brettness

My dad backed up into my car and dented the hood as well as the front bumper. The auto body place i'm going to have work on it says it can repair the current bumper and the hood. However, they gave me the option of replacing the hood, but the MB factory price is like 685. I can find a "direct fit OE" hood online for like 300 or less. Is there a difference between "direct fit OE" and OEM parts?

LILBENZ230

If it can be repaired, I would just repair it.

brettness

thanks for the reply. i'm weary of repairing it because i want it to be as close to the original shape as possible. also... the grill was damaged in the process... i was thinking of changing it up to a newer looking grill with the emblem in the center... what's your personal preference and do you know any good places to buy one?

alpinweiss

Repairing the hood usually means Bondo. "Direct fit OE" usually means Chinese parts.

In general, I am not in favor of repairing either the hood or the bumper. They are often not durable repairs, and will come apart after a couple years.

If it were my car, I would insist on new genuine Mercedes parts; both hood and bumper. Yes, there is a difference. Mercedes certifies the quality of its parts for fit, corrosion protection, crashworthiness, etc. Aftermarket parts? Well, you don't know exactly what you are getting.

Nokiemon

Yes huge difference between Mercedes OEM and aftermarket OE-stuff. Cheapy Chinese stuff can be 1-2 gauges thinner in metal content, sometimes mass stamped, so no real quality control, and fit and fitment is anyone's guess. Good luck.

nrg_mike

Another thing to look for is a CAPA approved part. CAPA approval means that the part has been "ok"ed for insurance work and repairs. The parts tend to be more expensive than non-approved parts though.
Honestly, if it's a bumper or hood, the simple replacements are fine. These won't effect safety and can be painted and prepped well enough to not notice any difference.
I work for the largest distributor on the West Coast and can tell will tell you the truth. At $300, there's still money being made on you for just the sale of the parts. Simple replacement hoods can cost a distributor 125-180 easy.

capt_paul

I had to get my grill, bumber cover, and hood repaired and the total came out to about $1800.

LILBENZ230

My AMG front bumper was replaced on my 05 C230K with a OEM Benz part for $980. It was cracked on the bottom, not even visible, from a run in with a dog. Total repair after paint and labor was $1,793. Crazy.

Norwichdelta06

VERY TRUE!!! my friend is a claims adjuster! And when he goes to any repair shop.. you'll be shocked!! at what they replace brokens parts with... 99 percent of the time it's aftermarket (unless its a dealer item) or like the person said direct OE aka china parts. Theres a China OE part for every vehicle even for exotics cards. So it's never a good idea to buy a car that was even in an accident because you dont know what parts were used.. Basically when insurance companies fixes cars they do whatever way is cheapest meeting safety standards.