Patten Parts or MB

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Tezz

Active Member
Joined
Mar 29, 2020
Messages
388
Location
loughton essex
Car
A180 w169 2006 2.0 cdi
A MB is just a selection of pattern parts? yes to there specs but at end of day made by others and just assembled by them, like lego

No m not talking about Chinese rip offs or exhausts fitted by kwik fit.

I personally have no issue with Patten parts when I can find out whom MB used, Like Bosch, Mann, Wahle ect

so f they tool up for an MB part, would they then go through hassle of retooling to make an inferior part ? or just change box ?

How much of an MB do they actually make in house ?

The price difference can be massive on basic items like oil and filters.

Yes agreed when you go to MB with vin you get part that fits 1st time and looking on EPC there parts go through many revisions and updates, you may not get on a pattern part as it will be to original specs

Iv looked into some MB independents and they say they use OEM quality parts not MB as they the same specs and quality.


are you an MB only user of parts or are you happy with using MB suppliers?
 
I'm happy to use "pattern" parts from trusted manufacturers. E.g the supercharger / electicals idler pulley seized on my CLS55. It's a 2 pulley unit which in theory could be split and rebuilt.
MB dealer "No, it's only available as a unit."
"OK, how much?"
"£388."
"Inc VAT?"
"No. Plus VAT".
"I'll get back to you."
So down to the local motor factors.
"Yes, it comes as a unit. Made by Febi Bilstein."
"OK, how much?"
"Best I can do for you is £200."
"+VAT?"
"No, VAT included."
"When can I have it?"
"I'll order it now and it'll be here in the morning."

When the pulley arrived it was at least as good as the original part. Who would invest in tooling for a specialty part unless they had a factory contract? Unless the components are commonly used and outsourced further upstream.
 
When someone says pattern parts, this usually means sheet metal parts like door skins, wings etc. Those sheet metal parts will be made by the Mercedes Benz factory out of stampings that they own. Pattern parts will be slightly different to the original and will require more adjusting to make right. The metal may be thinner and more prone to damage or rust.

If you're talking about mechanical components like water pumps, oil filters, injectors etc. Those are usually sourced from OE manufacturers. Mercedes Benz will provide the OE with a spec and the OE will build it to that spec. Quality will vary depending on which manufacturer makes the parts. You can buy control arm bushings from an OE manufacturer like Lemforder and they will last as long as the original. You can buy them from FEQ or URO and you might get 3000 miles out of them. Only the OE manufacturer will have the specs from Mercedes Benz to build it to that standard. Everybody else is copying the part to their spec.
 
Very few parts of any car are made directly by the manufacturer these days. Finding the OEM is the trick , which is not always easy as they will have (for example) a factory in Turkey making the same part for them as one in Romania. This can be anything from cooling (Front End Modules by Valeo) seats (Lear/TST) tyres (too many to mention) brake parts (Brembo,ATE, Galfer) engine mounts/suspension parts (Lemforder/Febi) , lights (Hella/Phillips) , filters (Mann+Hummel, Fram, Bocsh, Valeo..again) ....the list is almost endless
 
Many thanks, is there any indication on parts who made them.

I need a new thermostat for car, believe were all made by wahle for MB, cost if I don't go to MB is about £20, issue I have is many hours to change, is it worth risk or if I buy MB am I just paying for branding

im ok with parts I can get at easily, but when comes to removing half engine is a job I want to do once

Tezz
 
A MB is just a selection of pattern parts? yes to there specs but at end of day made by others and just assembled by them, like lego

No m not talking about Chinese rip offs or exhausts fitted by kwik fit.

I personally have no issue with Patten parts when I can find out whom MB used, Like Bosch, Mann, Wahle ect

so f they tool up for an MB part, would they then go through hassle of retooling to make an inferior part ? or just change box ?

How much of an MB do they actually make in house ?

The price difference can be massive on basic items like oil and filters.

Yes agreed when you go to MB with vin you get part that fits 1st time and looking on EPC there parts go through many revisions and updates, you may not get on a pattern part as it will be to original specs

Iv looked into some MB independents and they say they use OEM quality parts not MB as they the same specs and quality.


are you an MB only user of parts or are you happy with using MB suppliers?
I tend to use a mix but I’ve also had mixed results! Filters etc I’ll always use a good quality aftermarket but generally anything that takes a lot of time to fit or engine mechanicals I‘ll be more tempted to use genuine. I’ve also found that original drop links etc far outlast any OEM I have used. And that’s on Alfa and Ford as well. Also, if an original part fails earlier than I think it should I’ll be more tempted to try OEM or other aftermarket. Then of course you can sometimes improve on original from the off, like polyurethane bushes etc.
 
I'm happy to use "pattern" parts from trusted manufacturers. E.g the supercharger / electicals idler pulley seized on my CLS55. It's a 2 pulley unit which in theory could be split and rebuilt.
MB dealer "No, it's only available as a unit."
"OK, how much?"
"£388."
"Inc VAT?"
"No. Plus VAT".
"I'll get back to you."
So down to the local motor factors.
"Yes, it comes as a unit. Made by Febi Bilstein."
"OK, how much?"
"Best I can do for you is £200."
"+VAT?"
"No, VAT included."
"When can I have it?"
"I'll order it now and it'll be here in the morning."

When the pulley arrived it was at least as good as the original part. Who would invest in tooling for a specialty part unless they had a factory contract? Unless the components are commonly used and outsourced further upstream.
For what it’s worth, the pulley probably won’t have been made by Febi,

Febi tend to source parts from a variety of sources/manufacturers, box them up with their own part numbers and re-sell them.

Nothing wrong with that most of the time, it’s quite possibly the same OEM who sells pulleys to Mercedes-Benz also supply them to Febi, but you have to do your research as quality can vary! :)

I have no problem with OEM parts which are identical to manufacturer originals, but sometimes there are differences that won’t be obvious at first.
 
The simple answer is that if the genuine MB part has the manufacturer's part number stamped on it, then as long as you buy a pattern part with the exact same part number, then the pattern part will be identical to the genuine part.

This applies to many parts, from spark plugs and filters to sensors and electronic components.

Tier-1 manufacturers simply won't make two parts with the same part number but different spec.

The issue is different when you can't locate a manufacturer's part number on the genuine MB part.

Manufacturer's make many variants of the same part for different applications, and it's not impossible that parts made to order for one car manufacturer will have different spec to similar-looking parts sold directly to the market.

This does not mean that the patern part is necessary inferior - just that the two parts may or may not be identical in this case.
 
Your wallet dictates what you buy. Scrimping on a thermostat. Jesus. Buy a Ford.
 
Many thanks, is there any indication on parts who made them.

I need a new thermostat for car, believe were all made by wahle for MB, cost if I don't go to MB is about £20, issue I have is many hours to change, is it worth risk or if I buy MB am I just paying for branding

im ok with parts I can get at easily, but when comes to removing half engine is a job I want to do once

Tezz

That depends.

On the M271, it was just the actual thermostat that needed replacing, I.e. the valve and spring thingy but not the whole housing, so I bought a Wahler thermostat which was identical to the MB one it replaced (also made by Wahler and with the same Wahler part number).

However, on the M274, the thermostat comes complete with the housing and some electronics plus electrical heater element, there's no indication who makes the complete assembly and I couldn't find any after-market unit from a reputable manufacturer. Now, you could take it apart and try and source a replacement valve, but there's no way of knowing if the electrics are OK, and given that it's under the engine and a two hour job to replace, well, not using a complete original part seemed like an unreasonable gamble in this case.
 
Your wallet dictates what you buy. Scrimping on a thermostat. Jesus. Buy a Ford.
Just because someone owns a Mercedes doesn’t mean that they want to pay more than they need to for things. Must be good to never think about how much things cost.
 
Just because someone owns a Mercedes doesn’t mean that they want to pay more than they need to for things. Must be good to never think about how much things cost.
This whole thread is about a thermostat.
 
For what it’s worth, the pulley probably won’t have been made by Febi,

Febi tend to source parts from a variety of sources/manufacturers, box them up with their own part numbers and re-sell them.

Nothing wrong with that most of the time, it’s quite possibly the same OEM who sells pulleys to Mercedes-Benz also supply them to Febi, but you have to do your research as quality can vary! :)

I have no problem with OEM parts which are identical to manufacturer originals, but sometimes there are differences that won’t be obvious at first.
Exactly so.
Parts can be a nightmare. When I had my Suzuki forks rebuilt my indy said he would rebuild with Yamaha seals because they would last longer.
 
To you to me . ?
 

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Your wallet dictates what you buy. Scrimping on a thermostat. Jesus. Buy a Ford.
Why buy a ford I thought I had already got a Renault ?

and not just about a thermostat, when you add in injectors, glow plugs, belts, condenser's, hearter components ect ect, if you add up all the OEM parts that seam to fail all to offen on MB s I worth paying for packaging
 
Why buy a ford I thought I had already got a Renault ?

and not just about a thermostat, when you add in injectors, glow plugs, belts, condenser's, hearter components ect ect, if you add up all the OEM parts that seam to fail all to offen on MB s I worth paying for packaging
Good luck sourcing who supplies mb on that lot. Maybe ask a Renault dealer .
 
Exactly so.
Parts can be a nightmare. When I had my Suzuki forks rebuilt my indy said he would rebuild with Yamaha seals because they would last longer
cool, I find Bike owners and mechs much less of snobs, when I built my bike, I used many parts from other bikes based on what works and what don't and looked beyond how they were packaged, it was spec that was always looked at. I lost count of makers of parts I used, but to run a touring bike to a sub 10 on 220bhp at rear wheel with nitrous on 2 wheels you get what works.

Ill see if I can find a pic of me at Sana Pod
 

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