Here's a reprint of an e-mail I sent to a Shop Forum member about a month ago regarding OE/OEM, etc...

Mercedes-Benz does not make filters...nor do they make brake pads, spark
plug wires, radios, ignition systems, tires, muffler hangers, radiators,
shock absorbers, etc, etc
You get the picture.
Mercedes contracts for the manufacture of these items.
If Mercedes pays for the tooling then the contractor can only manufacture
the part for sale to Mercedes. If the contractor pays for the tooling then
they can sell to anyone they wish but, if the part has a star on it, then it
can only be sold to Mercedes.
Behr makes all of the radiators for all Mercedes. Behr owns the tooling.
When they slap a star and Mercedes part number on their radiator it is sold
to Mercedes. When they take exactly the same radiator but leave off the
Mercedes star and label, it can be sold on the aftermarket to people like us
or independent shops.
Do we stock any items that do have the star? YES, but these are usually
items that are not available on the aftermarket at the same quality level.
Some items are only available from Mercedes so, that's where we have to buy
them.
Take oil filters for example...Mercedes buys filters from 3 or 4 primary
suppliers: Mann, Knecht and Hengst. You can buy any of these and you are
getting exactly the same filter as the one with the star on it. Why pay more
for the star?
Brake pads are another story. Mercedes buys from Jurid, Pagid and Textar
primarily. In this case you have to be careful. Each of these manufacturers
makes different compounds. Just because it's a Pagid brake pad doesn't mean
that it's the same as a Mercedes brake pad. Pagid makes one compound for
Mercedes with the star, they make the same pad without the star and they
make others that will fit a Mercedes but ARE NOT the same compound and won't
stop the same. Here it pays to make sure you're getting the correct pad.
The bottom line is this...if you want to keep your Mercedes all original in
its performance then ONLY buy OE parts but, you don't necessarily have to
have the star on it.
We also stock aftermarket parts that are not OE quality. Take mufflers for
example. We sell both the OE quality mufflers and aftermarket quality. The
aftermarket are almost 1/2 the price of the OE and probably worth about 1/2
as much. If you submit a Parts Information Request and ask for OE quality
then, will WILL NOT steer you toward the aftermarket. We will give you the
part number for OE.
I know this has been a long answer but, we stock over 10,000 parts that have
to meet many different people's requirements. Believe me, I am VERY PICKY
about what goes into my beautiful 1998 E430. I will only put OE parts in my
car. There are several people out there who just want the lowest price so
they buy less than OE quality. That's why we have both.
All you have to do is tell us you want OE quality and we'll meet that
requirement at a very competitive price.


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Bill Wood - Webmaster
MercedesShop.com, LLC