I have to replace the manifold on my c230 due to the inside and outside flap parts being broken. Is there a difference between the OEM and aftermarket manifolds? I don't see a lot of sensor or electrical parts that would suggest it needs to be OEM. Or am I wrong? $250 vs $450 is a big price difference lol.

 

I had no idea these where so expensive, if it was me i'd just buy a used one that is working may i ask what symptoms you have and how did you notice it was broken?
Hopefully someone with experience can chime in

 

Major loss of power, rough idle and a CEL with multiple misfires and p2006 codes. I removed the manifold thinking it was just the typical break that happens but I soon realised the adjusters for the internals were broken too.

 

Have you seen this page? https://www.mercedesmedic.com/merced...le-lever-flap/

is your damage repairable
*read your comment closer - the internals are not part of these repair kits?

 

Is that a picture of your intake?

 

Yes

 

100%? /s lol it looks like an engine block to me, what a strange looking thing

What did you decide to do? if the cheaper one comes with the same warranty as the expensive one is it a no brainer?

 

Please add in the year, model, and your country to your profile.
Fwiw, the reason I ask, is because *I* have better things to do than to take my time to answer people that are just going to take the car to a mechanic anyway. :-)


How is the rest of the car?
Do you have an engine with the possible balance shaft issue?
Or, if you do, has it been fixed?

In general, those arm kits are just buying you time.
There are a number of reasons why those arms/***** break.

For example, carbon builds up on the intake ports. That then cause the flaps to rub/scrape the carbon.
Carbon/gunk also builds on on the shafts.
The shafts and "bearings" wear over time.
The flaps wear/bend/distort.
The shafts wear/bend/distort.
And so on, and so on.


If the rest of the engine/car is good, then depending on the country (greatly effects the cost), then it's a No-Brainer - get another MB intake, and it'll last another ~100K/10 years.

There's a much much bigger concern with those intakes.
Eventually, the flaps/assembly break. Then, pieces go into the cylinder head and intake valves. Then, major damage and repair costs.

How long the flaps/assembly lasts on any specific intake will vary massively. No one can say that they will last x-miles/x-years.
At best, in general, it seems like these intakes last at least 10 years, 100K miles.
If you can do the repair yourself, then a new MB intake amortized over 10years/100K miles is not that bad.

For an M271 engine, like I have, in general, the chaining chains last ~~70K/7 years. Note, the 7 years is also important.
Imho, if someone can do the work, or knows an independent mechanic that can to the replacement quick/cheaply (a pro can do it using a quick method, a DYI-er would very likely screw it up), then a new MB timing chain amortized over 7years/70K miles is not that bad.


Think about it. If you (or anyone else) doesn't buy a MB intake, then how will you decide which one to buy?
You'll buy the cheap intake. Which will be a *POS* cheap cr*p intake - made as cheap as possible. Which also means that the flaps will very likely break off sooner than the MB intake. So, how long is a non-MB intake good/safe for??? I don't have any idea. Maybe 3-5years or 30K/50K miles? For many used cars, that's "a lifetime". So, you can see why some (non Dealer) mechanics go with cheap aftermarket junk.


Good Luck!

 

Well, that certainly changed my opinion on this part and the repair kits (the repair kits are just extending the life of one half... while the internals will break*, wow, terrible)... +200 extra doesn't seem like much when you consider what could happen. But i would rather have my opinion based on facts, OEM vs aftermarket is a hot topic so i dont feel comfortable siding one way or the other e.g. where are these parts made? maybe the same factory? would a reputable reseller stock something that ruins peoples engines? so i am undecided

*bearings on the other hand.. tight tolerances, have to be high quality

i feel personally attacked ! lol i take back the "100% /s" comment, it was said in a mocking way like "what a silly question", my apologies

 

Fwiw, some people are happy to help people who want to know "what might be the problem, and how much might it cost".
That's fine.
But, that is not for me.
Different people, different personalities, desires, etc.
Nether is right or wrong. That's what make the world go round. :-)

>would a reputable reseller stock something that ruins peoples engines?
How about one of the riches people in the world massively f******ing over more than a million people?
Would you believe that?

https://arstechnica.com/cars/2020/11...unit-failures/
After 12,523 replacements, Feds investigate Tesla Media Control Unit failures
After ~3,000 write cycles to its eMMC NAND flash memory, complete failure occurs.

https://www.cnn.com/2020/12/02/busin...ice/index.html
"This a tough Game of Pennies — requiring thousands of good ideas to improve part cost, a factory process or simply the design, while increasing quality and capabilities," Musk wrote. "A great idea would be one that saves $5, but the vast majority are 50 cents here or 20 cents there."


This is how life works.
There are always trade-offs.
For Musk, he clearly feels that ~100K miles/10years is more than fine for critical parts like the HVAC/heating controls.
Again, there are always real-life trade offs in cost verses longevity.

So, how long is "good enough" for a car part?
One second? One hour? One week? One year? Two years? Ten years? 20 years? 30 years?
The engine computer in my '86 Mustang is over 35 years olds and has ~250K miles on it, and works fine.

The choice of cost verses longevity is not simple.
I wrote a semi-long reply in the tech section about failure rates as it relates to mainly mechanical parts.
Longevity of parts, is far from a simple topic.
Also, designing and the trade-offs between cost/weight/longevity/etc in a design are often far from simple.

Still, there are many cases where, with **********s like Musk and the HVAC units, it was well known that saving "a few cents" would result in a "big compromise".
Like GM, saving a few cents, to make millions more in profit, and deciding to go with a cheaper known inferior/problematic ignition switch design, that then resulted in ignition switch failures that killed a few people.
Or, how about Diesel-gate?
There are plenty of examples of "companies"/"execs" doing "known questionable things" in order to make more money.

However, the vast majority of the time, it's trying to decide on real-life part cost verses longevity.
When people buy brake pads, there's a choice in cost verses longevity, verses performance.

Also, unfortunately, engineers and simulations do not always get things correct. Again, there are often many many factors.

For the POS Tesla case, having the flash/eeprom "wear out" is a very well known problem.
Do you have a cell phone? Well, other than Samsung, Google(Pixel), and Apple, the storage in that cell phone "likely" will not last more than 5 years with everyday use.
Samsung, Google(Pixel), and Apple pay more to get the better screened flash.
Fwiw, it's very trivial and simple to make it so that the flash in a cell phone would last 10-20 years. Just add more "spare blocks". But, that is $$$$!
Still, there's a range for how long flash memory will last(how many writes), and there are many factors.
For some things, having the flash fail in ~10 years is not acceptable at all. So, that means more cost, more space, more weight, more power, etc.

With mechanical parts, it's "similar".

Btw, for the intake, iirc, it's a "sleeve" bearing for the shaft.
Still, there are tight tolerances. The sleeve and shaft wear. Carbon is an abrasive, and causes more wear and binding.
Iirc, no roller parts.

 

Thanks for the thorough reply, it really isn't a simple question is it, definitely an eye opener for the OP

For some reason i was out of the loop on Tesla's cost cutting tactics (regarding physical parts), i only know about their shady 'forced software updates', and how they try to stop the salvage market. So if you wanted to buy a cheap tesla with some body work damage.. maybe a broken window... do all the work yourself and then a few months later, Tesla disable that turbo charge feature, now charging overnight wont get you anywhere. They allowed you to 'pay a fee' (several thousand dollars) to re-enable the fast charge feature which was worth it for people. Then a few months later, they disabled it again with a forced update! no refunds, nothing! "Rich rebuilds" is where i heard about it.

I have an older android phone with a removable battery, i have a charged spare in my wallet, i hate the 'splashproof' sealed battery phones

 

I install after market in SKL350 '05 in 2015. no issues to date. Take it for what it's worth. Have to make your own decision. I am happy with my choice, in fact, I am now going to replace my intake (M272 engine) in my R350 '06 with P2004 code.