w123fanman, if you know for a fact that Elring is the supplier to MB then use the Elring products. It's more important to me to use genuine MB parts and not have to repeat a job, rather than save a few dollars. That's my approach to DIY jobs. Having said that I do use Textar brake pads; however, brake pad replacement pales in comparison to a head gasket replacement.

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Fred Hoelzle