people like HREs and Brabus, etc....but dont necessarily want to pay for them, even at reasonable, used prices. Also, if by the time I get rid of my car (oh lord, please let me keep this one for a while)...if they change the body type, it may decrease the value even further for both the Brabus and/or the stock system. So, is money in hand now, better than money (possibly less) in hand later -- not to mention finding somewhere convenient to store these bad boys.

That being said, if its only going to fetch me a couple hundred $$, then much rather keep the stocks. As always Vic, your help and insight is always appreciated and welcomed! Now, get rid of your M5 and come back to the one true following.

i concur with the depreciation of mods but at least HRE and Brabus hold their value better (dip less). I guess Id rather take my depreciation to the street than attach it to the car when or if I dump it.

Ill bet you will be done with the CLS in less than 10-12 months.

Pertplus- I might be interested, what do you have in mind?

If it would fit a 2007 CLS550, I'm definitely interested.

Let me do some research and see what they go for and weigh whether its worth it -- especially after some of the salient points made by Vic above.

That's something I do not know

Ok thanks.

Does anyone know if the 2012 CLS AMG exhaust system would fit on a 2007 CLS550 without too much fabrication work?

i cannot answer but if you google the OEM diagram they look close.

I agree with Vic, switch the car back to stock when you sell. From my experience mods rarely add value to a car. Plus I might be a newbie here but I don't see a bunch of pre owned exhausts, wheels, etc. I would think that items with a strong brand name would sell reasonable fast.

Very true...I never get mods thinking they will enhance resale value. But if I have the car for a significant time (contrary to popular belief based on my recent pattern), I could be more willing to avoid the hassle and just get rid of the car with mods and take a fair price, instead of putting back to stock. Definitely leaning towards just keeping stock exhaust.

I can only chime in on my experience of doing a CLS55 to CLS500 exhaust change. I bought the quads and had them installed, the only part of fabrication was the exhaust pipe on the muffler was 3 in wide as opposed to the pipe on the CLS 500 which is 2.5. The installer crimped the end a little and welded in about 30 minutes or so. I would say check the pipe width on your 550.

After that, I got my diffuser cut by a body shop for $60. I added a CF diffuser, turned out awesome. Chappy, BI, and some others on this forum saw the finished mod and were impressed.

Regarding resale, I have no experience with the MB brand, but over 2 monthes I got few nibbles on my highly moded M5, so I took it bac to stock and it sold it in 2 weeks. It was more work, but the market spoke, and mission accomplished.....now time to find the right CLS63!