Monark Injector nozzles are available again in the US - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

Screwdriva · #1 10-16-2020, 04:18 AM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X4OuUTXTe2U

I was worried they were NLA, leaving only Firad and Bosch. Relieved to see they're back in stock.

Greazzer replaced my factory nozzles in my W115 240D with these (80K miles on the car) and the difference was very noticeable. Quieter idle and much smoother acceleration.

greazzer · #2 10-16-2020, 06:43 AM

M S had a US monopoly on Monarks for years. I guess Kent renewed his franchise with Monark. His pricing may be on par with E B A Y from Germany. Years ago I tried to buy directly from Monark in bulk and they said no.

Screwdriva · #3 10-17-2020, 02:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by greazzer

M S had a US monopoly on Monarks for years. I guess Kent renewed his franchise with Monark. His pricing may be on par with E B A Y from Germany. Years ago I tried to buy directly from Monark in bulk and they said no.

I'd encourage you to try again. As a customer, much easier to know that I can source them directly from the place that will rebuild the injectors than from a 3rd party. Also more cost efficient.

merc lover · #4 10-17-2020, 10:23 PM

I am not a big fan of monopolies; if they will not sell directly to greazzer then they can forget selling anything to me. I support the forum and small business people like greazzer who serve this community.

merc lover · #5 10-17-2020, 10:36 PM

Kent and MS seem to have missed the point of customer service. He offers NO telephone support for his products, no free shipping ever (peachparts, autoh*aus and amazon DO offer free shipping!), and very few sales on his products if ever. Not a good way to run a business.

merc lover · #6 10-17-2020, 10:55 PM

So.....if you were a big ole company like Monark would you:

a. want a United States distributor that offered telephone support?

b. want a United States distributor that offered free shipping on orders over $100??

and

c. a distributor that ran sales once in a blue moon to ENCOURAGE SALES?

greazzer · #7 10-18-2020, 09:24 AM

You forgot the biggest one yet -

Kent used to sell rebuilt injectors with his nozzles and overall the work wasn’t that hot. I would say 10-20% of my work initially starting out was redoing Kent’s injectors. Kent’s notion of customer service was to send a giant gumball to pissed off customers.

Mark123 · #8 10-18-2020, 11:33 AM

I just have to chime in on this one.
Fed Ex, USPS, And UPS don't deliver for free. Free delivery means the cost is somehow built into the cost of the product.
Kent isn't just a shipping warehouse. He creates videos [free and paid for], kits with instructions, and even tools to help us non-professionals take care of our cars. This is the service he provides. Something no one else offers. He has chosen this niche and I think does it pretty well.
There can't be that large of a market in owners of 30 to 40 year old Mercedes wanting to do their own repairs. He deserves a fair margin. We would all be worse off without him.

greazzer · #9 10-18-2020, 02:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mark123

I just have to chime in on this one.
Fed Ex, USPS, And UPS don't deliver for free. Free delivery means the cost is somehow built into the cost of the product.
Kent isn't just a shipping warehouse. He creates videos [free and paid for], kits with instructions, and even tools to help us non-professionals take care of our cars. This is the service he provides. Something no one else offers. He has chosen this niche and I think does it pretty well.
There can't be that large of a market in owners of 30 to 40 year old Mercedes wanting to do their own repairs. He deserves a fair margin. We would all be worse off without him.

No one can dispute what you say, and I agree with it. A lot of quality time is invested in his videos, website, and all the products he markets and sells. Having marketed, R&D, and created a few products for sale myself, I can say it is a tough process and it takes time and dedication and no one can dispute Kent is dedicated.

Customer service is tough and very frustrating. You can have 99 or 199 happy customers a year who praise your work and give compliments. It just takes one turd in the crowd who is looking for something for free and figures if he whines enough, then a refund will be issued and that year is about ruined. It's a hobby and venturing into the commercial marketplace is very risky and it really doesn't "pay". It's done because of the hobby. Making it a full-time business or something which pays the bills is something I couldn't imagine trying. 2021 may be my last year doing injectors. Been at it over 10 years now. Maybe time for someone new to step up to the plate.

The issue is creating business relationships with the few suppliers of genuine German parts and ensuring there's a monopoly. That is precisely the game which Kent played with Monarks. It squeezed Sean Watts out of the game selling nozzles. Sean moved on and good for him. I tried to buy nozzles in bulk and communicated directly with Monark. It was pretty clear the business relationship between Kent and Monark at the time.

I did try to have my own nozzles made but forget about finding a US Firm to make them. There's zero interest. China and India are too unreliable. Both countries have the same exact equipment which Germany had back in the day. The issue is labor. And -- it does matter if you offer higher pricing for a nozzle with a manufacturer to get better labor. There's zero way to ensure the worker is paid more and the Chinese market is driven by pricing and not so much quality. If I can buy a nozzle for .51 or .52 cents a pop and it supposedely comes with a 12 or 24 month "warranty", you can assume how long I would be in business selling this junk.

If a person creates a business environment where only one person can play, then do not expect a few folks to not remain silent. And it was accurate for me to say that I received a lot of Kent's prior rebuilt injector customers. The work was not so hot. Admittedly, that was years ago and Kent no longer sells rebuilt injectors. However, sending folks a gumball and a 2 x 2 piece of sandpiper is a joke. If you want to be treated like a hobbyist, then behave like a hobbyist. If you want to be treated like a big business, then act like a big business. You cannot have it both ways.

merc lover · #10 10-18-2020, 02:36 PM

It appears sometimes he takes cheap Harbor Freight tools, makes a few modifications and then jacks up his price.

merc lover · #11 10-18-2020, 04:52 PM

I have heard and read good things about Firad Diesel injectors. I'm thinking of giving them a try.

Diesel911 · #12 10-23-2020, 09:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by greazzer

No one can dispute what you say, and I agree with it. A lot of quality time is invested in his videos, website, and all the products he markets and sells. Having marketed, R&D, and created a few products for sale myself, I can say it is a tough process and it takes time and dedication and no one can dispute Kent is dedicated.

Customer service is tough and very frustrating. You can have 99 or 199 happy customers a year who praise your work and give compliments. It just takes one turd in the crowd who is looking for something for free and figures if he whines enough, then a refund will be issued and that year is about ruined. It's a hobby and venturing into the commercial marketplace is very risky and it really doesn't "pay". It's done because of the hobby. Making it a full-time business or something which pays the bills is something I couldn't imagine trying. 2021 may be my last year doing injectors. Been at it over 10 years now. Maybe time for someone new to step up to the plate.

The issue is creating business relationships with the few suppliers of genuine German parts and ensuring there's a monopoly. That is precisely the game which Kent played with Monarks. It squeezed Sean Watts out of the game selling nozzles. Sean moved on and good for him. I tried to buy nozzles in bulk and communicated directly with Monark. It was pretty clear the business relationship between Kent and Monark at the time.

I did try to have my own nozzles made but forget about finding a US Firm to make them. There's zero interest. China and India are too unreliable. Both countries have the same exact equipment which Germany had back in the day. The issue is labor. And -- it does matter if you offer higher pricing for a nozzle with a manufacturer to get better labor. There's zero way to ensure the worker is paid more and the Chinese market is driven by pricing and not so much quality. If I can buy a nozzle for .51 or .52 cents a pop and it supposedely comes with a 12 or 24 month "warranty", you can assume how long I would be in business selling this junk.

If a person creates a business environment where only one person can play, then do not expect a few folks to not remain silent. And it was accurate for me to say that I received a lot of Kent's prior rebuilt injector customers. The work was not so hot. Admittedly, that was years ago and Kent no longer sells rebuilt injectors. However, sending folks a gumball and a 2 x 2 piece of sandpiper is a joke. If you want to be treated like a hobbyist, then behave like a hobbyist. If you want to be treated like a big business, then act like a big business. You cannot have it both ways.

Speaking of Manopolies there is Bosch. Bosch certification is the reason Monark is not selling Nozzles to all of the Fuel Injection shops in the US.

You need to be a Bosch certified shop to have a line on Bosch Fuel Injection Parts. I remember my Boss showing me a nice threatening letter from Bosch saying they were thinking of pulling his certification as he was not ordering enough parts from them.

And in fact were using generic companies Fuel Injection Pump gasket kits and other companies nozzles.

When I worked in that Fuel Injection shop between the late 1970's and early 1980's the UK and US made better Injector Nozzles then the Bosch ones. Bosch nozzles were often a lot cheaper or simply more available and is why we usually used them.