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Why does Mercedes Benz do this?

943 views 9 replies 4 participants last post by  DrX 
#1 ·
I recently ordered a new fuse box blower motor (129 830 06 08) from GenuineMercedes in the US along with a few o-rings. As I am in Australia, I have a freight forwarding address in Florida and was surprised to see that the package weighed 12 pounds after it arrived there. I asked for it to be reweighed and they confirmed the weight. After I requested a photo, I found that the blower motor is now supplied complete with the lower half of the fuse and relay box (163 540 02 24). I don't think anyone would bother to replace the box when only the blower motor is faulty. I can't even think of an instance where the box would need replacement.

The last time I ordered this part, I just got the blower, so something has changed. Are Mercedes just trying to get rid of surplus parts or is there a valid reason for this? The oldest W163 is now nearly 20 years old so maybe this is a way to reduce the volume of old stock. I also tried to order some refills for the wiper blades (163 824 00 27) and was told that MB no longer stock them. No big deal but maybe indicative of the future supply of genuine spare parts.
 
#2 ·
I use that freight forwarder, but I've since discovered mbpartsworld.com of South Atlanta, who ship directly to Australia. Save money by not paying the middleman.

You can upgrade to Bosch Aerotwin wipers, direct from Bosch's webstore or off the shelf from Burson's.
 
#4 ·
DrX Thanks for the tip about direct supply to Australia. I'll give them a try. In this case, I was consolidating a few purchases from Amazon (new AC compressor, dryer and expansion valve). Freight will be hefty but still way cheaper than purchasing here. I'll also try the wiper blades. I have some chattering issues which new rubbers (and a new screen) didn't solve.

Merzatt I'm not sure if they charged extra. On the website, the cost of the box comes up the same as blower. The price was $140 which wasn't that much more than I paid last time. (The old one still works but it has become noisy these last few months months. I tried lubricating it to no avail. I think the case may have warped.)

Below is the photo that I received from MyUS in Florida. I should have put this in my first post. (love the drag & drop on the new site)
 

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#7 ·
Merzatt I'm not sure if they charged extra. On the website, the cost of the box comes up the same as blower. The price was $140 which wasn't that much more than I paid last time. (The old one still works but it has become noisy these last few months months. I tried lubricating it to no avail. I think the case may have warped.)
Raya, I searched the internet and I can't find a brand new blower cheaper than US$135. Even the Ebay "used" one is US$116. I think they sent you the fuse box for free. Other day, I received 5 coolant hose clips even though I ordered and paid for only one. I had the same thoughts as you did. Most likely reason is they are cleaning out the large inventories. However, 12 pound weight is fishy.
 
#9 ·
I weighed the case and fan today. That weighed 5 pounds. The large cardboard box that it came in weighed 61/2 pounds, so, with a bit of packing, that made a total of 12 pounds. Good one Mercedes.
The new fan was made in 2004 and old one was 2010. I guess that MB has run out of new stock and can now only supply the older fans complete with case. The fans look identical but the part numbers are different. New one is a lot quieter.
 

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