Barney, I'd be pretty upset also if that happened to me. I've had my BD EB installed since summer 2008. I installed it myself, it took me and 2 buddies about 4 hours to do the install. All of us certified aircraft mechanics, and not newcomers to working on cars & trucks. Still, only 1 of us had done an exhaust brake before. My install involved removing the turbo(which is the hardest part if you have a larger aftermarket downpipe), as the BD replaces a portion of the turbo housing. My only regret is not installing a wicked turbo wheel at the same time.
If I had to remove the EB and clean it every year....It would never get reinstalled. That's BS. I've put ~80K miles on mine, and I don't use it everyday or everytime I drive. Most of the time I blip it on a bit, and I certainly use it in cold weather to help warm up the truck.
I'd avoid US gear given your experience.