6.9 Suspension parts prices

[CraigS]

Following on from the thread on ridiculous parts prices, I thought I would check the price differences for the suspension components on a 6.9 between Australia and the US. The US prices are taken from random web sites, and the Australia prices are from a main dealer, with a 20% trade discount. Prices include tax. Price in brackets beside US prices is the AU equiv).

                                                                                          US Price                   AU price

Levelling valve - adjustment switch 116 320 04 58         Unknown                   $1540   (Nil stock worldwide) 1 required
Levelling valves 126 320 06 58                                        $745.90  ($810)        $3630   (Nil stock worldwide) 3 required
Struts - 116 320 25 13                                                     $543.21  ($590)        $2310                                     1 required
             116 320 26 13                                                     $543.21  ($590)        $2310                                     1 required
             116 320 36 13                                                     $543.21  ($590)        $2200                                     2 required
Accumulators - 126 320 07 15                                          $124.75  ($135)        $ 660                                      3 required
                      - 126 320 13 15                                          $124 98  ($135)        $ 825                                      2 required


On this basis, it would cost you A$ 25,080 to replace all of the above on a 6.9 in Australia. If I assume that the cost of the adjustment switch in the US is the same as the other levelling valves (although it should be less than half that based on the AU price for the other levelling valves), the same components in the US would cost US$ 5780.65 - and likely less because of that valve. How can there possibly be this wide a variance in the pricing between the US and Australia ?

PS. Sorry about the formatting. It's not me - this is the way it appears when it posts !

[CraigS]

I think the 20% was probably offered because they also got such a shock at the prices ! I don't disagree about your prices, but you also need to bear in mind that you are supplying the O rings, whereas they are supplying a complete unit. Subtle difference perhaps as the end result is the same, but I hope you know what I mean.

Interestingly, they also added the following:

"there is a slim chance that some of this will be available from non-genuine sources. I will forward your e-mail to a couple of people I know
to see if they have any better availability or pricing".

If anything comes out of this, I will post it.

[WGB]

Those prices are quite frightening and would explain why most of the Citroen restorer's repair rather than replace and why worthwhile  6.9's will probably dwindle in numbers (and quality) quite quickly.

Makes my leather seat-covers look like a bargain.

Bill.

[Big_Richard]

you should of also quoted the niemoller prices. Only people with lots of expendable folding stuff buy 6.9 suspension parts at the dealership. What you get from niemoller is from MB in germany and less than half the price.

[CraigS]

I will get these prices and list them shortly.

[Des]

Craig; the US dollar price you quote seem almost reasonable, especally we you look at our $ hovering around 91-92 cents to the USD.

just goes to show what a bit of leg work can do.

[WGB]

Have you had pressurised components like spheres airfreighted?

Bill

[CraigS]

Frankly, all of this took 1 email and about 30 minutes on the net.

Craig; the US dollar price you quote seem almost reasonable, especally we you look at our $ hovering around 91-92 cents to the USD.

just goes to show what a bit of leg work can do.

Have you had pressurised components like spheres airfreighted?

Bill

No, I haven't bought any of these components, but Ryan certainly had them sent to SA, so presumably these were air freighted by the time it took for him to receive them.

[koan]

The near 4 to 1 dollar ratio is shocking, I think M-B of AUS are doing us over.

The struts are available here from independents for less than the MB dealer price, I paid $2100 for two fronts, the dealer price I was quoted was the same $2200 figure.

I was quoted $1100 for a sill locally, from the US it ends up being left than half that including freight and conversion.

koan

[OzBenzHead]

[...]I was quoted $1100 for a sill locally, from the US it ends up being left than half that including freight and conversion.
koan

That parallels my experience.

About three or four weeks ago I was quoted, for a pair of genuine W116 outer sills with end caps, from a well-known independent Oz supplier - $1158 ex Germany. That price was almost identical to what one South African chappie paid for the same items (again, ex-Germany).

My local stealership insisted that they were NLA, but that if they had been available they would cost about $2300 the set.  Thieves!

I can also obtain (need to, courtesy of hail damage) a NOS bonnet (hood) for $1,000; the stealership wanted $3,400.  Thieves!

[Des]

Gordon, much like yourself I love Mercedes and preach their benefits to whoever will listen, however I must say such blatant gouging of particular markets, is frankly not on in my books, to put it mildly.


Mercedes has gone to great lengths to acknowledge and celebrate its automotive and engineering history on one hand, yet on the other it is quite willing and happy to rob the average sap dry for some part to keep their 30 year old plus Mercedes on the road.

That is rather distasteful in my books, again to put it mildly.

I have no problem with anyone making an honest dollar, afertall it is what you need to do to stay in business, but offering parts to different markets and varying prices, when they obviousely cost the same to produce is as you say thievery.

[CraigS]

Well said Des. When you look at the pricing I posted, had it not been for the 20% discount, the total would have been in excess of $30,000 ! I can't in all honesty support any company that blatantly has a pricing policy like this - whatever their reasons for doing so. The more I think about it, the more angry I become. I have sent off this list of prices to my contact at Daimler A.G. Australia as it will be tomorrow. He is not involved in anything to do with parts pricing strategy, but as a Daimler employee, and involved in looking after their own classic vehicles, I'm sure it will be of interest to him.

[Des]

Craig yes, furthermore to these points is the end result unreasonable and for many people unobtainable expensive parts means that cars get driven into the ground, until they are totally broken and stuffed, then sold off to the crusher for $20 for scrap metal.

It may well be easy for me to say, well in fact it is but I feel Mercedes should be offering "classic parts" meaning for chassis's over 30 years old at 15% above production cost, this should be centrally located in Germany, then wherever you are, you pay ever a budget rate for sea mail or a premium for air part for the part(s)

My classic W116/W123 deserves the same part price as any other market, I might spend 3 times the amount the average American does on parts, so why should I be exploited for part prices.

[OzBenzHead]

Perhaps these last few posts better belong in the "Parts prices" thread; that said, however, I'll make one further observation:

If we had ONE Oz-wide M-B Club instead of a bunch of state clubs, perhaps we might have some bargaining power with Daimler-whoever-they-call-themselves-this-week-AG.  In the US, although there are state / regional chapters of M-B Club USA, it is as a single body that they do business with Daimler.

Here it would seem that the separate state clubs are a tad too much into nurturing their own mini-empires, playing petty internal politricks, and sucking up to Stuttgart for personal aggrandizement, when they could, if united into one, perhaps negotiate a better deal on spare parts with the parent company. The token dealer discounts sometimes available to club members in Oz are meaningless because they are applied to the extortionate M-B-Oz RRP.

Unity gives bargaining power.

(Retreats, tin hat at the ready!)   

[WGB]

Sounds good OBH.

It is also possible that people like us are actually spending more money than any M-B Club and why don't we organise ourselves into some bargaining power.

Bill