I just replaced my tierods in April with FEBI parts, and the boots are already cracking. They have not failed yet, but I don't think the boots should already be cracked. Should I send them back. Should I expect more cracking with the replacements? I thought FEBI was the one of the better suppliers???

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For Sale: 1982 MB 300TD
1995 Chevrolet Suburban 6.5TD

Sold: 1980 IH Scout Traveler- Nissan SD33T Diesel

Febi is a re-packager. MOST of their suspension parts are very "aftermarket".

They buy parts like that from Turkey most of the time.

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MERCEDES Benz Master Guild Technician (6 TIMES)
ASE Master Technician
Mercedes Benz Star Technician (2 times)
44 years foreign automotive repair
27 Years M.B. Shop foreman (dealer)
MB technical information Specialist (15 years)
190E 2.3 16V ITS SCCA race car (sold)
1986 190E 2.3 16V 2.5 (sold)
Retired Moderator

What would you recommend then?

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For Sale: 1982 MB 300TD
1995 Chevrolet Suburban 6.5TD

Sold: 1980 IH Scout Traveler- Nissan SD33T Diesel

Brett, I think I have some boots for that in stock if you are interested in changing the boots.

Tom W

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[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

I would love to see a list of which of these aftermarket parts companies are reputable and which are not. If it were I, these tie rods would get returned. The problem is that most online parts houses are ready to take your money in one instant, but painfully slow and unwilling in many cases to return it after their bogus parts are returned to them. Lately, I find the local NAPA store much more reliable. They can even order most OEM parts and have them the following day.

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Don't Chrome them; polish them

I've had some questionable Meyle parts.

Also theres seller deutschepartsusa on ebay, who knows where they get their parts from but the W220 front suspension parts I used on a friends car were absolute crap. The boots on 3 of the 6 pieces we replaced were torn open within 5 months and making noise, after 8 months, the car was unsafe to drive, with the ball joints about to pull out of the sockets. I redid the right side for free and he just called me again last week saying the left side is making noise now and it looks like I'm going to be doing that side now too. No help from them on the bad parts either.

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1980 500SE/AMG Euro
1981 500SEL Euro
1982 380SEL
1983 300TD
1983 500SEC/AMG Euro
1984 500SEC
1984 300TD Euro
1986 190E 2.3-16
1986 190E 2.3
1987 300D
1997 C36 AMG
2003 C320T 4matic

past: 1969 280SE 4.5 | 1978 240D | 1978 300D | 1981 300SD | 1981 300SD | 1982 300CD | 1983 300CD | 1983 300SD | 1983 380SEC | 1984 300D | 1984 300D | 1984 300TD | 1984 500SEL | 1984 300SD | 1985 300D | 1986 300E | 1986 560SEL | 1986 560SEL/Carat | 1987 560SEC | 1991 300D 2.5 | 2006 R350

Several years ago I had the tie rods replaced under warranty at a highly respected north Dallas MB dealer.
One of the rods appeared very nice, just like the OEM.
The other was rusty, cheap, and the boots were already cracking.
The reply was that they carried both the OEM and the cheap junk, and let the customers decide which they wanted to pay for!!!!!!!!
They apologized for putting the junk rod on a warranty claim, and replaced it with an OEM unit.

No problems since; all the parts I have bought there appear to be OEM quality, as far as I can tell. Certainly the prices are OEM-level!!!

DG

280EZrider asked, "I would love to see a list of which of these aftermarket parts companies are reputable and which are not."

From everything that I have read and seen, it would be my considered opinion, that when it comes to rubber suspension parts, I would ONLY use genuine OE factory parts. Not OEM and not aftermarket. It is just false economy on these types of parts to use anything but MB branded replacement components.

In reading this thread, there seems to be a misunderstanding of the terms OE, OEM, and aftermarket. OE and OEM are NOT the same. M.B.Doc has it right (of course).

OE = genuine factory parts with a full replacement warranty. It will have the tri-star on nearly every part and will be replaced under warranty, by a Mercedes dealer (labor included), no matter who installed it the first time (as long as it was installed properly, of course). I think most OE parts are warranted for two years, if I remember correctly.

OEM = is just a manufacturer that might make one type of part for MB, but sells other types of parts also. So, for example, say that Febi makes the OE factory power steering fluid for MB, but supplies MB with nothing else. (MB sets the quality standards of the fluid, buys it from Febi, and sells it, branded MB, to you.) Febi can claim to be an OEM, for instance, but they have absolutely no requirements that they must follow on the quality standards on the suspension parts that they might manufacture or repackage from someone else.

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Steve

1992 300CE Sportline Sophie
1990 300E Emma - in the family
1979 240D Josephine - sold, but not forgotten
2004 Pacifica AWD

http://web.mac.com/dakota/Mercedes/Home.html

dakota, thank you for clearing this up.

Additionally, dakota's reply should be placed as a sticky. It's absolutely scary the amount of fobbing that goes on in the business of auto parts. Without this type of information, we are nothing more than sheep being led to the slaughter.

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Don't Chrome them; polish them

When I was shopping parts before replacing some front suspension parts at 100K miles in my W220, I found there was a large difference in price between OE and aftermarket. I called some dealer mechanics and some independents and asked re their experience. Several had bad experiences with cheap suspension parts.