Windscreen seal from Febi - anyone seen it before?

[ptashek]

This is something I haven't seen before offered by Febi: https://www.rexbo.eu/febi/seal-windscreen-8882
W116 windscreen seal. I wonder whether it's their own product, or just re-badged URO. Febi normally makes very high quality parts, and (AFAIK) did OEM work for Mercedes in the past too, so if this is theirs it may actually fit, unlike URO

Anyone had one of these in their hands before?
Is it any good? (I've gone all-out OEM for my 450, but it's good to know the alternatives!)

[s class]

Thats new then, up till now its only been URO and genuine available. 

I must admit that the more time passes, the more I'm leaning to only genuine seals in my own cars, even though its expensive. 

[rumb]

also this Meyle one for $79?

http://www.europartimports.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=2694

[ronw123w124]

I think I also got a Febi windscreen seal for my car, haven't installed it yet because my car is still being repainted as of this time. However, I saw one fitted on the car of the owner of the shop who does all my Mercedes, its a 300SD W116, he said that it fits "ok" but not as good as the original ones, not as bad as the URO brand seals that was supplied by a customer that was fitted on his W109.

[floyd111]

I was FEBI distributor for classic car parts last year. The VIPS that came to see me in Taiwan indicated the company was re-sourcing a lot of their parts. In China.
I would walk away.

[ptashek]

I was FEBI distributor for classic car parts last year. The VIPS that came to see me in Taiwan indicated the company was re-sourcing a lot of their parts. In China.
I would walk away.

Why?
It doesn't matter where it's made, but how it's made - "proof is in the pudding" as they say.

[floyd111]

Call me a bigot, but we live next door to China. I even worked in China. We are automotive distributors for Euro and USA companies here in Taiwan, while being surrounded/invaded by Chinese products that even the Taiwanese don't want.
I think I may be in a position to have a well-formed opinion here. The Chinese stuff is second grade, almost by definition. There are no ISO standards, so Monday's rubber X may not be the same as Tuesday's rubber X.
There is a terrible lack of QC, and no concept of next year's business. All is in the now, and there is a neverending war on pricing.
Cut costs, cut qualities, get the deal.
If you thought the USA was cut-throat capitalist, think again.
Febi-Bilstein is pushing hard, trying to stay afloat (worldwide) among these Chinese pattern part manufacturers.
Their part producers in China are giving them a run for their money, as is the gov. They are between a rock and a hard place.
Much of their time, and many other identical companies, is spent on endlessly trying to replace disappointing suppliers.

A great deal of respectable USA and Euro companies that were blinded by the Chinese cash cow have returned to their respective countries by now. Made in Europe, made in Taiwan (yes), made in the USA and Made in Japan are once again titles that mean something.
We represented over 40 brands over the years, and found ourselves forced to drop every foreign companies that made the jump to China.
They lost all QC they once had.

[marku]

If it is like the original fitting I would try it. The new ones, just fitted one from Mercedes, are a real pain and very different from the original part. Can't think why they did it like that and doesn't achieve anything over the old one. 

[rumb]

Interesting that a MB part would be different now.  I was in Stuttgart this summer at Classic Center and they made a point of saying that all replacement parts are made to original specification. They will not even re-engineer poor design or materials, just keeping whatever was original.  I suppose they dont want to spend dollars on re- engineering anything.  However an aftermarket company, even one that makes parts and then sells them to the classic center can change the product.

[marku]

The new seal is very different though came with the right part number and from the Classic parts centre. It was so different that I queried whether it was a genuine part and they assured me it was. At the time I posted it on the forum and several others had the same problem of how do you fit the chrome strip. It goes underneath the rubber strip on the inside edge of the seal if you are interested. Its a real pain.

[adamb]

My 116 was restored with either OEM rubber from lucky eBay purchases (when 116 parts were more plentiful) or purchased from http://www.niemoeller.de/home-en.htm. I recommend them. Windscreen and back screen seals came from them and they were good.

[floyd111]

Well, that is comforting to hear. Back in the day, when I knew nothing about W116, I bought the full Niemoeller outfit as well, for 1 car. This after checking prices globally, and having deducted that they were cheapest.
But, Niemoeller has all the looks of an original MB supplier. Silly me, after all my meticulous preparation and searching, when I found Niemoeller, I never double-checked whether they were original MB parts. I just presumed.
The rubbers arrived in a see-through plastic bag and could be ANY brand. The price? Well, I can NOW buy direct from MB, way cheaper than the non-brand Niemoeller has on offer.
Haven't installed the rubbers yet, but I sure hope they are a good fit. That was a bucket of money I sent those guys.

[gavin116]

My experience with brand new M-B original front windscreen rubber is this:  the windscreen trim never really fitted into the flange properly, despite it being inserted before the windscreen (with the rubber and trim) was married to the car.  The result was a very expensive loss of two trim clips and the two upper aluminium mouldings.  The join in the rubber was apparently to the left or right (can't remember) on the upper aspect of the windscreen on my car.  I was informed that the older seals always had the join on the lower leading edge, where the one-piece lower moulding sits, thus eliminating the possibility of the mouldings popping out.

[ptashek]

My experience with brand new M-B original front windscreen rubber is this:  the windscreen trim never really fitted into the flange properly, despite it being inserted before the windscreen (with the rubber and trim) was married to the car.  The result was a very expensive loss of two trim clips and the two upper aluminium mouldings.  The join in the rubber was apparently to the left or right (can't remember) on the upper aspect of the windscreen on my car.  I was informed that the older seals always had the join on the lower leading edge, where the one-piece lower moulding sits, thus eliminating the possibility of the mouldings popping out.

And MB still happily ship those as genuine replacement parts, for 120EUR+ each?
Well, that's just outrageous.

Did you ever ask for what their suggested method of fitting the trim in this "updated" design was? I wonder if there's a new trick to it.

[floyd111]

67,76  eu inc vat for the front seal.. 84,70 for the rear.. not too bad.