Don't run your CLK55/E55 without air filters!

[i_york]

I changed the air filters in my CLK55 yesterday after FINALLY getting the correct filters from the motor factor! If anyone else is in the market for air filters for this engine, be advised that the FRAM and UniPart (made by FRAM) books state completely the wrong filter. Ended-up getting a Mann and Hummel filter (this is the OEM filter as fitted from new) for £19 each incl. VAT (and you need 2).

Anyway, the reason for this post is that I was shocked by the amount of crap inside my airbox when I took the filters out! Just look at the pics! The amount of stuff sucked-in is obviously due to the location of the air inlets at the front of the car just behind the grille.

Original filters were in for 55k miles, by the way.

Cheers,
Ian.

 

[mioba]

I changed the air filters in my CLK55 yesterday after FINALLY getting the correct filters from the motor factor! If anyone else is in the market for air filters for this engine, be advised that the FRAM and UniPart (made by FRAM) books state completely the wrong filter. Ended-up getting a Mann and Hummel filter (this is the OEM filter as fitted from new) for £19 each incl. VAT (and you need 2).

Anyway, the reason for this post is that I was shocked by the amount of crap inside my airbox when I took the filters out! Just look at the pics! The amount of stuff sucked-in is obviously due to the location of the air inlets at the front of the car just behind the grille.

Original filters were in for 55k miles, by the way.

Cheers,
Ian.

good to see the filters are doing thier job.

seemed like you had to do some running about for the filters, why didnt you just go the dealers!

 

[i_york]

seemed like you had to do some running about for the filters, why didnt you just go the dealers!

They don't call dealers 'stealers' for nothing. I didn't bother phoning for a price from the dealer because i'm 90% confident it would be more than I paid from the factors for exactly the same filter.

Cheers,
Ian.

 

[kth286]

i_york

Always found Merc parts prices competitive, and you get the benefit of any mods done in the meantime to the part.

The car parts specs are always evolving depending on what is fed back to Head Quarters from the dealer network.

You would be lucky to get the latest spec parts from the factors, in my experience.

 

[i_york]

i_york

Always found Merc parts prices competitive, and you get the benefit of any mods done in the meantime to the part.

The car parts specs are always evolving depending on what is fed back to Head Quarters from the dealer network.

You would be lucky to get the latest spec parts from the factors, in my experience.

Well, we're talking about an air filter... it's a bit of folded-up paper with a rubber ring around it. Not too many advancements to be made there! Having said that, the filter I bought is EXACTLY the same filter as fitted by MB from new... it just doesn't have the star logo on it! Mercedes (like most manufacturers) outsource much of their consumable parts manufacturing to outside companies. In this case, Mann for the air filters. The only difference is the price the main dealer charges!

Main dealer parts prices, on the whole, are daylight robbery (as are their labour rates).

Cheers,
Ian.

 

[ADY1983]

I changed the air filters in my CLK55 yesterday after FINALLY getting the correct filters from the motor factor! If anyone else is in the market for air filters for this engine, be advised that the FRAM and UniPart (made by FRAM) books state completely the wrong filter. Ended-up getting a Mann and Hummel filter (this is the OEM filter as fitted from new) for £19 each incl. VAT (and you need 2).

Anyway, the reason for this post is that I was shocked by the amount of crap inside my airbox when I took the filters out! Just look at the pics! The amount of stuff sucked-in is obviously due to the location of the air inlets at the front of the car just behind the grille.

Original filters were in for 55k miles, by the way.

Cheers,
Ian.

Well your bound to suck up some stuff with an engine like that... Did you not find any small children in there?...

 

[i_york]

Well your bound to suck up some stuff with an engine like that... Did you not find any small children in there?...

No, thankfully. Just a couple of old trainers and a pair of knickers

 

[kth286]

i_york

The main point being made is that you totally ignored the main dealer on principle.
I am saying do not do that, as Merc parts prices are fairly competitive.

Mercedes likes the fact that many of their cars are kept on the road for a very long time, and part of the Branding is to ensure their parts are available for a very long time ie. no problem getting parts for a 50 year old car for example, and they do not overprice parts if they can avoid doing so.

You only have to see the rise of the classic centres being set up by the company, and all members of the 'main UK Merc club' get the 'Merc classic mag' direct from Germany on a quarterly basis, as a benefit of membership.

If you state the Merc part number and the price you paid I will tell you how much Merc would have charged you for the part, as a comparison.

 

[Glenn Smith]

They don't call dealers 'stealers' for nothing. I didn't bother phoning for a price from the dealer because i'm 90% confident it would be more than I paid from the factors for exactly the same filter.

Cheers,
Ian.

I say check first, you may be surprised, i also find merc spares to be reasonable (cheaper than Jaguar) prices.

 

[C43AMG]

I have GREEN filters, loads of MONEY

 

[Silvertank]

No, thankfully. Just a couple of old trainers and a pair of knickers

I wondered where they'd gone - please can I have my knickers back. Thanks

 

[Merc808]

Knickers

I bet they weren't my wifes knickers, they would have stopped a jet turbine on full throttle !!!!!!!!

 

[glojo]

Have you considered entering them in the name of Art!!!

If a urinated bed can win a prize then go for it

I disagree with you about your 'stealer' remark and in particular the percentage ratio. I have read numerous posts on this forum where folks are pleasantly surprised about how cheap SOME parts are, plus of course they are genuine and FIT!!!

Sometimes, just like you MIGHT have found, you can indeed get parts slightly cheaper by avoiding the dealer, but other times you get what you pay for!!

Buying a front wing for a car is a good example, you can make huge financial savings in the actual cost by not going to a 'stealer' but then you spend a fortune having a bodyshop bodge the part to make it fit, it speaks volumes about the 'stealer' mentality.

I am simply saying for the price of a phone call you have nothing to loose and you stand more chance of getting the right part!!

I wonder what Ian Walker does when getting spares for any vehicles he works on? I would expect a small percentage of 'factor' type parts but nowhere near 80%

Regards,
John

 

[grober]

I disagree with you about your 'stealer' remark and in particular the percentage ratio. I have read numerous posts on this forum where folks are pleasantly surprised about how cheap SOME parts are, plus of course they are genuine and FIT!!!
Sometimes, just like you MIGHT have found, you can indeed get parts slightly cheaper by avoiding the dealer, but other times you get what you pay for!

Regards,
John

There was a time John I would have agreed with you. However in recent years the quality of some MB parts (just like their cars) has been questionable. Going back as far as the canister oil filter for my old 190s laterly they were made in Czechoslovakia and were of poorer (if adequate) quality than the original ones made by KNECHT in Germany. Now I'm not casting aspersions on CZECH workers here but I'm sure MB went there not because the product was better but because it was cheaper. Nothing wrong with that but it reveals a certain mind set which held sway in Daimler Chrysler until recently. If I wanted a GERMAN built oil filter then I was best getting a Hengst filter from ECP! (Hengst are OEM for some merc filters anyway) I would agree its always best to try MB for parts first but for some items SUBSTANTIAL SAVINGS and possibly better quality also can be made by sourcing elsewhere. You just have to read all the posts of MAFF/MAS insert/ replacement to see that.
AMG does seem to equate to "Aaargh My God !" which is what people exclaim when they hear the official MB price for even routine AMG parts.

 

[glojo]

AMG does seem to equate to "Aaargh My God !" which is what people exclaim when they hear the official MB price for even routine AMG parts.

Excellent very valid points. It will always pay to 'let your fingers do the walking' but to simply 'assume' is perhaps not the best route when sourcing items. I tend to go for the better quality route and do shop around. If it is Mercedes parts then so be it, but if any 'factor' type outlet offers a better quality item, cheaper then that's the way to go.

I just find it strange how some folks tend to go for the cheapest when they own a quality vehicle! I take fully onboard your very valid points about Mercedes-Benz products sometimes being inferior.

It would be great if we could have a 'sticky' type thread on the various quality items that are better than the originals. I for one would really appreciate it.

Thanks for pointing it out.

Regards,
John

 

[grober]

Buy cheap buy dear.

Would certainly agree with you John on the buy cheap buy dear front. I would always go for OEM quality parts for my Mercedes. I'm a bit dubious about the AQ- alternative quality parts from ECP for example. Sometimes thats all thats available and then I would probably revert to the official MB supplied part and take the financial hit.

 

[i_york]

Wow, seems I've evoked some pretty strong responses from some of you by accusing the main dealer as being rip-off merchants! In my experience, service items such as oil and filters are universally far more expensive from the dealer than from a factor. Sure, some of you will immediately say that you get what you pay for and the factor-sourced filter isn't as good quality, but that simply is not the case if you're buying from the likes of Champion, Fram, Mann, etc. Fram and Mann (not sure about Champion) supply filters to the OEM's as parts manufacturing is often outsourced.

In this particular case, I would have been perfectly happy with Fram air filters and confident that my engine would not be suffering as a consequence. However, I actually ended-up getting a Mann filter, which is EXACTLY the same filter that Mercedes fit from new as Mann make the air filters for the CLK 55 on behalf of Mercedes!

To those of you that claim that I should've checked with the dealer, I did this morning and had my suspicions confirmed 100%. The main dealer price for ONE air filter element for the CLK 55 is £48! I paid £19 each.

I'm not knocking any of you that would always rather goto the dealer for parts under the assumption you're getting the best money can buy, but I focus more on value for money and am confident that purchasing parts from OEM manufacturers gets me the same quality at significantly reduced cost.

I agree that not all parts are best obtained from factors, but that's a judgement call at the time depending on the part. For instance, I would probably goto the main dealer for a cam belt (not that the CLK55 uses one being chain) as the consequences of a cam belt snapping don't bear thinking about. However, I'm sure a Pirelli factor-sourced belt would be just fine also. I'd also use the dealer for small parts and bits of trim which simply aren't obtainable from outside sources. But, as for service items such as discs, pads and filters, I'd choose the aftermarket every time. I've owned far too many cars to remember and have never had a problem using factor-sourced service parts.

Different strokes for different folks.

Cheers,
Ian.

 

[i_york]

I just find it strange how some folks tend to go for the cheapest when they own a quality vehicle!

Regards,
John

John,

I have to say that 'quality vehicle' doesn't always apply with manufacturers (such as Mercedes and BMW) that would lead you to believe their vehicles are of the highest quality. I can't speak for Mercedes because this is my first MB, but I can speak with authority about BMW and can definitely say that the amount of design flaws on some of their engines is totally inexcusable. Sometimes, the cheapest part is every bit as good as the most expensive part (and may even have been manufactured at the same factory!) Doesn't always apply, but it does sometimes. You can apply the 'cheapest vs dearest' argument to just about any purchasing decision you care to think of... everything from clothes to cars to electricals and there are people that will always buy the most expensive they can afford, confident that they're getting the best quality possible and they'll have years of use/service out of whatever it is they're buying and, conversely, you'll get the cheap-skates that buy the cheapest of everything confident that they're not being ripped-off. At least, that's their respective perceptions, anyway. Personally, I'm somewhere in the middle... half cheap-skate, half snob, lol.

Cheers,
Ian.

 

[glojo]

Hi Ian,
I certainly never stated YOU were buying the cheapest, I certainly say SOME folks do!

It MIGHT on very rare occassions be htat hte cheapest is the best, but I have never been that lucky!!! Usually if I buy a cheap item it is usually rubbish and I tend to quickly regret the decision. Be it paint, tools are cheap spare parts for a car!

John

 

[i_york]

Hi Ian,
I certainly never stated YOU were buying the cheapest, I certainly say SOME folks do!

It MIGHT on very rare occassions be htat hte cheapest is the best, but I have never been that lucky!!! Usually if I buy a cheap item it is usually rubbish and I tend to quickly regret the decision. Be it paint, tools are cheap spare parts for a car!

John

John,

I think 'quality' is somewhat down to individual perception. Take top quality brake pads, for example. Some people may think top quality brake pads should stop the car in the shortest distance possible and are ultra-resistant to fade. Others perception of quality pads are those that don't generate much dust and don't squeal, yet the pads offering the highest quality in terms of performance are likely to be the lowest quality when it comes to dusting and noise. It's all a question of what's fit for purpose at the time. Personally, I own quite a few cheap tools. I know they're not top quality and certainly wouldn't last very long if I was using them in a professional capacity. However, my cheap tools are used very seldomly and, therefore, are likely to last me quite a while. I do, however, own a reasonably good quality socket and spanner set because they're much nicer to use and less likely to cause skinned knuckles and much frustration like the cheap stuff. I knew I'd found the right socket set when I finally found one that didn't have loads of extraneous crap in it in order to boost the 'bit count'!

Apologies to any forum members now reading this thread that think I'm getting too anal and deep. I can't help it! lol

Cheers,
Ian.