I think I need to replace the front upper control arms on my 2005 E500 Airmatic 4Matic wagon. I have the one piece design with the integral ball joint. When shopping for parts, I am finding a huge difference in price -- from ~ $35 each to near $300 each! Does anyone have any experience with different brands?
I have purchased a number of parts from Rock Auto, and the upper control arms they have are ~ $105. Pelican Parts is $275 for the OEM. Then Auto Parts Warehouse has a the set (SET-REPBZ281501) for $68! Are they any good?
I am not anxious to spend more than I have to, but I do know you often get what you pay for.
I have no experience with the brands offered that you've mentioned, but I do believe that OEM or Genuine brands are typically the best brands to go with for suspension items. The Genuine brand also comes with the 2 year associated warranty that you would get if you bought from your local dealer. Also, depending on if this is the first time you're replacing them you can get an idea of how long they have and will last with the Genuine replacement parts.
Plutoe made it clear in few words.
A year ago I decided to keep my W211 another 220k miles so I started replacing all front suspension components. I used the cheap options out there but I had to replace the cheap ball joints in a couple of months. I didn't learn my lesson so I used parts in the mid range. Lasted less than 6 months, just yesterday I replaced tie rods and ball joints again. Do not get fooled by the OEM statement, everybody claims that. Genuine brand must come in an MB box with all the logos. With respect to suspension I found that only Original MB or Lemforder are good quality, sometimes FEBI/Bilstein. Beware, sometimes they print "Germany" on the parts (GES) or have german names such as "Hamburg Tech" to fool buyers. I learned this the hard way and ended up paying way more than if I used quality parts. I am attaching a list compiled by members of these forums from their experience with different brands.
Car manufacturers typically don't manufacture the parts that go into the cars - they assemble the cars from parts made by outside companies. The factory part that you purchase from the dealer is in fact a repackaged part from an external manufacturer. All the parts we provide by these external manufacturers are flagged by this little sign below in our catalog.
All parts that come straight from the dealer and come in an MB box are marked as Genuine Mercedes-Benz. The OEM supplier and Genuine brand are typically what I recommend to stay with for a lot of vehicle components. There are also a lot of great other suppliers for other items. We give them a brand rating by stars in our catalog if you're ever unsure.
Thanks for all the info. I have gone against most advice and gone with the eEuroparts preferred brand which they warrant for 2 years. Time will tell if they last, but I'm not sure how long I will keep this car.
I just started today to install them, and found the job a lot harder than any post I had read. My car is both 4matic and Airmatic which adds a lot of complication. The strut is in the way of removing the bolts, the front axle gets in the way when I try to move things, and lining up the new control arm to that the bolt could be inserted was a real pain. On the driver side, the rear bolt is almost totally inaccessible, so if I manage to get the nut off, I'm not sure how I will get it back on. This would be a trivial job if things were accessible.
Slideshow: A one-of-one U.S.-spec Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren Roadster became even rarer after a factory-backed transformation at McLaren's headquarters.
