OEM SL door mirror rubber boots - Hugo vs Kosta_K - who's right

Berny - common R107 problem. mirror base rubber is EPDM. cheap repros are PVC or low vinyl stuff and they go chalky in two Sydney summers.

Mercedes-Benz Australia / Pacific can still get the proper Original-Teile pair, but the classic parts bloke at Mulgrave takes 5-7 business days to answer emails. McStarparts are using the same German supplier Mercedes has used since about 2008 for low-volume classic bits. correct mould, EPDM, warranted. not 1985 Sindelfingen rubber, but right for a driver.

R107 / W126 changed a little around 1985, so check your mate's 500SL before ordering.

Part number I wont post from memory.. got it wrong once and Kosta never let me forget it. ill check the bookshelf tomrrow.

Temporary fix: silicone rubber rejuvenator, Wurth green can, soak overnight. enough for Pink Slip photos and wedding day. not permanent.

Kosta - fair. you explained current-production vs original-production better then I did.

Concours car, NOS. driver car, current Mercedes-Benz Original-Teile. mistake is pretending they are the same job.

TRW Sealing Systems Germany have the classic-parts EPDM tender since around 2010, per the MCDA paperwork that went around. they are not making cheap rubber. Mercedes changed the formulation so it stays softer in cold weather. still different to 1985 rubber.

Your four-year patina point is right from what ive seen on R107s in MCDA. NOS holds up better visually.. no argument.

Berny - McStarparts for wedding Friday. Kosta's NOS if your mate starts polishing hose clamps.

Kosta PM me the NOS pair anyway. for my registry..

Berny - McStarparts. Order today. They ship from Sydney warehouse so Wednesday delivery is realistic. $89 plus shipping. Pink Slip mechanic won't be able to tell the difference at fitting and the wedding photos won't show anything wrong.

Hugo and Kosta are both right but for your friend they are arguing a question he is not asking. He is asking "can my mate drive me down the aisle Friday in his SL," not "is this car a concours artefact."

If he later decides he wants concours, the NOS upgrade is a 20-minute fitment and Kosta has the pair sitting at Hurstville for whenever.

Johnny mate. With respect.

If your cousin Yianni has "genuine Mercedes-Benz Original-Teile from a bloke who used to work at Petersham in the 90s" then I would very much like to see the box. Pre-2009 packaging has the slim three-pointed star in the bottom corner and the part number printed in black on white with the Mercedes-Benz wordmark above. Post-2009 packaging is different again.

If the box looks like the current-production packaging but Yianni is telling Berny it is "from the 90s" then it is either current-production being sold as old stock, or someone in the supply chain has re-boxed it.

I am not saying your cousin is dishonest. I am saying the buyer should see the box before parting with $40.

Update.

Ordered the McStarparts pair last night $89 plus $14 express shipping. Arrived this morning. Boxes have the post-2009 packaging which Kosta predicted correctly. Material is EPDM as labelled. Fit was 12 minutes a side with a flat-blade screwdriver, no problems.

Used the Würth silicone Hugo mentioned on the old boots first to compare. The old ones softened up enough that I could of actually passed Pink Slip on them, but my mate was already paying the rego mechanic so the boots went on.

Wedding is Friday. SL looks correct in the wedding photo location scout my mate's wife did this morning. I owe Hugo, Kosta, Billy beers at the Saturday meet.

For Johnny: I PM'd you Wednesday and you didn't reply. Yianni's stock can wait for the next round.

For Kosta: my mate is asking if your NOS pair is still available. He likes the idea of having the proper ones in the boot for the future. He'd pay your asking price - what is it?