Gene Fiorot

I am a new owner of a 2004 Sl500. I have been looking on line at the www.partsgeek.com website and I notice many choices for replacement parts with a wide range of prices. For example Engine Mounts can make you dizzy with the different prices. Are there companies you should avoid? I notice AC Delco is on the high end and I would never want a AC Delco Part in my SL but maybe there is more to this. Thanks for all your opinions. I realize folks may have their preferences but with the wide range of prices the level of concern makes me question what manufacturers to purchase parts from. Thank you.

sivikvtec

I’ve been burned enough times by aftermarket parts, that with few exceptions my policy is that if it’s not from a Mercedes dealership it’s not going on my car.

I’ve bought quite a few things here lately. Kind of slow to ship but good prices.

https://www.buymercedespartsnow.com/

Gene Fiorot

I appreciate your comment. However there are a multitude of aftermarket parts available from a multitude of Brands that would not exist if they all were bad. That is my take anyway. I am just trying to find out what members here have experience with certain brands. You seem to be a purist and I understand that. You have to understand I am not going to drive my 2004 Sl500 more than a few thousand miles per year and at 73 years old dollars spent for parts to keep my SL500 in good shape is my goal.

Hary Gahtoe

FWIW;
If you choose not to include your location in User info don’t forget others here don’t know where You’re coming from literally.
We have members here from EU, AUS, Japan and North America. So if you ask about brands you might not arrive at similar comparable products at all.

Second thing here is grammatical. “Aftermarket” parts are not OEM replacement. K&N air filters are “aftermarket”. Borla Exhaust is “aftermarket” and everyone knows aftermarket rarely fit or finish equal to OEM replacement

If you want OEM replacement, Febi makes A+ quality and are MB certified replacement motor mounts and even front suspension wishbone for R230 as well as other suspension pieces
TRW is another company with a lot of OE manufacturers
Good Luck

Gene Fiorot

Sorry to be inconsiderate. I filled in my personal information. As for Grammar, my understanding is if it does not say Mercedes Benz on the wrapper it is Aftermarket. When I look at www.partsgeek.com many of the offerings say OEM from many brands. Engine Mounts are one example. So my question with the wide range of prices which say OEM what brands are better considering the price differences. Thanks Hope this clears this up and look forward to Members sharing their thoughts and experiences.

pmercury

iTrader: (2)

I totally agree
also, never forget that some companies might even make the OEM parts for MB and are relabeled

my experience
the first 3 meet the absolute 100% OEM specs
Lemfoerder is also a excellent (and German too) aftermarket brand
Delphi is very known by workshops
Meyle excellent (and German too)

TRW is Romanian so I don't buy those ever

onewhippedpuppy

I've owned German cars most of my adult life, but I'm not by any means a wealthy man. I attribute the smart purchasing of aftermarket parts from reputable sellers and my DIY labor to be the reason I have been able to afford a number of pretty special cars. I tend to purchase from parts suppliers that specialize in European cars, like fcpeuro, Pelican, ECS Tuning, eEuroparts, and AutohausAZ. Then I buy the higher end of aftermarket parts, typically the same manufacturers that make the parts for Mercedes. For instance, MANN makes filters for Mercedes and AMG, when I replaced the engine air filters on my SL63 they were labelled with both Mercedes AMG and MANN. I paid half the price of Mercedes OEM for the same part. I would never put low quality generic stuff like a Fram filter on my cars, but with a little research and shopping around you can easily get OEM quality for way less money.

Hary Gahtoe

You can buy quality parts from anywhere and you can get crap right here in North America. It's not so much the package as it is the part.
You also have to look around because unless you buy from MB not every company out there makes the"best" of all the replacement parts needed.
Also, there's new products coming to light all the time.
If you specifically want motor mounts look along these lines look for something like this
Good Luck
https://www.pelicanparts.com/catalog...ENGMIS_pg3.htm

HLG600

People tend to mix up OE/OEM and often incorrectly refer to an OE part as OEM.

Original Equipment (OE) - Mercedes-branded part (often made by different manufacturers).

Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) - Brand that manufacturers the parts for Mercedes.

Aftermarket - Part manufacturer that is not affiliated with the vehicle brand in any way.

Let's use an oil filter for the M156 as an example:

-Hengst makes the filters for Mercedes (note the Hengst logo commonly found on the oil filter canisters and on the filters that come in the MB box) and also sells the exact same filter under their brand.
-There is zero difference in quality between the two.

-Purolator, Fram, etc. also make filters compatible for the M156. However, they are considered aftermarket since there is no real traceability back to the vehicle manufacturer.

Aftermarket parts are indeed a wildcard. However, no one should hesitate using a valid OEM part, IMHO.

Gene Fiorot

This is all good information especially the the OE and OEM and the true meaning of Aftermarket. I think I have figured out PartsGeek.com. There are multiple listings for a particular part. They do say OE OEM and nothing I assume that is Aftermarket. What confused me was the same part by the same manufacturer at different prices. I also noted with each part there is a catalog letter. So I called and I asked about that and they told me the part comes from a different warehouse. Now I realize PartsGeek is a middle man between many parts suppliers. Probably some mentioned above. Makes searching easier for a part and price I think. I will have to compare with the suppliers mentioned above if I am correct.

HLG600

Especially since you are on the east coast, please check out FCP Euro. Highly accurate in terms of part info/matching and everything they sell has a lifetime replacement guarantee. This includes common wear items and even oil...as wild as that sounds.

onewhippedpuppy

Agreed on FCP Euro, they are my go-to for Mercedes stuff. I really like their parts kits, makes planning a project super easy. They also tend to offer a lot more from the OEM type companies, and less of the true aftermarket junk like Fram.

tonylinc

For engine mounts which I have replaced on at least four of the recent Benzo's I have purchased, either get original Mercedes parts at a place online where you can find a discount on those, or do like I have, I got a set of two motor mounts and one transmission mount made by Lemfoerder in Germany, states that they are the OEM maker for these parts, I got the set of all three for a 2007 SL550 for about $152.00 US and I've always been quite happy. There are even motor mounts that you can find for $20 each if you look, I wouldn't touch those with a ten foot pole. They may be good? But the price I paid is very good. Paid my indy $400 to install them, and $50 to rent a lift, total cost $600. And a dealership wanted $2000. The Lemfoerder parts i got I bought from Amazon. NO Chinese parts!!! Just did the replacement in the SL550 yesterday, the car needed them so bad, it was almost painful to drive... drives like a Brand New Car now!! Previous installs: 2002 W220 S500, 2008 W221 S550, 2001 ML320, it seems every time I buy a used Benz it needs motor mounts, and I always change all three (including tranny mount) at once. People don't change these because they either don't know why the smoothness is gone, have no idea what's wrong, or they are told by a ripoff dealer that it will cost them a few thousand dollars. Mercedes "book" says seven hours to change the ones we did yesterday, and my indy, who is really good and very talented, did all three mounts in UNDER 2 HOURS. No removal of compressor or alternator. My indy had done them for a little less money before but charged $373 this time because the book said seven hours, and also he knows I am generous and made a ton of money with Bitcoins so this time he asked for 373 and I gave him 400. But the S550 was a little easier. Driver side mount on the SL550 has a power steering fluid hard line that is in the way. But, the car is happy, I'm happy, the indy is happy, the place that rents the bay with the lift is happy.

tonylinc

motor and tranny mount replacement day June 11th 2020! SL550 is SO happy now.