Behr receiver drier
 

Just received my Behr receiver drier....is this the oem manufacturer? Says it was made in China.

Ah yes....the conundrum...Behr, an obviously well known German OEM part maker, is now manufacturing parts in China....OR....possibly just slapping their good name on parts made in China by some Chinese company???

I just looked in Pelican's catalog and it doesn't say who made the OEM part. I'm sure you've looked at their catalog enough and noticed how they often indicate that the OEM part maker has also made an aftermarket part. I thought it was a dead give away that something was up when I saw that the Behr receiver drier for your car was ~$22 and the Mercedes OEM was $175.

Now we've all experienced the difference in price between MB OEM and MB after-market, but it's usually not 8 fold. That big of descrepancy seems suspicious and makes me think that you got a part made by a Chinese company and Behr put their name on it.

I know now that BEHR thermostats and fan clutches are made in china, and are junk. I bought both and have had to replace both. The temperature calibration was way off on both as compared to original parts.

PaulM

Guys, save up some money and visit China. Everybody is there.
Behr belongs to the Mahle group, and this is a list of their locations in China:
MAHLE Group | China

I needed a blower motor regulator for my w140... got behr...failed quickly.. sent it back ...new one failed quickly... chinese junk

got a KAE one... good to go...

......and there you have it......it's no longer a conundrum......steer clear of these type of parts!

This is interesting.....If even the one reputable German manufacturers are outsourcing to China, then we will all eventually end up with these parts on our cars. I don't mind the non critical parts like an air filter or bushing or something that will only take me minutes to do the job, but this is one that I'm not thrilled with. One fault could take out my entire a/c system by allowing moisture in.

The "China syndrome" is not the fault of the German (or US) manufacturer, but ultimately the penny-pinching consumer who will always sacrifice his best longtem interest for a lower price today. Slavery is illegal in the US, so let's set up shop in China where communist labor is about the same thing. Plus, we don't have to pay into our Social Security fund! What a deal for our grandkids!

Lsmalley agree with your comment. There are some good "lists" of info about various manufacturers. PM me if you're interested. And if it's any consolation, I just ponied up $140 for the OEM receiver/drier for my 300D and I think the Behr after market one was $20 some dollars.

It should be fine. I installed one in my 190D last year and it hasn't leaked or had any problems.

If the world was out of toilet paper except for China, I'd start using dry grass before Chinese toilet paper! Their last cyber attack was the final straw for me.
Anziani
'97 CL600 50K

Same, their fan clutches are crap. Both on my M103 and M117, they lock up and stay locked. Even at freeway speeds. :rolleyes:

I've had the same luck with the one I got for my 190E 2.6 which is a clutch off of a W124/W126 M103/M104(supposed to be more aggressive, better for cooling than the older M103 clutch). It never seems to unlock, which in the summer heat on that car probably isn't a bad thing (besides being loud) but I am worrying if I will have any better luck with it when it gets cooler.

I have an aftermarket fan clutch, pretty sure it was made in China, but it keeps my car running right at 85°C even with 110°F weather outside. It does sound like it is always engaged when I take off from a start I can always hear it. But I think I can only hear it at speeds when I hit 2500 - 3000 rpm I don't hear it anymore.

Too bad it is TIGHT between radiator core and fan clutch pulley. I would love to install a Volvo 960/S90/V90 dual speed fan on my 300SEL like I did the 300SD. I only have about 3.25" total depth to play with, which really limits dual speed fans. Ford Contour V6 are a bit too thick to wedge in there and the fans are about 27" wide... about 6" too wide for the M103 W126 radiator core.

The current clutch works on it, but I spent around $200 I think for a good Sachs unit.

The Behr unit is going back for a refund. Volvo fan swap time there too.