Lemforder Engine mounts made in China
 

I posted this in the Tech Help section but figured you guys would be interested as well.


I just bought a pair of Lemforder engine mounts for my 190E 2.6 to 3.0L M103 swap and discovered they are made in China. Part number 124 240 19 17. I'm thinking about sending them back. No markings on them indicate they are Lemforder (no logo or anything), they look just like other aftermarket mounts with the ridged top instead of the smooth top (contrary to the pictures when I ordered them). They were in clearance for $35 each. I've use this site (not Pelican Parts) quite often in the past year or so because the prices are far cheaper than anyone else and never had any issues so I'm going to email their customer service to see if there is anything that they can do for me in terms of a refund. Otherwise I will be a guinea pig and test them, they are not hard to change. I looked at the ones on my car, they have the ridged top as well. They are the original OEM ones off of my parts car and completely flattened. Did Boge make the original mounts for the M103 or was it Corteco or some other manufacturer?

http://i1255.photobucket.com/albums/...pskflssbsu.jpg

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http://i1255.photobucket.com/albums/...ps6eoeebjv.jpg

http://i1255.photobucket.com/albums/...psmdmlomwc.jpg

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Boge I believe are now the same company as ZF and Lemfoerder

I understand your concerns about new parts but I don't think a Xenophobic approach to parts selection helps. I've had just as many parts with "Germany" on the box fail as from other countries.

I think you are best off trying the parts you have bought especially as the price you paid wasn't as high as it could have been - I'm pretty sure you'll be able to get exactly the same part (with out the markings) for a higher price if you really want to though...

I don't think worries about Chinese parts are unfounded but typically the manufacturer can set quality control. That being said, people buying Lemforder mounts expect them to be Boge mounts and that wasn't the case here even though that's what was pictured.

At the price I think I'll try them but had I paid full price I would be trying to get a refund. These will probably be better than the mounts that were in my car when I first got it, they were replaced shortly before I bought it. They were stamped made in India and were so soft that the engine would contact the radiator under braking.

Its too early to tell, but I opted for Meyle which as Stretch says, just has the words 'Germany' on the box or part itself.

I bought a new center bearing from MB which was marked Slovakia.

The only parts I ordered which felt a bit substandard were TRW for tie rods, easy to swap out and relatively cheap so not too worried.

Meyle HD get some good reviews on Beemer forums, 4 year warranty too.

MEYLE spare parts

The only well researched Motor Mounts are the ones for a W123 wich are actually made in Turkey by Phoenix and are the same as the dealers.

One of the lables has the Lemforder logo on it.

I would go to the Lemforder web site and find the contact us section that answere Tech questions and send the Pics to them and ask if the chinese mounts are really made by Lemforder.

As previoulsy statre ZF and Lemforder are parts of the same company.

Yes. ZF owns Sach (Boge) and Lemforder. I'm just wondering why it's not the Boge mount. I sent them a message, hopefully they'll get back to me.

I think only they know. The W123 Tubo Diesel Mounts are actually made by Phoenix and have the Phoenix Logo on them and the spot where the Mercedes star goes ground off.
So Lemforder has no issues boxing someone else’s product with their name on the box.

I just buy the corteco mounts from pelican. They're always made in germany. Only use lemfoerder for my ball joints & misc suspension parts and never seen china anywhere.

The only reason China always gets a bad rap is because of the big businesses between them and us that demands it be made more cheaply so they can sell it to us for more profit. So I care not about the country of origin, only what quality was demanded of them by the company selling it to me.

I'm just old enough to remember the period of time when stuff made in China was great quality, while "Made in USA" meant utter crap, because of the difference in cost to make it. Now it's anybody's game but you'll pay for it if it's any good.

-Rog

That's interesting, Corteco are readily available here in the UK but not much seems to be known about them, tbh I thought they Spanish or something given the name.

A quick search retrieved this post:

Allmercedes just sent me some engine mounts in Febi/Bilstein boxes (with their part number).
I ordered Corteco engine mounts (OEM) and hence gave them a call.

Their answer is that even though they are branded Febi/Bilstein, they are in fact still made by Corteco and are identical.

Is this true?

http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/tech-help/278184-febi-bilstein-same-corteco.html

That very well may be, but I just went over my box and did some googling around and couldn't find anything related to Febi. It says on the site these are the OE supplier to Mercedes, which is the reason I went with them + said made in germany. They were cheaper than Lemfoerder mounts as well.

I'm not old enough to remember that period but I have some stuff from back in the day and now that demonstrates that. I have a few tool sets, one was a set of sockets and a ratchet plus a set of wrenches that are stamped "Made in USA", one even puts it on the packaging as a selling point. The MSRP of these tools wasn't cheap for back in the day but I have yet to see crappier tools. These were my great-uncle's, half of the sockets were split, the ratchet was broken, and the wrenches looked to have been used once then never touched again because the metal is so thin that they will spread under anything more than finger torque. Also my newer Craftsmen wrench set came with Chinese made box end wrenches which have been great while the US made ignition wrenches look like crap (I haven't used them yet though).

My main concerns with these mounts is that usually when I order Lemforder engine mounts (of the hydraulic variety), they are Boge, and that was what was pictured when I bought them though that could have just been the stock photo used for all Lemforder hydraulic mounts. Also, these have no markings and the finish isn't that great. Otherwise, the rubber isn't gummy soft like the ones I pulled from the car.

theres zero chance i'd put something knowingly made in china on a benz. especially if you're paying lemfoerder prices. you may as well just buy uro or meyle which you know will be made in china and at least you won't have to pay extra for it.

Not everything that comes out of china is trash, but I agree I wouldn't pay lemfoerder prices for a chinese part. They may last a 50k before needing replacement which is good for motor mounts.

Corteco is the way to go!

Corteco doesn't have a good reputation over here. I think it is well weird how in some parts of the world one brand is the dog's doo dahs and in other parts of the world they are utter crap.

(Think not only in physical regional parts of the world but also in the different manufacturer's worlds)