Recommended parts supplier

[jchip]

I recently had a very favorable experience with a parts supplier I found on the internet called ********. They are located in Arizona. I ordered a stock Bosche coil for my 91 420 SEL from them and specified UPS red (overnight delivery). The part was delivered 2 days later and the coil was not a direct replacement as ordered. The coil looked to be a mirror image of the one on my car but was otherwise correct. I assumed it was intended for a RHD car and since I needed to replace mine, I installed it. I had to extend the connecting wires but otherwise the coil worked fine.
I e-mailed them to complain about the late delivery and the incorrect coil just to let them know I was a disappointed customer. I didn't ask that any action be taken on their part and considered the matter over.
To my surprise they contacted me at home and later by e-mail to explain that I had placed my order well after the UPS pickup time required for next day delivery which is clearly indicated on their website. As such, the part could not be shipped the day ordered but was indeed shipped and received overnight the next day. To compensate, they credited my credit card for the full cost of shipping despite the fact that it was my error in not understanding the shipping requirements, not theirs. Additionally, they researched the reason the wrong part was shipped and found that Bosche was carrying the wrong part number for my car. They contacted the OEM and got them to correct their database and, (get this) felt it was only right to ship me the correct part at no cost to me. They even said I didn't have to return the incorrect coil! I was blown away by their unsolicited efforts to correct problems that were not their fault just to make me a satisfied customer. It was my first order with them but won't be my last.

J.Chip
PS : Prices appear equal or less than Rusty's.
PSS : Usual disclaimers, ie, I have no affiliation whatsoever with ********. Just a satisfied customer endorsement.

[Benzmac]

That gives me the warm fuzzies and all, but why can't you use Phil in the Fast lane?
If you come here to gather and get the information needed, why not buy our parts to make sure that we are around for a few more years?
Just a thought.

PS, if you click on FastLane, you can order the parts online. If you click on PartsShop, you can get the 1-888 # to talk directly and order directly from Phil.

You will be happy with HIM! He is good at his job.

[Southern]

I had nothing but excellent service from Phil. Only once was my order wrong - I ordered 2 oil filters and received only 1. I e-mailed Phil and within a couple days I received the 2nd oil filter and was not charged shipping for the second shipment.

I always give my repeat business to those you stand behind their service.

As Benzmac mentioned the information from this website is priceless so in return I give Phil a call for my parts needs. I also discovered that through FastLane I was able to get parts for my Honda at prices much lower than the Dealer.

[MikeTangas]

I too buy 95% of my parts from FastLane and PartsShop, beats dealer prices by a mile and you can't beat the service. The 5% I haven't bought from here are a few parts that were either necessary to finish a job that day, or something that was priced nearly identical. Shoot, I remember one order that was at my door in something like 12 hours, and I only asked for standard ground shipping .

[jchip]

Why do I feel like I'm being scolded for sharing a good experiance with other owners?

[ctaylor738]

Benzmac -

You ask, why order from Rusty and not us?

First of all, price. BuyMBParts is generally 10-20% cheaper than Partsshop. This is important on big-ticket purchases. As an example. your price on ball studs for my 380SL was $26.64, and Rusty's was $21.82. That's about an $80 saving on a set of 16.

Rusty ships free on orders over $75.

Rusty does only Mercedes parts and he knows his stuff.

I think Rusty's web site is easier to use.

When I order parts, I always check FastLane, BuyMBParts, and Benzbin. I have always found Rusty's prices to be lower than Partsshop by at least 10%. I very occasionally find BenzBin to be lower than Rusty.

I am grateful to you for supporting this wonderful forum and I would be happy to pay a reasonable fee to subscribe. But I am not willing to pay several hundreds of dollars a year in added parts costs.

Respectfully,

[royaiii]

Although, sometimes there are cheaper parts out there. I like ordering from Fastlane because they have been reliable and I can trust that I am getting good parts. I did have a mishap a while back that only one part was shipped and it came to me ruined but I try to beleive it is UPSs fault and not Mercedesshop. New part was resent and I was pleased. 300E airfilters should not come in those long narrow boxes, they should have more of a square box. But, it is Hengst's fault not you guys. I will continue to order from them because this website is great and I like giving back business.

Support the guys who brought you this great site.

[engatwork]

I am grateful to you for supporting this wonderful forum and I would be happy to pay a reasonable fee to subscribe. But I am not willing to pay several hundreds of dollars a year in added parts costs.

"supporting" is an understatement - if it were not for Benzmac and Bill this site would not be here.

[Ron Johnstone]

Phil at PartsShop runs a great parts depot and I have found that if you have a problem with a price he can sometimes do "supplier shopping" and meet or better the price. It is really worthwhile to give him your business!

[tvpierce]

I appreciate the info that jchip offered. But I also value the information on this site.
I think each of us would be foolish consumers if we didn't "shop around" for parts. But when you make your final purchasing decision, just be sure price isn't the only factor you consider.
How much is this site (and the FREE information it provides) worth to you. The answer is different for each of us, but for me it's worth a whole lot.
I have occasionally bought parts elsewhere in the past, and will do so in the future. But I'll continue to give the vast majority of my business to MercedesShop based on price, service, and most importantly because they make this incredible forum possible.
(Can I get an Amen???)

Seriously, if it weren't for this forum (and Phil, MBDoc, Benzmac, et all) I wouldn't even be able to afford to own a Benz. THANKS GUYS!

[jchip]

Actually, I had no idea that PartShop and Fastlane were the people who run this forum. I thought the forum was independant and that these guys were just advertisers. Its not immediatley obvious from the website.
J.Chip

[tvpierce]

That's cool jchip. I learn something new every time I come to this forum. Sometimes its about my car, somtimes its about something else.

Jeff Pierce