The change was in 96 on the 140 bodies - i.e. that was the start of the 119.980 on the 500 and the 119.981 on the 420. Like a lot of things that got "better" on Mercedes in recent years there's a tradeoff. The parts are more expensive when they go, the wiring harness more complicated and expensive. I don't consider the old caps and rotors such a bad deal - they usually last at least 60k or a little more with reburbishing. And 119 caps and rotors is one of the few things that have actually gone down in price recently - 2 caps and rotors runs about $150 to $175 and they're easy to put in. I'm sure the new way is better but the old way is not really that bad. It sort of a modern versus retro question.