Thanks in advance for sharing your thoughts.

I have a 2008 E350 4MATIC. I recently had a blower motor (cabin heat and AC) replaced at an independent shop. Of note, the shop owner had always made it a point to state that he only used "Mercedes Benz parts" to justify the added cost and I have always stated that I only want the official MB parts used in the car. I was charged $250 for the part. On my bill from the independent shop, it states that the blower was OEM. Approximately 5 months later the blower stopped functioning. Because of dissatisfaction with other work done by this shop, I took the car to the dealer to have the blower replaced. The dealer also charged me $250 for a blower part. I asked the dealer to give me the blower that they were removing from the car. The blower that the indie shop had installed in the car is: Behr 8EW 009 159-601. (Of interest, on the part, I notice that someone has used a tool to scratch something from the surface of the plastic beside where the word "Behr" is stamped. My guess is that the part was a reconditioned part bought at a deep discount.) Searching the web, I find that this part can be bought for approximately $150.

Since the blower stopped working, I will ask the independent shop to refund the money that I paid him. Because the part is not a genuine MB part, which the shipowner had always stated that he used (and charged me MB parts prices), do I also have a complaint about the part used or is the Behr part listed above an "OEM"part as is it is described on the invoice?

Again, thanks very much.

 

Part installed by independent is considered to be OE quality however not, in fact, genuine MB (2118300908) as shown: https://www.ecstuning.com/Search/211...FUWTfgodhyoNog

 

OEM means Original Equipment Manufacturer. Mercedes doesn't manufacturer every individual part, they contract companies that make those parts to supply what is needed. Behr is a manufacturer of genuine MB parts. EVERY shop will mark up the parts, always. It might be 10%, it might be 40%, but it will always get marked up. It's very possible the MB part is the same Behr part with a star on it so it costs more. It's also possible Behr makes a lower quality replacement under their own name.

 

Indy's can be cheaper than going to MB and I don't mind going to indys. But one advantage with going with MB is that they give you a 12 month/12k warranty on the work they do so had you had it done at MB to begin with, it would have been covered under warranty. I even got a loaner once when they replaced my keyless door handle under warranty and it was all covered, didn't pay anything and they even got the car washed.

 

... and that is exactly what I am trying to learn. However, as Konigstiger stated, the part is definitely not genuine MB as I had requested.

cetialpha5, Yes, I have been using the dealer exclusively for several months. I had been smelling burned oil in the cabin when the heat was on and the indie shop had told me there was no leak at the cylinder head cover when I asked them to examine it as a source of the odor. The dealer service physically showed me stains caused by the oil leak, replaced the cylinder head cover, and fixed the problem. The convenience of the dealer shuttle and savings from the loaner combined with free car detailing negate any advantage in lower cost at the indie shop IMO.

 

I have bunch of genuine MB parts made in Czech Republic.
For my whole life I was under impression that Mercedes is German car.
You have to learn the gimmicks in sales.
OEM part means it come for factory that sells some parts to MB assembly lane.
But is the part you are buying the part they supply to assembly lane?
For example XXX company supply windshield wipers for MB. They they figure out they might try their luck with turbos. Will the turbo be assembly lane quality? I doubt, but you are welcome to be Guinea pig.
"OE quality" is the biggest stretch. Who determinate it to be good quality? Do you see certificate?

 

Forget about all the mumbo jumbo and misinformation on what county "OEM"(original equipment manufacturer) are supplied from. This is a global economy and if Ms. Benz wants to take advantage of technology and low costs anywhere---who cares---Do you have any idea on what it takes to become and OEM parts supplier to Ms. Benz today---simply contact MB USA and ask for a copy of their handbook entitled becoming a supplier to Ms. Benz.


All Benz parts that are sold by Benz are OEM--- all Benz parts sold by others as "Mercedes Benz Parts" or "Official MB parts" may not be MB "oem" parts------ The reputable on line parts houses give you an option of either "aftermarket" or "oem" therefore it is very clear as to who supplied the part---a factory certified oem or an aftermarket manufacturer who is not a certified parts supplier to Ms. Benz


You did not get cheated---you asked the wrong question and you got what you paid for-------next time simply ask for "OEM" parts only---this is all very common terminology in the automotive industry!!

 

If something was scrubbed out near the Behr name, it is VERY likely that a Genuine part was installed. Behr is the OE supplier but I never see anything scrubbed out on those units. I have seen logo's scrubbed on Genuine Mercedes parts on countless occasions. Also, both the Genuine and Behr units are identical

--Kyle

 

I have to agree with you on this. Behr 2118300908 OEM is not the same quality as Genuine MB part even though they both made by Behr.
OEM Behr does not have the doom over the motor coil same as Genuine MB and the bearing quality is not as smooth/good .
I recently bought OEM and had to return to get Genuine MB part because low speed (1-3) noise.

 

This is incorrect, it is not VERY likely a genuine part was installed in fact quite the opposite. Behr blower motors come often come with the MB logo scratched off. So to answer OPs question, a Behr unit was installed at your indie shop, not a genuine one.

 

Old topic, but still recent misunderstanding.
What is the difference between OE and OEM ?
OE is a part manufactured by whoever, but per MB specifications and inspected by MB quality control.
OEM is the part made by the same manufacturer, but without MB quality control, therefore you can see MB logo removed.
When the part might come from the same mold, there has to be a reason why it lost MB approval.

 

Not really - I'd reverse that. OE = Original Equipment (typically an equivalent to the OEM); OEM = Original Equipment Manufacturer - the supplier that supplied the car maker at time of production of the vehicle. Depending on who scratched off the logo - it's not necessarily about losing MB approval. It's more about MB not allowing their logo to be used on the Aftermarket service part. What's not talked about is OES - or OE Service parts by the OEM supplier. The supply arrangement is typically 10 years.

OEM - part installed on the car at time of manufacture. These may or may not be the exact same part over the run of the model or part application, nor by the same manufacturer. Car manufacturers often dual source parts to ensure supply chain competitiveness and sourcing insurance (so to speak).

OES - part supplied to Manufacture for service through their dealer network. These may or may not be the exact same as the OEM. Consolidations, supersessions, improvements take place once in use, etc. Suppliers go out of business and the car manufacturer is forced to source elsewhere.

AFTERMARKET - part supplied by OEM manufacturer or other company (ie: OE/equivalent), and you're not buying these parts from the dealer. In the case of being supplied by the OEM manufacturer - that part sometimes starts life as both OEM/OES and IAM with the IAM version not having the customer logo information. It's not uncommon for pure aftermarket suppliers to source OEM parts and re-box them - ie: Beck/Arnley. It's also not uncommon for OEM parts manufacturers to supply other OEM part manufacturers their parts for their aftermarket programs, ie: Siemens.

 

So like Regular, Irregular, and good ol' Knockoffs?

 

Not always - the same part can be all three. More than likely the knockoff is the aftermarket that’s (of course) marketed as OE equivalent. And, in some cases, it truly is. And in others - worse or better. The OEM never changes the originally supplied part and by the time it’s knocked off there are improvements to be made.

There is one other twist. 3 OEM’s bid on an opportunity. Let’s say a spark plug. Bosch, NGK and Denso. All three are approved to supply. Only 2 are sourced. The third offers it in their aftermarket program and it’s an equivalent only. Even though it’s from an OEM supplier - it was never supplied OEM. 10 years go by. The 2 sourced suppliers drop it. The third keeps it in their offering and the car manufacturer picks it up for OES.

 

Oh is that the same MB quality control that gave us the early m272 balance shaft?

 

Easy target - but so are Porsche IMS, Ferrari valve guides, GM ignitions, Lexus and BMW rod bearings and the other problems every manufacturer has or will experience.

 

I never had a need for checking the deal about balance shafts, but from what I read, wasn't that glitch in design?
Nothing to do with manufacturing.

 

Ok how about leaking fuel tanks, unreliable SBC units, bio degradable wiring harnesses, rusty everything between 1996-2003, failing 722.9 oil pumps. Is that the MB quality control we're talking about here? I stopped being impressed by MB quality control a long time ago and I'm certainly not going to pay a preminum for it. There's a reason MBs depreciate faster than used diaper. Maybe it has something to do with quality control.

 

why do you own one?

 

(All) IT was just dry humor...actually I was thinking if clothes when I wrote it, and how some stores sell those types of the good, bad, and the ugly garments (movie shot).
2MERKS

 

I own 3 actually because I bought them after someone else ate the catastrophic depreciation. MBs at this age are literally worthless disposable cars. A base Honda Civic of the same age and mileage is worth more than an E class. I do all the maintainance myself and avoid buying dealer parts because they're never worth the additional cost.

 

That's the way to own them. There are certain parts like the steering angle sensor or the springs which have no aftermarket parts so you have to get it from a dealer, but at least there are dealers that discount. Not like Tesla which doesn't have dealers.

I thought you were going to tie in the dirty diaper part as a result of getting the bill from the Mercedes dealer.

 

Interesting read.

I too bought the OEM Behr blower and noticed the MB star scraped off.

I just assumed it was an MB blower sold directly by Behr and they couldn't sell it with the Star.

Peter

 

That's certainly the case with Lemfoerder and their upper control arms. Having done some suspension overhauls, I've noticed that the Lemfoerder-brand UCA's appear to be exactly the same as the old ones removed from the car, with one exception: the Mercedes-Benz logos were milled off. Other than that, they looked like identical twins.

I also have replaced the blower motor and regulator/resistor on my E320 CDI, as well as two of our W220's. Turns out the regulator is the same Behr part across both chassis models. Yep, MB has a part # for each model, but it's the same actual part; I've opened them up and compared 'em. The newer Behr-brand blower motor assembly did look slightly different, using a white fan blade vs. the black fan blade used on the OES (Genuine-MB) assembly, though the Behr-brand unit, too, was made in Germany. This was the case for both the W211 blower motor and the W220 blower motor. We'll see, with time, how long these Behrs last, but so far, so good over the last year.