When I went to have my brake fluid changed, BMW noticed my passenger side exhaust bracket was broken. Today I got it changed by an independent garage (as their labour was a lot cheaper!!) and they told me they knew someone's Cooper S who had exactly the same problem. I saw the bracket and it had rotted away into 3 pieces !!! It was very shocking for a 4 year old car!! They told me there is a recess next to the exhaust where water can get into and obviously the bracket rusted away.
The driver side on mine was totally gone also....I could not believe how rusty it was. The other side is not rusted at all. ( I am talking about the bracket that goes around the muffler)
My exhaust rusted away in 5 years, i had to get it changed.
I had my new exhaust on for couple of months now, had some work done on it yesterday and checked the exhaust, it started to rust arleady , very shocking.
I had the passenger side muffler strap rust and break. The drivers side was also very rusty. I didnt have a nother one installed just looked at it as a reason to upgrade !!
I had a broken muffler strap on my Cooper S after only 2 years. It was annoying, but MINI replaced it (and the other side too for good measure) under warranty. It doesn't seem like a great design to me, but at least the strap is replaceable unlike the welded hooks on some cars that are much harder to repair.
Mine went to on the left hand side rear box after 4 1/2 years, right hand side looks like it could go in the next year (assuming the exahust lasts).
Also just replaced the downpipe to cat as the "can" joint broke and was blowing.
I replaced my exhuast a few months ago with a stainless steel one and I was literally able to pull the old one off because all the brackets had rusted through. Only 5 years old!
Seems to be very common and I know a couple of people that have had it happen to them too. Having the one ball exhaust mod makes the exhaust hang quite low when it does happen.
Hi, picked up my MCS 03 on Sunday private sale. Got home to find the passenger side muffler hanging loose with the bracket corroded through. Is this an easy fix and can I take it to any exhaust / tyre place to fix. Any idea on price, didnt think I would be spending any money on repairs just yet., only modding it.
The brackets will cost around £30 from a dealer. You don't need the rubber bits, but you may find that the top bracket comes with the rubber bits attached.
I don't know about the passenger side on a Cooper S, but the bracket on a Mini One took me several hours to fit as it's very difficult to access the mounting points. An experienced mechanic with the right tools will be able to do it much more quickly. I was doing it without taking the exhaust off the car, so I was feeling round the top of the bracket, which is why it took so long.
Still, I had an enormous sense of satisfaction as I nursed my cut hand.
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Exhaust bracket broken 
Exhaust bracket rusting 
