The outer plastic sleeve that says 'MERCEDES BENZ' on the OE strut can be removed from the original strut and placed on the new high-pressure-hydraulic portion of strut you purchased online. It's just an outer plastic sleeve. I thought about it, but I'd have to clean all the leaked-fluid out of it first and I just wanted a working strut, mainly. But I kept the original plastic "Mercedes" sleeve just in case I change my mind one day!

If you look closely at the StrongArm (P/N 6188) strut you can see it is NOT THE SAME PHYSICALLY as the original and should thus be avoided. I like my "service-position" hood! If you read the reviews, some people simply returned the StrongArm (P/N 6188) but at least one guy modified it to work... but it was a pain in the *** for him. It's a solution only for a very, very, VERY cheap man.