Below is is a common post found for many NLA (No Longer Available) parts. I've written the below rant multiple times and figured I'd post this as a sticky in a couple of the "Parts" subforums, for future reference. My intent is to try and save people some hassle/headaches by thinking "oh, maybe THIS vendor has the NLA part, because I can still order it here!". I'm not trying to rain on any parades, just sharing some info that may be helpful:
<rant>
Most other online dealer part vendors DO NOT remove parts from their catalog which are NLA. If you place an order, it will almost certainly be cancelled. SOME dealers are good about updating their website after a customer order an NLA part, to prevent having to cancel future orders from customers trying to buy the same thing.
There is NO way to tell online if a part is definitely available!!! NONE! You must contact a live person at a dealership (or MBCC) and have them look up the part number in Paragon, the MB parts inventory system. This will check inventory worldwide, and it is the only way to tell if a part is "available" for purchase. There are ZERO sites which have online, public access to Paragon. The Paragon system is internal to Mercedes dealerships only.
EXAMPLE: Two sites linked below have been updated for this NLA part to state "DISCONTINUED PART - No Longer Available For Purchase". The other 2 sites have not. Each dealer must update their own site manually. Some prefer to deal with cancelling orders and pissing people off, rather than take the 30 seconds to get their act together for a decent eCommerce experience:
https://www.genuinemercedesparts.com/oem-parts/mercedes-benz-cable-harness-1245403130 <--properly shows NLA
Genuine Battery Cable for 1992-1995 Mercedes-Benz | OEM Part# 124-540-31-30 | MB Direct Parts <--properly shows NLA
1992-1995 Mercedes-Benz Battery Cable 124-540-31-30 | MB OEM Parts <-incorrectly shows orderable (as of March-2018), will be cancelled
https://www.mercedespartshub.com/oem-parts/mercedes-benz-cable-harness-1245403130 <-incorrectly shows orderable (as of March-2018), will be cancelled
^^^ If you order from the links above that will let you place an order, yep, it will be cancelled. They do not have magic inventory.
NOTE: The reverse is sometimes possible; i.e. you may be able to determine if a part really is not available. Use the link below to check the MB Germany Classic Center. If a part shows "available", there is a decent chance it really is available, unless it went NLA recently (in the prior few days/weeks). If it shows "0 results found", that is a bad sign, however some parts which are not 'old enough' to appear on the Classic site may simply not be in the Classic database; so this result is inconclusive. If a part shows "not available", that means Mercedes no longer has inventory, period. And it is likely a permanent NLA. There is a tiny chance that some random dealers around the world might have a couple on the shelf, but again, you MUST contact a dealer and have them check Paragon. The MB Germany Classic site is only a guideline, and will not provide a definitive answer on availability.
MB Germany Classic Center, for E500E battery cover in the trunk (124-690-40-30), permanent NLA as of this writing:
Mercedes-Benz Classic Parts Search.
Final comment: All of the above is accurate 99.44% of the time. Sometimes, in that last 0.56%, a dealer might have the last NLA part on the shelf. Again, without contacting the vendor directly, the only way to find out is placing an order and waiting. This is more likely for a recently-NLA item. If an item has been NLA for years, you have a better chance of getting hit by lightning on a sunny day while holding a winning Powerball ticket.
PLEASE SEE SCREEN SHOTS ATTACHED BELOW. These are from MB Classic Germany and the RevolutionParts platform that most USA dealers use today. Note that "Not for sale" is different than "Discontinued part". NFS items are usually hazmat (i.e., batteries) or oversize/fragile (i.e., windshields). Some vendors may ship them, others may not.
</rant>
<rant>
Most other online dealer part vendors DO NOT remove parts from their catalog which are NLA. If you place an order, it will almost certainly be cancelled. SOME dealers are good about updating their website after a customer order an NLA part, to prevent having to cancel future orders from customers trying to buy the same thing.
There is NO way to tell online if a part is definitely available!!! NONE! You must contact a live person at a dealership (or MBCC) and have them look up the part number in Paragon, the MB parts inventory system. This will check inventory worldwide, and it is the only way to tell if a part is "available" for purchase. There are ZERO sites which have online, public access to Paragon. The Paragon system is internal to Mercedes dealerships only.
EXAMPLE: Two sites linked below have been updated for this NLA part to state "DISCONTINUED PART - No Longer Available For Purchase". The other 2 sites have not. Each dealer must update their own site manually. Some prefer to deal with cancelling orders and pissing people off, rather than take the 30 seconds to get their act together for a decent eCommerce experience:
https://www.genuinemercedesparts.com/oem-parts/mercedes-benz-cable-harness-1245403130 <--properly shows NLA
Genuine Battery Cable for 1992-1995 Mercedes-Benz | OEM Part# 124-540-31-30 | MB Direct Parts <--properly shows NLA
1992-1995 Mercedes-Benz Battery Cable 124-540-31-30 | MB OEM Parts <-incorrectly shows orderable (as of March-2018), will be cancelled
https://www.mercedespartshub.com/oem-parts/mercedes-benz-cable-harness-1245403130 <-incorrectly shows orderable (as of March-2018), will be cancelled
^^^ If you order from the links above that will let you place an order, yep, it will be cancelled. They do not have magic inventory.
NOTE: The reverse is sometimes possible; i.e. you may be able to determine if a part really is not available. Use the link below to check the MB Germany Classic Center. If a part shows "available", there is a decent chance it really is available, unless it went NLA recently (in the prior few days/weeks). If it shows "0 results found", that is a bad sign, however some parts which are not 'old enough' to appear on the Classic site may simply not be in the Classic database; so this result is inconclusive. If a part shows "not available", that means Mercedes no longer has inventory, period. And it is likely a permanent NLA. There is a tiny chance that some random dealers around the world might have a couple on the shelf, but again, you MUST contact a dealer and have them check Paragon. The MB Germany Classic site is only a guideline, and will not provide a definitive answer on availability.
MB Germany Classic Center, for E500E battery cover in the trunk (124-690-40-30), permanent NLA as of this writing:
Mercedes-Benz Classic Parts Search.
Final comment: All of the above is accurate 99.44% of the time. Sometimes, in that last 0.56%, a dealer might have the last NLA part on the shelf. Again, without contacting the vendor directly, the only way to find out is placing an order and waiting. This is more likely for a recently-NLA item. If an item has been NLA for years, you have a better chance of getting hit by lightning on a sunny day while holding a winning Powerball ticket.
PLEASE SEE SCREEN SHOTS ATTACHED BELOW. These are from MB Classic Germany and the RevolutionParts platform that most USA dealers use today. Note that "Not for sale" is different than "Discontinued part". NFS items are usually hazmat (i.e., batteries) or oversize/fragile (i.e., windshields). Some vendors may ship them, others may not.
</rant>
