The price of a rotor arm

[Sp!ke]

Having owned loads of oldish cars with distributor caps and rotor arms over the years, I was rather alarmed to find that ECP were quoting £28 for a rotor arm for my w201.

I've always paid about £3.50 in the past for rotor arms so a quick check at GSF revealed a price of £4.10. (much more like what I was expecting)

Are ECP simply trying it on or could it be they've just made a simple pricing mistake? When I spoke to thm they were adamant the price was correct....

 

[Will]

ECP will probably be quoting for a Bosch rotor arm.

GSF will supply a BERU part.

BERU are an O.E German supplier to Mercedes-Benz and are of very high quality IMHO, they make some of the original MB ignition cables, spark plugs etc.

I have used several BERU rotors and caps on M102s without a single failure but I have experienced quite a number of faulty Bosch rotors and caps on these engines. I wouldn't say that one manufacturer is in some way superior, but I don't believe that Bosch are worth a premium over BERU when it comes to M102 caps and rotors at least.

Go for a BERU rotor and cap from GSF at around £20 for the pair all in, you won't have any troubles. Just be aware that the mounting screws often sieze (steel screw, alloy housing on the distributor) and can sometimes snap off (!)

If you'd like a full set of new Bosch M102 HT leads to go with the rotor and/or distributor cap, PM me and I can do you a set for £20

Will

 

[219]

I once bought a cap & rotor from ECP - turned out to be BREMI , and didn't last .

 

[jaymanek]

The V8 Rotor arms are expensive, around the £30 mark so maybe they are simply quoting the wrong part.

Your one should be cheap.. Beru & Bosch are both OEM and just as good as each other. I probably prefer Beru.

Bremi are a cheaper brand but ok...

 

[Will]

Just to add to this thread, and maybe useful for other M102-engined W124/W201 owners - I fitted a new distributor cap and rotor arm to my 190E 2.5-16 today

Genuine BERU parts, manufactured in Germany

For reference - supplied by GSF Car Parts, Heathrow:

Distributor Cap - M91025 - £14.27 + VAT
Rotor Arm - 92218 - £3.87 + VAT

Both prices include an owners club discount of 10%. The invoice total inclusive of VAT at 20% was £21.72, which compares very favourably against main-dealer supplied M102 caps and rotors of no better quality whatsoever IMHO

The new parts:

The Original BERU Mercedes-Benz 2.5-16 HT Leads:

Old Bosch distributor cap and rotor arm from my current 2.5-16

I would say prematurely aged - the contacts are pretty furred up and beginning to corode, whilst the centre electrode shows that the cap is far from worn out due to extensive use.


Another M102 distributor cap and rotor arm, from a 1.8 8-valve M102:

This cap was causing an intermittant misfire. The car started and ran perfectly when it was cold, but as it reached operating temperature the crack present in the distributor cap would open up and the misfire would begin. The cap is also becoming corroded and the rotor arm has fractured, pieces of plastic were evident as it was removed.

Another Bosch M102 rotor arm and distributor cap, from another M102 2.5-16

Very poorly corroded considering the centre electrode wasn't overly worn and had quite a bit of life remaining. This was causing a lumpy idle and misfire, once replaced with a genuine BERU cap and rotor arm the car ran perfectly.

I have absolutely no interest in GSF or BERU parts. I actually dislike GSF generally as I have had poor service from them on a couple of occasions (wrong parts supplied). I also find Mercedes-Benz to offer excellent service and support for spare parts, and value the 2-year warranty and MB-receipts to some degree.

But, when it comes to certain parts - in this instance M102 distributor caps and rotor arms, I feel strongly that Mercedes-Benz supplied Bosch items are overpriced and of poorer quality (£79.30 against £18.10, both plus VAT).

I have installed several (at least 10-12) BERU distributor caps and rotor arms to a number of W201 and W124 cars (my own and others) without one single issue whatsoever - from around 2004 to 2011.

By comparison, I have had several prematurely worn or faulty Bosch M102 caps.

I can wholeheartedly recommend BERU as a quality manufacturer and have used their caps, rotors, leads and plugs over the years without a single issue in any of my (or others) cars

Will

 

[Tiff]

Halfords have these rotor arms on the shelf- last one I bought for the 200E was about 3 quid.

 

[mark130]

sorry nothing to do with your post but i am not sure how to post elsewhere anyway i am trying to find a member that would be willing to rent spring compressors for my 190e anyone help also i have joined the 190e forum and every time i click the i agree part on the terms and conditions page it goes to home page and that's as far as i can get as every time i try to to open a post etc it comes back access denied along with a code where am i going wrong any help on these matters will be gratefully welcomed /thx mark

 

[Palfrem]

oooooh, a distributor cap and rotor arm - that takes me back

I'm suddenly 19 again and trying to get a 1963 Mini 850 running on my mum and dad's drive on a freezing morning in winter.

WD40 in hand, strobe, cleaned and re-gapped the plugs.......

Happy days.

 

[EDZ649]

I have just bought a new dizzy cap and rotor arm for my 450 SEL, I bought Bosch ones, cost around £30 for the arm and £40 for the cap....

 

[grober]

Post no 7

Please post the user name you want to use/applied with on the 190 forum. I don't think you can benefit from the PM [ personal message ] facility on this forum until you have 30 posts. Have PM,d one of the mods for you over there. Watch this space. You may have to delete some cookies to get the site to work don't know.

 

[grober]

Just an impression but since its expansion/take over has ECP gone down the " cheap and cheerful " route a little more than GSF who seem to stick more with OEM PARTS? Just an impression. WONDER IF OTHERS FEEL THE SAME? If only GSF would improve their website a bit more.

 

[toolman1954]

oooooh, a distributor cap and rotor arm - that takes me back

I'm suddenly 19 again and trying to get a 1963 Mini 850 running on my mum and dad's drive on a freezing morning in winter.

WD40 in hand, strobe, cleaned and re-gapped the plugs.......

Happy days.

You did not have a rubber glove ( Marigold) sitting on the dizzy cap with holes cut into the fingers for the leads -- yes happy days ( ex 850 minivan ----- real quality motoring in the 70's)

 

[marcus.hopkins]

sorry nothing to do with your post but i am not sure how to post elsewhere anyway i am trying to find a member that would be willing to rent spring compressors for my 190e anyone help also i have joined the 190e forum and every time i click the i agree part on the terms and conditions page it goes to home page and that's as far as i can get as every time i try to to open a post etc it comes back access denied along with a code where am i going wrong any help on these matters will be gratefully welcomed /thx mark

Hi mark
Which forum are you trying to join? As an admin on Mercedes-190.co.uk i have checked to see if we have any signing up issues and did not detect any problems. Hope this helps.

Marcus

 

[W210 Fan]

ECP will probably be quoting for a Bosch rotor arm.

GSF will supply a BERU part.

BERU are an O.E German supplier to Mercedes-Benz and are of very high quality IMHO, they make some of the original MB ignition cables, spark plugs etc.

I have used several BERU rotors and caps on M102s without a single failure but I have experienced quite a number of faulty Bosch rotors and caps on these engines. I wouldn't say that one manufacturer is in some way superior, but I don't believe that Bosch are worth a premium over BERU when it comes to M102 caps and rotors at least.

Go for a BERU rotor and cap from GSF at around £20 for the pair all in, you won't have any troubles. Just be aware that the mounting screws often sieze (steel screw, alloy housing on the distributor) and can sometimes snap off (!)

If you'd like a full set of new Bosch M102 HT leads to go with the rotor and/or distributor cap, PM me and I can do you a set for £20

Will

not blowing smoke up anybodies bottom here but thats a damn good post!

 

[GarethGriffiths]

Excellent post to help me out with my own problem.

Arrived Gatwick 2 a.m. last night crack Dizzie cap, seized screw... got her home safe and sound, now need to get the problem sorted.

By the way...!

Any advice on un-seizing that screw...?

 

[Bellow]

£27 for a carb needle for a W123 200 in 1996.