I'm putting in a new door retainer (strap) and the Mercedes CD says to lube it with Shell Retinax G. What is a modern equivalent ?

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David McDonald
1981 240D
1985 300D (wrecked)
1985 300TD 365,000 miles
1969 Mustang Fastback

Since this thread has been out there a little while and no one has offered an answer, and you might be wanting to put your car together, I will offer what info I have. I was working on the door checks of my C230 and bought a replacement from the dealer (pre lubed) but ended up overhauling the ones I had. What grease to use was a big question. I had about 9 different choices in my garage and actually installed a couple of different ones on the door checks before finding the one that worked the best. I found the difference between one grease and another amounted to: color, viscosity, smell, temp rating. (A grease expert will, no doubt, tell you that there are many more differences, but this is what seemed important to my job at hand). What was on the factory part was about the color and consistency of vaseline, fairly clear and thick. I ended up using some grease that had been purchased for my Stihl weed trimmer. This was special grease in a Stihl tube that I got from the Stihl dealer. I figured "German car, German grease". I since found another grease at my local NAPA that seemed extremely similar called Silglide. It also came in a tube a little wider than a toothpaste tube. If you have ever used silicone based grease before then I don't have to remind you to use gloves or it will take you about a week to wash the stuff off of your hands. Very insidious. Hope this helps.

Mike

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1998 C230 330,000 miles (currently dead of second failed EIS, yours will fail too, turning you into the dealer's personal human cash machine)
1988 F150 144,000 miles (leaks all the colors of the rainbow)
Previous stars: 1981 Brava 210,000 miles, 1978 128 150,000 miles, 1977 B200 Van 175,000 miles, 1972 Vega (great, if rusty, car), 1972 Celica, 1986.5 Supra

Shell Retinax G is a European specified formulation. You won't get it here in the US. I imagine any lithium-based NLGI 2 grease should do the job in this application.

I wouldn't use silicone grease unless maybe it was formulated with thickener. It's just not that good a lubricant for check strap application.

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95 E320 Cabriolet, 169K

Unfortunately the MB specified grease is pretty lame. These straps are continually being replaced because the grease they come with is not sufficiently water wash resistant, and rain water dribbling down inside the door causes the strap mechanism to rust and fail. I would look into a product we used in the Navy for mechanical devices exposed to seawater called Termaline 2. The lubrication duty required is not severe (meaning the speed and pressure of the sliding surfaces does not pose a serious challenge for the lubricant) but the environment seems to be. Jim

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Own:
1986 Euro 190E 2.3-16 (291,000 miles),
1998 E300D TurboDiesel, 231,000 miles -purchased with 45,000,
1988 300E 5-speed 252,000 miles,
1983 240D 4-speed, purchased w/136,000, now with 222,000 miles.
2009 ML320CDI Bluetec, 89,000 miles

Owned:
1971 220D (250,000 miles plus, sold to father-in-law),
1975 240D (245,000 miles - died of body rot),
1991 350SD (176,560 miles, weakest Benz I have owned),
1999 C230 Sport (45,400 miles),
1982 240D (321,000 miles, put to sleep)