Hi guys.
There are two parts sources here.
One is a dealer that sells authentic MB FI parts,made by Bosch.
And then an independent that sells oem Bosch FI parts in Bosch packaging.

The issue is the independent sells the Bosch for approximately half the price.
Visually, the parts appear to be identical, but what about qualtiy inspections, testing, substitute materials, etc.

1) Are the Bosch parts reasonable in quality?Are the Bosch parts blems, seconds, or reworks?

2) Is there an added value to buying authentic MB, such as longer life, better testing, better materials, nicer facility, educated staff.

3) Is there a substantial MTBF (service-life)difference between the two lines?

4) Any stories, rants, experiences.

Blue

 

Blue.

Use original spec parts in order to get best service experience especially in critical situations (e.g. Spark plugs etc)...unless of course the original spec part has a known design defect in its design..I hope you understand what I mean here.

Now if MB fit a Bosch OE part Bosch are under licence agreement for this part to only be available via MB for obvious reasons. Parts supply adds as much...maybe more... to the bottom line of the auto makers financial model as does the sale of the vehicle in the first place!

However sometimes MB may choose to fit a standard "off the shelf/brochure" part (we'll stay with Bosch) since such a part is an auto industry "standard".
Not sure i can point to such a component but if Bosch were to make auto bulbs these would likely fit the bill since bulbs are manufacturerd to an auto industry standard. The auto industry buys PURELY on price and trading partnerships etc. Such parts are usually bought in from suppliers you have never heard on from parts of the world that make the part at the cheapest possible price,,,,but DELIVER the spec. and don't usually carry brand names.

People use OE far to loosely.

The key is the part number.

MB partswill likely have an MB and a supplier (Bosch) Pt No on them. If both the MB and supplier numbers on the part and they are the same as the original the likelyhood is that its the same part....but I will be surprised if you find such a part due to licence agreements as I have stated previously.

If your local NON genuine MB parts shop says they have a Bosch OE part and it doesn't have the same numbers on it as the "original" MB part then I'll lay odds it is not the same therefore service life, materials etc are possibly different.

I've most probably just confused matters rather than clarifying the situation.

Just to finish lets take tyres.

An OE supplied tyre is not the same as an aftermarket tyre of EXACTLY the same brand, type, size etc. Why? The OE tyre is delivered to a manufacturers spec which is "tighter" than the aftermarket spec. Shake, vibration etc on a new car is potentially n expensive problem to a prestige manufacturer (Cost and Image) so tyres are spec'd for a number of technical parameters RFV, LFV etc which the aftermarket does not specify/require. If an aftermarket tyre gives a vibration problem the ultimate resolution is to change the tyre. A problem at this stage of the life of an automobile is less likely to be associated with the auto manufacturer!! Customers become moretolerant of slight issues as the age of the vehicle increases.

Basically the tyre supplier gets rid of all their non OE spec tyres thru the aftermarket at prices in excess of what the manufacturers pays for the more stringently specified tyres!!! but thats Marketing.

You need to use a degree of common sense but the bottom line is that the auto manufacturers spend mega bucks testing every aspect of the parts used on their cars and aftermarket (cheaper) parts do not necessarily benefit from the experienced gained from this testing. The manufacturer "inflates" the price of parts they supply to offset the development costs and to also extract the maximum possible bottom line from the customer....and thats called Retailing.

Rant over.

Stuart.

 

Thanks Stuart,

I always give my dealer the first opportunity to sell me parts, because they usually havethe exact part,the quality is very high, and they treat me so well always. I also try to give the independent guy a chance where possible; he's working very hard.

Blue