I have just got my bin and I noticed that it had a MB part number molded into the side panel of the bin.
Part #A 193 680 03 52

The molding date stamp said it was made in July 2009. Why make parts in 2009 unless it is used in another car?

Mopar # 1BQ12XDVAA

What other car does this fit, it may be cheaper to buy it as a Mercedes part if available.

 

Part number shows no matches for any M.B. cars. I think the 193 is used for the crossfire chassis.

 

I could find no matches to that number either, I tried the Sprinter van site as well, no luck.
If you make parts like this it costs a lot of money to set up the mold and machine and then you have to produce a good few to make it worthwhile. Maybe they made a few thousand in 2009 and that's the last of them. That could account for the price.

Someone had to order the 2009 parts, Chrysler? Mercedes? I tend to doubt they would be ordered for Crossfires.

If any were found with later dates on them it would alter the story.

 

Wasnt there a TSB on the cupholder? Maybe they where being produced for warranty work? I thought the cupholder was next to impossible to get,As you know these would be the alternative. Im just guessing here......, but yes, they are a ripoff!

 

Yes there was

The cupholders were replaced with the bin towards the end of production of the car.

 

can you give me the website where you ordered the console bin.....I have done a 1 hr search online but can't find this part anywhere......pls

 

As Dan said, they were made for warranty issues. Auto manufacturers spend LOTS of money each year to prevent lawsuits. They likely did an ATB (all-time buy) and made a run of a few thousand parts. This cost will not be eaten by the manufacturer, they simply pass it to the customer. That's why it's $50+

A customer can't sue because a part is too costly, they can only sue if a suitable OE part is not available. Chrysler is technically supporting the car, and that's all they're liable for. They could charge $200 and it would still be legal, just not ethical. Supply and demand... how bad do you want to fix your cupholder?

As for the Mercedes stamping, they still had proprietary manufacturing rights to the car (hence the R193 chassis designation). Chrysler only had rights in sales/marketing... hence the blue and white sticker on the poly bag

 

If you want this part... I suggest you get it now!

As far as Chrysler parts warehouse inventory nationwide, it's gone.

You can still order it at your Chrysler parts department if they're participating in Mopar's D2D (Dealer2Dealer) program. That's when old parts are ordered via Chrysler's system and it forwards the order to a dealer showing the part in stock. If that qualifying dealer has it in stock and decides to sell it, they ship it to your dealer via parcel. There are only 7 (oops, now 6! ) dealers that show to stock it. Once they're gone, they may not produce anymore unless demand rises... at 74.10 list price for a piece of plastic, they should reproduce to make profit, but we shall see.

STL

 

Good heads-up, thank you! And I'm all too familiar with D2D, we use it all the time in Nissan.

This confirms my suspicions of an ATB in my earlier post...

 

Well any idea where I can get this, shows as discontinued

 

I've been searching for another one myself. I actually think I may have recently bought the last one available through normal Chrysler parts supplier inventory. Now they are gone everywhere. Maybe we'll stumble across someone parting out a Crossfire that had one installed. It's not going to be easy to find . . .

 

 

JHM2K - Your explanation above about liability etc., probably also explains the unavailability of Keys and key fobs and SKREEM units and their prices. What a rip-off!

Jim

 

Jim, are you in the right post?

.