Haven't bought any Chinese Febi parts yet but it's been awhile. Did return a $45 Chinese flex-disc where the rubber was rock-hard, and got a $78 one from the dealer, where I hope it came from Germany, or at least somewhere other than China.

10 years ago, I bought an aftermarket hood-star from my local indie MB parts-place for a friend's '72 220. After a few years, it had turned grey, peeled and crumbled. So when I needed one for my '82 240D, I got it from the dealer for $38. Made in Turkey, but I hope it's better quality than the other one. Later, when I visited my indie MB parts place, They had the same W123 Turkish hood-star, in the same Mercedes box, for $28. DOH!

Then I needed fuel-filters for my 240D one evening. Too late to to get one from the indie MB parts-place, so I got the metal Purolator canister-filter from Pep Boys for $15. Imagine my suprise when I opened the box and found a German Mann filter. They didn't have the little plastic pre-filter so I went next-door to Advance Auto. Advance had the plastic filter and also the Purolator canister for only $9, so I thought "Hey, I can return the Pep Boys filter and save $6". Then I opened the second Purolator box and found a no-name white canister with only the words "Made in China". I kept the Mann filter.
Later when I had the chance, I got a couple extra German Knecht canister-filters at my local MB parts place - for $6 each. DOH!

Happy Motoring, Mark

I would add to that - Chinese strut mounts are not any better. Rubber started separating from the metal in less than 10K miles.

Funny how the prices don't reflect the CHEAP LABOR that they get in these places. If the wages are dropped by 95%, and the prices remain at German made levels, somebody is laughing (at us) all the way to the bank vault. As long as no one says anything to them about it, it will not change. Call and write febi and rattle their cage. Nothing is feared more than a grassroots ground swell of bad word of mouth publicity.

this is an awesome idea.
anybody care to dig up their address and phone numbers and post it here for all to put in their .02?

Lateer, Jeff
Managing Director
febi North America Corp.
Tel.: +1 707 665-9842 Toll free: +1 800 798-febi (3324)
P.O.Box 329. Valley Ford
Mobile:
94972-0329 CA
Fax: +1 707 665-9752

febi@comcast.net

Just fired one off:

A friend of mine works for a company that sells aftermarket parts and supplies major chain parts stores. They knocked off mirrors for my Dodge Ram. scuttlebutt on the forums was that end users still needed to buy a spacer from Dodge for $15. They knocked off the spacer for 15 cents & now have it available for $10 retail. Every stop on the food chain adds margin to the price causing .15 to morph into $10. Sometimes, packaging costs more than the part.

I knew better, but I replaced the 123's driveline support with a Uro part two months ago. It's already failed.

I now have a box full of MB engine/trans mounts, flex discs, and center support for ready for install.

Good plan but the dealer angle doesn't guarantee German or european sources, I bought a K40 relay from my local MB dealer and it came in an MB OEM box with a genuine Mercedes hologram seal.

And the K40 relay inside was labeled 'made in China'.

I'm hoping the OEM standards are monitored/enforced on the supplier in China by Mercedes.

Thats really what it comes down to. China is no worse a manufacturer than any other country, its the QA standards that may be lacking. Or lack of access to MB propietary rubber compounds, that kind of thing. Other than the whole slave labor thing, China does not mean bad.

My cousin lived there for 4 years. He said that they keep all the quality products for themselves and export all the crap.....

Service parts suppliers do not need to jump through the same hoops as OE suppliers to the original build. Further, MBUSA can source their own parts. When the model is no longer in production, they are required to supply parts for the car for years after, but usually the part tooling is sold at that point to a cheaper supplier, tools aren't maintained as well, processes aren't controlled as well.

I bought a new hood star for my TE some years ago, from the dealer, OE, it had a nasty burr inside the ornament, definately sub-standard. Since I manufactured hood ornaments for several automakers at the time, I feel that I knew an inferior product when I saw one, Ford would never have accepted it for example.

Is this the one: This latest version from Uro Parts now comes WITH the driveshaft bearing included in the unit, although not shown in image. 1 per car.
This is timely for me because while I am waiting for Transmission parts to arrive I pulled my Drive Shaft out to inspec the Support Bearing mount. I is starting to crack and I was considering the URO one.
So you saved me some trouble.

Avoid URO at all costs. Only in cases where its stupid not to. Case in point, sun roof seals.

Too late for me, I guess- I just put one of these in my 380SL. Only 10 miles on it. Didn't use Chinese flex joints, so I doubt this alone will kill me, but I will be annoyed if it falls apart quickly. It didn't seem any worse that the German ones and had an NTN (I think) Chinese bearing...

This is America guys, everything is made in China.