10-07-2013, 11:07 AM
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Registered User
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Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: Mid-Missouri
Posts: 70
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W126 LEMFÖRDER (?) Tie Rod Ends?
Hello all,
In preparation of doing a light refresh of the steering on my '86 560SEL using all LEMFÖRDER parts (tie rod ends, drag link, and idler arm bushing kit) I laid out all the parts and was surprised at the appearance of the tie-rod ends.
The first thing I noticed is the very odd trade-mark. Gone is the Owl and in its place has appeared a “Delta L” - has anyone ever seen this before? I haven't and I am frankly beginning to wonder are these even genuine?
Please see the attached pdf.
The “Made in Spain” set didn't look too bad – about visually on a par with the “Made in Turkey” (?) ones you'd get from the dealership these days – i.e. fully serviceable but nothing like the original ones.
The ones “Made in China” however have not only noticeably cruder casting, machining, and over-all finish but most worrying the threads look far, far rougher with a visibly coarser pitch.
Now before any of you write that I should have ordered genuine Mercedes parts I would like to say that in my opinion even the quality of those have shown a very real decline over the last ten years or so to the point that I have simply started to look for absolute quality irrespective of the label in my replacement parts.
For example, the “Made in Germany” “Owl” LEMFÖRDER idler arm bushing kit is exactly the same one you'd get from the dealer right down to the ground off MB star while the also “Made in Germany” and “Owl-marked” drag link actually looks - in my opinion - better than what the dealership is selling these days.
Just some food for thought and discussion...
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