Topic: Plugs and leads for the 6.9

[Bandolero]

What spark plugs are the ones to use in a 6.9?
Also, is it ok to use decent-quality aftermarket plugleads on the 6.9 as the originals are over $1000 a set!! (At least that is what BEA quoted in SA.)
They also quoted $4800 plus GST for a new waterpump!!...Glad mine is ok.

[Andreas]

Hi,

Spoke to my mechanic regarding my car..he said he can do the leads at a good price. He recomends the ones from germany. I will fing out more myself as he may have to change mine. I dont think this car from Brisbane has been driven for 9 years. Smoke and fire was coming from the exhaust. Was a  bit to exciting for me.

[s class]

WHilst I have never had a 6.9 in my grubby little mits, I have had a number of 70's, 80's and 90's Mercedes and I have always had disappointing results from aftermarket plug wires, distributor caps and rotors. 

The OEM stuff is very expensive.  Recently I got a good deal online from Autohauz in Arizona www.autohauzaz.com

I bought genuine Bosch caps and rotors from them for my W140 500SEL and Bosch plug wires for my R107 450SL.

Even when reckoning the shipping, the stuff cost me less than half of what I would have paid at my local dealership. 

Check the Autohauz website - easy to use, and has photos of most things so you can check for correctness. 

They even sell a lot of "OEM" type stuff for W116 such as window rubbers, door rubbers - all at great prices.

Cheers, Ryan in South Africa.

[Denis]

Hi fellows

OK, OEM is best...so it goes and I also had problems over the years with sub-standard ignition parts, but invariably their source was bent on low cost.

I have used a set of Marchal ignition wires on my car for two years and they are very good. Marchal is often known to you guys for lights and lamps. They are the prime supplier to Airbus and the french military, they are also a supplier to Airbus for parts other than lights - mainly electrical cables. So if it is good enough for Airbus, it is good enough for me 

Now the wire looms are made to original electrical specs, not chinese slave-labour assembled conductive rat hair looms ...

I bet that another source could be the quality american hot-rod parts...

Denis

Paris, France

NOTE: good used OEM is always preferable to "chinese slave-labour assembled conductive rat hair looms"

[OzBenzHead]

I believe that DaimlerChrysler owns 30% of European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company - parent of Airbus Industrie (Europe). If Marchal is good enough for them ... ?

I recently purchased a new Bosch distributor for my 116 280SE; I paid $110 for it. M-B Australia wanted in excess of - ahem! - $2300!

[Bandolero]

Wow!!.What a difference..now if they could sell 6.9 parts that cheap..........
BTW, Where did you buy your distributor from?

[Denis]

Just a remark

My post about Airbus is that it is a GERMAN company as well. In fact it was started by investments from Hamburg financiers into the french Aerospatiale (totally military until then) company to construct a commercial aircraft. What the french military did not know, the british could compensate for (as in the Concorde)- hence the first Euro aerospace success story. Yes, I have a soft spot for that industry. I would fly in an airplane made with W116 parts - it is aero qulity in many ways.

So replacing with non-standard will work if ENGINEERED to specs, but dont worry, the chinese dictatorship will makes strides with conductive rat tails assembled by starving chinese peasants. And some people dare "resell" this garbage to us...what a crazy world.

Cheers mates

Denis

Paris, France

[OzBenzHead]

Wow!!.What a difference..now if they could sell 6.9 parts that cheap..........
BTW, Where did you buy your distributor from?

MB Spares & Service www.mbspares.com.au, Canberra (sponsor of the Ozvets forum - http://forum.mbspares.com.au).

[Andreas]

What does "OEM" stand for? I guess they are good quality replacement parts.

Thanks Andreas

[OzBenzHead]

What does "OEM" stand for?

Original Equipment Manufacturer

Like, when I bought my $110 distributor: the reason I didn't pay over $2300 for it from M-B Australia was that my supplier deals directly with the OEMs, thereby bypassing the M-B factory where the part gets put into a very expensive blue and white (or, maybe these days, silver?) box with a star on it. So although it's an OEM part, it hasn't passed through the middleman of the car's manufacturer, and hence avoids many cost loadings.

[Andreas]

Thanks OzBenzHead