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ogrenutz
Elite Veteran
Date registered: Apr 2007
Location: Peoples Republic of Virginia
Vehicle(s): '81 300 GD Cabrio
Posts: 821
| trailing arm bushings?
Anyone know a good source for REASONABLY PRICED w460 trailing arm bushings? |
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DUTCH
Administrator Doppelgänger
Date registered: Apr 2006
Location: US, GA, Atlanta
Vehicle(s): 2015 Audi Q7 3.0 TDI,2018 Sprinter
Posts: 9963
| RE: trailing arm bushings?
ogrenutz - 7/13/2007 6:56 PM
Anyone know a good source for REASONABLY PRICED w460 trailing arm bushings?
There are two suppliers who post here regularly. Why not keep it in the family. |
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ogrenutz
Elite Veteran
Date registered: Apr 2007
Location: Peoples Republic of Virginia
Vehicle(s): '81 300 GD Cabrio
Posts: 821
| RE: trailing arm bushings?
DUTCH - 7/13/2007 7:12 PM
ogrenutz - 7/13/2007 6:56 PM
Anyone know a good source for REASONABLY PRICED w460 trailing arm bushings?
There are two suppliers who post here regularly. Why not keep it in the family.
Dutch.....I'm strictly mercenary. Sorry. |
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DUTCH
Administrator Doppelgänger
Date registered: Apr 2006
Location: US, GA, Atlanta
Vehicle(s): 2015 Audi Q7 3.0 TDI,2018 Sprinter
Posts: 9963
| RE: trailing arm bushings?
ogrenutz - 7/13/2007 7:48 PM
DUTCH - 7/13/2007 7:12 PM
ogrenutz - 7/13/2007 6:56 PM
Anyone know a good source for REASONABLY PRICED w460 trailing arm bushings?
There are two suppliers who post here regularly. Why not keep it in the family.
Dutch.....I'm strictly mercenary. Sorry.
You'll probably get exactly what you pay for. Most mercenaries do. Good luck. |
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ogrenutz
Elite Veteran
Date registered: Apr 2007
Location: Peoples Republic of Virginia
Vehicle(s): '81 300 GD Cabrio
Posts: 821
| RE: trailing arm bushings?
Well, euro truck quoted my mechanic $700 (allegedly). That sound right to you? I'm seeing panhard and stabilizer link bushings at 40-60 so what makes the trailing arm bushings so special? I need the parts, and there can't be too many manufacturers so it all boils down to distributor mark-up. I'm just looking for plain ol' rubber bushings. Don't need them made from 24 carat gold or anything like that. If that's the going rate then so be it. I'm just trying to use the forumn for (what I understood to be) it's intended purpose. |
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DUTCH
Administrator Doppelgänger
Date registered: Apr 2006
Location: US, GA, Atlanta
Vehicle(s): 2015 Audi Q7 3.0 TDI,2018 Sprinter
Posts: 9963
| RE: trailing arm bushings?
ogrenutz - 7/13/2007 8:23 PM
Well, euro truck quoted my mechanic $700 (allegedly). That sound right to you?
Sounds high; but I really don't know for sure. Did your mechanic add his markup?
EuroTruck is one of the two. There's another. I'm sure he'll chime in or contact you by PM. |
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Fernando BR
Date registered: Jan 2007
Location: Brasil
Vehicle(s): G500/05 300GE/91 300GD/80
| RE: trailing arm bushings?
Euro truck prices use to be Fair. There are many suppliers for many kind of parts and for me that live in Brazil sometimes its not good to pay taxes twice. In that case for my sister minimog , its a project i am doing to her hoping have fun in her place in the mountains , he indicated me a very nice old mogs supplier. So Eurotruck its not a mercenary company.
But its your right see prices .
Regards
Fernando
Edited by boewick 7/13/2007 8:42 PM
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ogrenutz
Elite Veteran
Date registered: Apr 2007
Location: Peoples Republic of Virginia
Vehicle(s): '81 300 GD Cabrio
Posts: 821
| RE: trailing arm bushings?
OMG I never said anything negative about Euro truck. They're very helpful, and it's great to have a dedicated parts supplier, and in order to make sure they stay in business I'd be willing to pay 10-15% over any other price if that's what it takes to keep knowlegeable guys in the biz. I know you have to pay 2 play. I was just floored by the $700 price tag and thought I should explore all the options. I'll call Steve on Monday and get it all straight. P.S. I'm really not trying to be cut throat, but I'm dropping 15K plus on repairs/restoration, the wife's bitching and I'm just trying to be fiscally responsible in the process.
Edited by ogrenutz 7/13/2007 9:05 PM
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petermerle
Expert
Date registered: Apr 2006
Location: Cape Town ( deep south )
Vehicle(s): W460 *1, W123 *2, W124
Posts: 1315
| Re: trailing arm bushings?
Have you tried you local Mercedes Benz dealer or is it still Daimler Chrysler. If they don't have they must be able to get it. Alternatively get it from Europe / I have used www.speed-autoteile.com and they are very reasonable.
Rear bushes are A4603525014 priced at a listed Euro price of 33.23 each and front A4603330314 priced at Euro 31.26.
Peter
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DUTCH
Administrator Doppelgänger
Date registered: Apr 2006
Location: US, GA, Atlanta
Vehicle(s): 2015 Audi Q7 3.0 TDI,2018 Sprinter
Posts: 9963
| European Parts Suppliers
petermerle - 7/14/2007 2:02 AM
Have you tried you local Mercedes Benz dealer or is it still Daimler Chrysler. If they don't have they must be able to get it. Alternatively get it from Europe / I have used www.speed-autoteile.com and they are very reasonable.
Rear bushes are A4603525014 priced at a listed Euro price of 33.23 each and front A4603330314 priced at Euro 31.26.
Peter
While it's always good to have alternative parts sources, some important considerations - based on personal experience- with regards to a supplier in Europe are:
1.) The US$ is at its lowest historical value vs the Euro right now. Euro 33.23 equals approximately US$46.50.
2.) Shipping costs from Europe to the US are not cheap, and add significantly to the cost of the part(s).
3.) There is also US Customs Duty to consider. Sometimes it is waived, but other times it is not; and if a customs broker gets involved, you have a big fee there, too.
4.) If the part is not the correct one or is defective (yes, DCAG does have bad parts occasionally), return or exchange with a European supplier is at best difficult to downright impossible.
5.) Many times the exact same part in the US is priced lower than that part in Europe; and this is especially the case when you add in the Value Added Tax.
Just some thoughts, based on a lot of personal experience, on buying parts in Europe. |
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dai
Expert
Date registered: Apr 2006
Location: Oregon USA
Vehicle(s): 300GD 300TD BMW R100RS Landini 80F
Posts: 2110
| RE: European Parts Suppliers
Good points Dutch. We are in a grim moment in time with our dollar.
We are also extremely lucky to have 2 (two)! Great parts suppliers for the G. It used to be Europa only and I always held my breath after I asked, "And what is the cost of that bearing and seal?"
Eurotruck and the fourbyfour club are excellent resources with reasonable prices. They seem to be able to get impossible to find items. They are enthusiasts who are interested in finding the solution to a problem.
-Dai |
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ogrenutz
Elite Veteran
Date registered: Apr 2007
Location: Peoples Republic of Virginia
Vehicle(s): '81 300 GD Cabrio
Posts: 821
| RE: European Parts Suppliers
It's possible that my mechanic was getting a little heavy handed with the mark-up. That's why I put it up to the forumn. Thanks for the price check Petermerle. |
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dai
Expert
Date registered: Apr 2006
Location: Oregon USA
Vehicle(s): 300GD 300TD BMW R100RS Landini 80F
Posts: 2110
| Re: trailing arm bushings?
Source your parts first before involving the mechanic. Most mechanics have a pretty incredible parts mark up. In fact the auto parts mark up as a whole is extreme. I suspect that a common mark up is 100% over what the mechanic pays for the part. They get a discount over what we would pay a supplier. Some of the more expendible parts like brake pads are routinely marked up like that. I know this because I can get some 123 parts at a mechanics cost.
I payed somewhere like $60 each for the stock trailing arm bushings. That was a while ago and our currency has taken a bath since then. They are the only way to go unless you make your own. I did this to create some offset bushings. I asked my friendly incredible machinist to cut the steel parts and they were then shipped with a mould fixture to a specialist who poured the poly. The stock bushings will look like a bargan compared to going through all of that. The stock bushings are super strong and very well made.
-Dai
 (bushings.jpg)
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 bushings.jpg (96KB - 11 downloads)
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Fernando BR
Date registered: Jan 2007
Location: Brasil
Vehicle(s): G500/05 300GE/91 300GD/80
| Re: trailing arm bushings?
I use to buy from speed and they are a serius company, but my case is particular i dont have two suppliers of real quality near me ( there are a lot but expensives) .
German exporters get taxfree when export to my country , so it reduces the price. But the price is in average 15% less then MB reference , but there is freight and Brazilian taxes of course.
I bought on ebay sometimes too.
But i understand that EUROTRUCK and FOURBY do not only sell parts they sell service like orientation , etc.... . Thats completely different.
Fernando
Edited by boewick 7/14/2007 11:34 AM
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fourbyfourclub
Extreme Veteran
Date registered: Apr 2006
Location: New Jersey, USA
Vehicle(s): 300G
Posts: 302
| Re: trailing arm bushings?
petermerle - 7/14/2007 2:02 AM
Have you tried you local Mercedes Benz dealer or is it still Daimler Chrysler. If they don't have they must be able to get it. Alternatively get it from Europe / I have used www.speed-autoteile.com and they are very reasonable.
Rear bushes are A4603525014 priced at a listed Euro price of 33.23 each and front A4603330314 priced at Euro 31.26.
Peter
Peter,
"mbspares.chance.ru" which you use to get prices information is a really magic web site.
All you need to do just insert part number, click "search" and all parts immediately appears on a top of you work bench in your garage,
and you credit card automatically charged on exact amount you can see on a screen. Right?
Couple month ago we helped to one of P3 forum member to get the M104 oil pan for his G-Class project.
According to South Africa DC Dealer part was not exist or not in stock in Germany or whatever, we finally get the part, send it to SA and looks like our customer happy with our service.
He provided us his own shipping carrier and just shipping from US to SA cost him around $300.00
Peter, real parts professional, if he or she is real professional, don't need you part numbers all you have to do is provide you VIN number.
Parts professional will locate parts for you on an EPC, provide you prices and availability, and explain which additional parts you may need for your project,
Advice for some more cheap aftermarket replacements, guide you trough installation tricks, will recommend or land you special tools for installation and etc.
If he sells parts online he will also give you delivery time, shipping cost and best shipping carrier for different destinations.
And it is a huge distance between playing with EPC online and real parts knowledge.
Anyway, if you willing to be a new G-Class part supplier, custom broker, represent shipping carrier and be a registered importer at ones, you always welcome and we will provide you our bank account or credit card information for the parts purchase.
Vlad
fourbyfourclub
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hipine
Date registered: Jul 2006
Location: US, CO, Bailey
Vehicle(s): 460 1980 280GE w. 617A
| Re: trailing arm bushings?
dai - 7/14/2007 9:25 AM Source your parts first before involving the mechanic..... Well, I have a little bit different feeling on that matter. I'd say know your prices yes. Have a frank discussion if the mechanic seems to be gouging you, yes (a good honest one will show you his receipts and not be afraid to admit his markup). But at the end of the day, the mechanic needs to runhis business. I don't know about yours, but after 30+years in the business, the mechanic I use (who owns the shop) doesn't even DRIVE a Mecedes, he drives an old Ford pickup, lives in a modest home, and is generally trying to live a decent middle class existence. A little mark up on parts is part of the business. Remember too that on G-specific parts, your mechanic likely can't buy them any cheaper than you can. If mine's doing work that requires G-specific parts on my G or another, I RECOMMEND he calls Sean for parts. Dai, if somebody told you your wine was too expensive and wanted a cheaper bottle by bringing you his own grapes for you to process into wine and hand him a finished bottle of the same fantastic quality of your own, and remove the portion of the bottle cost that's down to growing grapes, keeping the vinyards, etc and only pay the overhead of the pressing house and something for your time, would that work for you? :) Not trying to make trouble, just represent the other side. And I TOTALLY agree with the stuff Vlad posted as well. There is a WORLD of value imparted by a good parts supplier, especially for a vehicle like the 460 G where we're on our own in the USA. I didn't use the EPC 'cause I wanted to, I used it because I HAD to when most of the flunkies that Dave H would hire there at Europa didn't know a....well, I'll stop. Can I get a Halelujia for the likes of Sean and Vlad? And the same goes for most good mechanics. That parts price padding is part and parcel of the use of that guy's talent and dedication to BE THERE for you. Not to be nit picked into submission. I'll put away the soap box now.... -Dave G. |
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ewalberg
Expert
Date registered: Apr 2006
Location: Past: San Francisco. Present: Germany
Vehicle(s): 2000 g500
Posts: 1887
| Re: trailing arm bushings?
to add to the pot, i'd say it is best to talk with the mechanic as hipine suggest... or feel out the subject. One of the shops i use is more than happy to take parts i supply... in fact he's recommended it sighting that i could probably get a much better price than if i get through him becuase he just gets them from the dealer plus markup... that's without me having brought up the subject... although i suppose it was after i asked him to change my fluids with my supplied fluid, but i wanted redline in there and i can't imagine a shop caring about putting in your supplied fancy fluids.
My lotus dealer halfway expected me to bring in my own fancy fluids because they charge the same for the run of the mile stuff that's the minimum spec.
I guess the point is you don't want the fellow working on your car to feel like he's getting shorted, but he can always adjust the hours on the job to account for it so in the end it works our for him, but life and business aren't always simple and even if he can work it out so he gets paid what he wants for the job, how he gets paid could be as subtly important... you just need a happy mechanic who likes to hear your voice... any other situation is precarious...
Edited by ewalberg 7/14/2007 11:24 PM
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ogrenutz
Elite Veteran
Date registered: Apr 2007
Location: Peoples Republic of Virginia
Vehicle(s): '81 300 GD Cabrio
Posts: 821
| Re: trailing arm bushings?
Agreed Hipine. Everybody needs to make money. In my business, I work to a 25% gross profit margin and I think most businesses fall into the 20-30% range. My mechanic already charges $75 an hour so he ain't starvin, but he knows his stuff. He should have a parts mark-up as well. But there has to be a basis for the
parts and labor price(s), and with something as specialized as the w460 here in the States, there are no real "book time" guidelines to establish a ballpark cost for a repair. It's the responsibility of the G owner with limited resources to shop around for those parts which are fundemental to the operation of the vehicle. The mechanic isn't going to spend all day on ebay Germany trying to find a "deal", but I might. |
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dai
Expert
Date registered: Apr 2006
Location: Oregon USA
Vehicle(s): 300GD 300TD BMW R100RS Landini 80F
Posts: 2110
| Re: trailing arm bushings?
I have no problem paying my mechanic for the service. He has no time to deal with parts for my G and is perfectly happy to have me hand him parts. It is an old truck, parts are a pain and are not available locally. Didn't mean to suggest otherwise. I do most of the work on our vehicles. When I need something done because of bad timing or something that requires a lift the machine goes to the mechanic I trust. I have sent him a lot of business over the last 15+ years. I buy parts from him at his mark up. I get it and value the skill, experiance and competence. I hand him wine.
There are a number of mechanics who are not honest about billing or do the classic, "I know I told you it would be two hours of time but it wound up taking five" and pad the parts pricing. Or charge for work that isn't done or done correctly. Happens all the time to lots of people.
-Dai
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petermerle
Expert
Date registered: Apr 2006
Location: Cape Town ( deep south )
Vehicle(s): W460 *1, W123 *2, W124
Posts: 1315
| Re: trailing arm bushings?
I still don't get it - Can you not buy G parts from the DC network in the US?
Here in SA one can buy G parts from any DC dealer be they in the most remote region. You can also buy parts for vehicles that were not sold through the local dealer network eg grey imports etc.
Peter |
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