SL/R129: Discontinued part 1298000275
I am totally surprised that the part has been discontinued. I thought that Mercedes supported their cars better than this.
Does anyone have a solution or know where I can get the part?
I have checked North America, UK, Europe, and Asia looking for this part. If you know where I can find one, I would sure appreciate you letting me know where I can get one. I have looked for NOS everywhere I know to look to no avail. Due to the normal wear that this part experiences, I would rather avoid a used one from a junkyard. That is my last resort.
If you have one, I will buy it.
To anyone that has the capability to manufacture or rebuild this part, there is an opportunity for you as I am not the only one that needs this part. Anyone that drives an R129 will eventually need one. There is no inventory that needs to be flushed out before you can start selling an equal.
I am totally surprised that the part has been discontinued. I thought that Mercedes supported their cars better than this.
Does anyone have a solution or know where I can get the part?
I have ordered the part several times from online sources that have said that it was available and then they refunded my money after further checking. I will call the center on Monday.
After a lot of searching with no results, we put the dash back together without taking any pictures. I will try to find a picture online.
My big concern is that apparently some parts are no longer available
and it will only get worse. I just purchased a 1999 SL500 with less than 60K miles. There are a lot of them available with very low miles for a small fraction of the original price. I guess that if Mercedes discontinues the parts, then there is good reason for the low prices.
I had planned to buy a R230, but my mechanic changed my mind when we discussed the high cost of maintenance on a ten year old R230. I still have ownership of a V12 on my bucket list and may have to add a SL600 to the stable, but if parts aren't available it may have to stay on the list.
A junkyard is my last resort. I would rather have a new or rebuilt part. I'm still checking all over the web. My last order was from Nebraska, but they called back with no joy. I have one on order from Latvia, but I expect the same thing. Pelican Parts shows that they have one, but the shelf is empty.
This part is a common failure. I hope that someone will come up with a solution. Maybe I should call Jay Leno?
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I believe that the part receives an electrical signal and then uses pneumatics to open the flap. Jim, my mechanic, checked to make sure that it was receiving the proper signal and it was. At this point, we aren't sure if the problem is in the electrical side or the pneumatic side of the part. Repair of the part is beyond my expertise and Jim may be able to do it, but I don't believe that I want to pay his rate for him to look into it.
I have had to rebuild parts from my old military vehicles. Try finding a master cylinder for a M35A3. I have field repair manuals and engineering drawings of parts to go by as well as specifications for components. I can figure out what o-rings I need with a little digging. I can figure the size from the drawings and what material from the specifications. I don't believe that that information is available for Mercedes parts.
Thanks for the help.
BAD NEWS DALE
129 800 02 75 NO LONGER AVAILABLE AND NO REPLACING PART
Kind regards, / Mit freundlichen Grüßen,
Jon
________________________________
Jon Siggson
Parts Advisor

MBUSA, LLC
If you have a R129 and have problems with the control of the vents, you are SOL.
Thanks for your help.
I am afraid that this problem is only going to get worse. A 15 year old Mercedes is obsolete. I expect that that will only drop to ten years or less in the future.
The number of sensors and computers in these cars has increased ten fold in the last few years as well as the lines of code to keep them running. The complexity is hard to imagine. I expect all of those parts to be discontinued at ten years or less in the next few years.
Those guys that buy these cars and baby them with less than 3000 miles a year will be in for a shock when they discover that their SL or AMG that is 10 years old with 30,000 miles is only worth 5% of what they paid for it because parts are no longer available. The AMG guys are probably in the worse shape with the special parts and low production volumes.
One of the things on my bucket list is owning a V12. After this experience with a SL500, I don't think that I want to go through the frustration of not being able to keep a V12 running because parts are no longer available. I don't mind paying a high price for the parts, but to not be able to buy them at all is frustrating.




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