Are these cheap junk or worth trying for $60?
https://www.autohausaz.com/pn/1167201146
I've been in shop this week straightening regulators. It's a real pain in the ....
I bought a NOS one and it was so warped the motor would not drive it around so I returned it.
MTC is crap just like URO
Biggest thing obviously with window regulators is insuring that everything inside the door is clean and properly lubricated and aligned. OEM regulators were a flawed design to begin with and not the best of quality so at $60 for an aftermarket one, I would say give one a try and see how it goes. That was my plan; I still need to do mine but my impression from researching a few years ago was that most people were just putting in new regulators without cleaning/lubricating/aligning and got upset when the new regulators also bent.
Quote from: daantjie on 23 March 2022, 07:00 PMMTC is crap just like URO
I am always willing to debate specific parts but blanket statements like that have no founding.
URO is a OEM supplier to Mercedes. A.P.A.'s OEM division currently supplies products to Mercedes-Benz, Jaguar, and SAAB, and is currently working to develop a line of offerings for Porsche.
You can find comments that bosch is crap with made in china. It always boils down to specific parts and actual experiences.
Well, carry on at your peril then. I have had bad experiences with both brands so this for me falls in the "fool me once" category.
Apples are being compared to oranges here. When Mercedes commissions an entity like URO to make a part(s) for them, Uro has to make the part the way Mercedes says to make the part. That includes the materials the part is made from.
When an entity like URO decides to make a part on their own for the aftermarket segment, they do NOT make the part the same way or with the same materials. They make the part the cheapest way feasibly possible. This is what makes many of their own offerings of such poor quality.
Their engineers are not exactly the brightest people in the world. Having dealt with them personally, that commentary has bearing. After all, why would a business like URO hire top of the class engineers from the best colleges? They're in the business of spending pennies on R&D and manufacture, and selling the finished products for $$$$ to unsuspecting fools......I being one of those fools many years ago.
For me I try and rationalize it based on effort to redo the job as well as safety aspects.
I loathe redoing a job so if the part is hard to change out or a bear to get to then for sure I will seek out a Benz part or reputable aftermarket.
Safety critical = no brainer = OE only.
How much are the OEM regulators these days? Are they even available still?
I've paid about 350 euro each around 2014/15. They still work fine, but every time I open the window I wait for the tell-tale tuck-tuck-tuck sound of bent gears.
At $60 I'd give the MTC ones a try. It's a heck of a job to replace these, but if they work well the cost saving is quite worth it. And worst case, it's 60 bucks not spent well and a few choice words thrown about when dismantling the door panels...
At that price they surely deserve the benefit of the doubt. I'd definitely try one and see how it goes. Worth the effort. Who knows. Please let us know.
I've tried those mtc regulators, and if you get more than two operations out of them, you've done well.
My initial thought was MTC would probably not be good. Glad to hear an actual user experience. I will use my "straightened" and lubricated old ones.
https://www.mboemparts.com/oem-parts/mercedes-benz-regulator-window-1167201246
Down to $210 from Mercedes!
If you can buy an OEM regulator at that price, take two and run away before they realise their mistake ;)
The dealer price in Germany is 516EUR a piece. That's 565USD/755AUD for you folks over the big water.
The left front is NLA now.
Right Front still available.
Another option is replacing the original front regulators (rear ones are cheap and easy to find) with something from other brands. You can get a used regulator from a Japanese or Korean car and install it with some modifications. They are pretty cheap and more durable than the original and made by steel. I did the same thing on my car and I'm pretty satisfied with the result.
MTC is garbage! Broke a week later. I ended up ordering a manual window crank from Germany since I use my driver window so often.
MTC are no good and can't be reconditioned. After some time of erratic front windows, I found in Brisbane an outfit that will recondition only original fitment regulators/motor (Bosch?) Although expensive I was very please with the result.
Therefore my advice would be to find some original fitment regulator/motor arrangements and spend the money to have them reconditioned.
The regulators and motors are available through MB Australia but are double the cost of reconditioning the old ones.
I've been straightening 3 complete sets of regulators. Got it down pretty well now. First I remove the motor and then soak the whole thing is solvent overnight and scrub the old grease out. Some are like glue. I have fashioned some 1.5" square tubing sections with cuttouts to fit around the various mounting protrusions on the frame. I clamp this bar along the worse edge, with a screw driver tip inserted beneath the gear (to keep that spacing proper). You can then clamp the frame flat. Next I take a maps gas torch and heat the frame for @20 seconds or so where the bend are/were. The frame melts at a pretty low temp- you can watch for a very small spot 1/16" diameter to actually melt and then the warp will be reset to the clamped straight. Then I cool in water and move on the other warped areas. Some you can figure out how to clamp the bar again, but others I leave the bar clamped to the opposite side for leverage and support and then use large channel lock pliers to grap the end bolt mounting area. You can again heat the frame in the appropriate area and then use the pliers to bend the area flat. When heating watch out there are several little nylon guide under the gear, try and stay away from them so they dont melt. You may not get everything completely flat, but it will be much better. Some had warpage of over 3/4". Then I spray lithium grease around the pivot points, and lube the side where the rubbing blocks ride on the side of the gear and also the piece that attaches to the arm. Remount the motor and test.
So far I had one frame that just would not work and one motor that was too weak.
Hopefully they will last another 25 years before they warp again.
I'd like to know why the rear driver side regulator is so darn expensive? It's like triple the price of the 3 others. It also just happens to be the only of my regulators that needs to be replace.
Quote from: OLDGOLD on 13 June 2022, 04:12 PMI'd like to know why the rear driver side regulator is so darn expensive? It's like triple the price of the 3 others. It also just happens to be the only of my regulators that needs to be replace.
That's interesting. Given that the rears are shared with the w123, I would have thought they wouldn't be as pricey.