Moog has a new design lower ball joint that eliminates the dust boot. I'm thinking of going with these on the 1984 300DT rather than the Lemforder design but I'm concerned they will fit properly.


"Moog Ball Joint housings are forged and/or machined from a single block of fine-grain alloy steel, providing unequaled strength and durability. Powdered-metal gusher bearings, with grease grooves, resist wear better than conventional designs. Moog's innovative approach allows grease TO flow through the bearing TO the stud AND provides a smooth, durable surface that extends service life.

Moog's design also transfers the load to the housing and provides strength and stability. Patented pressed-in cover plates minimize radial and axial deflection, securing a solid-steering feel. Moog uses premium polychloroprene and polyurethane — superior compounds that stand up to temperature extremes, dirt and abrasion — to seal the boots on our ball joints.

On select Moog ball joint applications there is a pre-installed integral dust boot. These ball joints look cosmetically different but maintain the same level of performance you come to expect from Moog Problem Solver. This product feature provides easier installation."

Got any pics? I'd be interested in the MOOG bootless design.

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John HAUL AWAY, OR CRUSHED CARS!!! HELP ME keep the cars out of the crusher! A/C Thread
"as I ride with my a/c on... I have fond memories of sweaty oily saturdays and spewing R12 into the air. THANKS for all you do!

My drivers:
1987 190D 2.5Turbo
1987 560SL convertible
1987 190D 2.5-5SPEED!!!

1987 300TD
2005 Dodge Sprinter 2500 158"WB
1994GMC 2500 6.5Turbo truck... I had to put the ladder somewhere!

http://www.moog-suspension-parts.com/moog-integral-dust-boots.asp



The boot is closer to the pivot so it doesn't move as much.

Sixto
83 300SD

Call me old fashioned BUT I think that the best design has a zerk fitting and grease with molybdenum disulfide added from time to time.

Yup, old fashioned.

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1999 Mercedes E300TD daily driver sold at 238K miles 106K miles were mine, rust worm got it :-(
2006 Mercedes CDI new daily driver! 56,000 miles May 2016 now 85,625 Apr 2018 and Apr 2019 101,000 miles Apr 2020 109,875. March 2024 135,250, Dec 2024 145,000 miles

I have been using Moog products for years. But if they can't easily proof read their ad......

Then I wonder what issues are they overlooking in their product lines?


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1983 123.133 California
- GreaseCar Veg System

A nice groove there for dirt and moisture to accumulate.

The Moog ball joint I recently received for my W115, even though they show it to be the "bootless" type, was just a standard booted part. No grease fitting.

Too bad too because I was interested in trying the new design. It looks promising. Since the lubricant only works on the ball and receiver surfaces it doesn't make sense to have the large pocket filled with grease.

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“Whatever story you're telling, it will be more interesting if, at the end you add, "and then everything burst into flames.”
― Brian P. Cleary, You Oughta Know By Now

I have a set of the new style on our E150 van. So far so good but they're pretty new. I've used Moog for decades with good results so I'll give them the benefit of the doubt - guess we'll see in a few years.

Dan

look up where the part is made.Even germans are making **** in china now

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1999 w140, quit voting to old, and to old to fight, a god damned veteran, deutschland deutschland uber alles uber alles in der welt

How long will Lemforders last? A long time.

Bought - from the OE supplier!!!!

Some things work as designed without a lot of maintenance and there isn't much point in changing.

Now moving on to the next issue.

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85SD 240K & stopped counting painted, putting bac together. 84SD 180,000. sold to a neighbor and member here but I forget his handle. The 84 is much improved from when I had it. 85TD beginning to repair to DD status. Lots of stuff to do.

Either one is likely to last the rest of the life of your car.

If the Lemforders still have the Plastic Boots the boots seem to last forever compared to rubber boots and offer a opporunity to lift the boot and add more grease.

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84 300D, 82 Volvo 244Gl Diesel

I think the Boot while still intact offer better protection in the face of wet and road salt.
I think rust is going to start right at the sealing edge just like it does eith lip seals.

If you want something really good get the bootless one and then also add a boot.

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84 300D, 82 Volvo 244Gl Diesel

5 years and 100K miles on my Lemforders on my 85 wagon. Everything fit right when we did the work and have hd no issues since. Checked and they are still totally fine, but will go with them again in the distant future.

Before I came to Mercedes, I drove a Volvo. Lemforder is an OE supplier for Volvo as well. During that time (starting 5 years ago), we began to see that Lemforder was made in China. IOW, the Lemforder of now is not the Lemforder of old. And yes, the Chinese stuff was crap.

I'd buy Moog over Lemforder, but then again I get a discount.. :-)

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1998 VW Cabrio
2001 Audi SomeRoad A/T (no air suspension)
2003 Audi DeadRoad M/T (no vroom, for later)
2002 Audi NoRoad A/T (nothing under the hood, being rebuilt)

One of the things I like about eBay is you can ask the seller what country the item is made in (sometimes that is in the Ad text). You don't have to buy from them but knowing what country they the item is made in means there is a good chance the same item sold by another seller is also made in the same country.
about 2/3rds of the time eBay sellers answer your questions.

For the W123s so far as I have read the Lower Ball Joints are made in Germany and the price is extremely reasonable.

I used Moog Track Arms on my Van steering but I did not order them till I found out they were made in the USA. So If I am taking the time to order them and have them shipped I take a little extra time to see if I can find out where the item is made.

Did the same with a Timken Front Hub which turned out to be made in the USA. Timken is one of the companies that also sells made in china stuff.

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84 300D, 82 Volvo 244Gl Diesel