Yes, Ali, that is why I drew the distinctions that I did in the original post. I realize there are three "tiers" here and was looking for feedback as to whether there have been any bad experiences with any of the different ones. Also, one of my fears is of "counterfeit" parts.

You're much less likely to get some Chinese or Indian knock-off coming from behind the counter at the local MB dealer than from one of these mail order houses...so for safety related parts, such as brakes, suspension and steering, I probably do tend to go for the OEM MB parts rather than start with anything less. For other parts (so-called comfort or convenience items) I buy whatever seems to give the best value, but for brakes it seems foolish to cut corners if there's a chance you'll land up with something sub-standard. I have heard horror stories on this board from those who bought ball joints or tie-rods online only to have them fail while driving...how foolish do you feel when you lose control of your car because you saved $30 on a ball joint?

It's also just common sense...the biggest savings I realize come from doing the work myself. So, if I have to spend an extra $50 to get MB parts it is still several hundred dollars less than having the work done at the dealership. The difference between a $700 brake job and a $250 job is great...but between $250 and $200 for parts seems to make little difference or sense to me.

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Marty D.

2013 C300 4Matic
1984 BMW 733i
2013 Lincoln MKz