Steering issue fix difficulty.

[rumb]

MTC is junk.

The 2nd one is probably good.

[daantjie]

Nope.  MTC is just as bad as Uro.  The other link says "reproduction" so likely it's Uro trash too.

[rumb]

The SL shop has their own line of many "Reproduction" parts.  They make a lot of items that are NLA.

AFAIK their own parts are good.  Never heard a single complaint about them.

Opinions differ on URO - They make a lot of parts for w116 and other older cars. They are also a OEM supplier to Mercedes.They make a lot of good parts and prob a few that are not so good.

[Alex]

Interesting takes here.

If I were to go with SLSHOP. Or another brand.

What the hell is going on with this?

two of the same, 3x price

Same oe part number, different sku.

[Alex]

Interesting takes here.

If I were to go with SLSHOP. Or another brand.

What the hell is going on with this?

two of the same, 3x price

As I kind of expected, one is genuine MB and one is "aftermarket" im enquiring to see who makes it.

Same oe part number, different sku.

[daantjie]

https://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/diesel-discussion/289876-116-steering-coupler-$6-00-upgrade.html

Check this out, you can always rebuild your old one if you're keen.  You can still find the bushes on ebay as far as I know.

[daantjie]

https://www.ebay.com/itm/303410889384?itmmeta=01J4R784S0D580MV06JTWXBQDR&hash=item46a4b2c2a8:g:0OsAAOSwdzxd~Wi6&itmprp=enc%3AAQAJAAAA0DhXSJM8Fcm%2BvEUbaFSPZMlSsWydFMGprxyA6KHEZ%2B2olXkXa13%2Fq%2BGzeo1LmYcjdPIyh15aVKr9Dww%2FMuPh34KP59B29eAKUPNwVbccMUZgePTDSJV65YUC8qJ62RrGIx10QymK7wM75Cdmlz609cAU4ZnwYxMP%2B0VDbH8N3iZRLYOLLu%2B1kM%2BU76%2FEIY7BZ9CEqtqBYnErS2AwRG69yHo%2Fc%2FZlNbrudP7Ry%2BMbKWtyYgEv5w7EV3tDPnqsge2kxvI0DF51SuG%2BP9Z8AMKt0FY%3D%7Ctkp%3ABk9SR8jMoIemZA

Here is a seller in Australia selling the bushes.  You can just press them in after you drill out the old peened rods then replace them with bolts and lock nuts.  Done and done.

[Alex]

https://www.ebay.com/itm/303410889384?itmmeta=01J4R784S0D580MV06JTWXBQDR&hash=item46a4b2c2a8:g:0OsAAOSwdzxd~Wi6&itmprp=enc%3AAQAJAAAA0DhXSJM8Fcm%2BvEUbaFSPZMlSsWydFMGprxyA6KHEZ%2B2olXkXa13%2Fq%2BGzeo1LmYcjdPIyh15aVKr9Dww%2FMuPh34KP59B29eAKUPNwVbccMUZgePTDSJV65YUC8qJ62RrGIx10QymK7wM75Cdmlz609cAU4ZnwYxMP%2B0VDbH8N3iZRLYOLLu%2B1kM%2BU76%2FEIY7BZ9CEqtqBYnErS2AwRG69yHo%2Fc%2FZlNbrudP7Ry%2BMbKWtyYgEv5w7EV3tDPnqsge2kxvI0DF51SuG%2BP9Z8AMKt0FY%3D%7Ctkp%3ABk9SR8jMoIemZA

Here is a seller in Australia selling the bushes.  You can just press them in after you drill out the old peened rods then replace them with bolts and lock nuts.  Done and done.

I don't know the condition of my current coupler, if I had to guess, the years of metal contact has probably degraded it into an absolute mess.

I may consider doing this to my original coupler and restoring it for another car.

TLDR
I think I'll just go with the SLShop one that may be URO or not.

Worst comes to worst, ill just buy another one if its bad, still cheaper than the merc original.

[Jed]

Be sure to mark the steering shaft and the steering box splines/shaft before disconnecting so you can replace its the same configuration. A paint one works great for this.

Have some ball tip hex head wrenches available.  you do not want to strip the coupler bolt heads and sometimes will come at it from a slight angle.  If you can't get a great shot at the bolt heads from above go from below.  I think its easiest to remove the steering wheel and pull the shaft up a few inches.  There is a helpful procedure somewhere....search it out. Guarantee this will make a huge difference in your steering feel.

good luck

[Alex]

Be sure to mark the steering shaft and the steering box splines/shaft before disconnecting so you can replace its the same configuration. A paint one works great for this.

Have some ball tip hex head wrenches available.  you do not want to strip the coupler bolt heads and sometimes will come at it from a slight angle.  If you can't get a great shot at the bolt heads from above go from below.  I think its easiest to remove the steering wheel and pull the shaft up a few inches.  There is a helpful procedure somewhere....search it out. Guarantee this will make a huge difference in your steering feel.

good luck

Cheers mate, I will definitely invest in some ball tip hex wrenches, didn't consider that.

[Alex]

Finished the job today. The new part is a significant upgrade. It is not necessary to remove the entire column if you remove the boot and the two bolts holding the column to the dashboard. With that- you can wiggle it enough to get the old coupler off, and the new one on.

[https://imgur.com/a/3S6G1N8] New vs old.

The job was done in 3-6 hours. the main difficulty was in removing the hex bolts initially. Alan keys are not sufficient to remove them without risking damage to the head. I used a foot long wrench to break the bolt loose, then removed it with a smaller wrench. It is also important to note that the manual states it should be torqued to 25NM.

Thanks for the help guys.