It is a very common place to find corrosion in this area. It is available from the dealer, but it is expensive and a little hard to fit. If your brake line is good further forward it can be jointed. Any garage can carry out this work, but it would be best to get a fresh bottle of DOT 4+ brake fluid from the dealer.

Out of interest what was your brakes like when you lost pressure in the line?.

 

It is a very common place to find corrosion in this area.

Looks like another place to visually inspect every now and then.

There must be a list of those in the FAQ.

 

I'm not going to do this repair myself, this will be done by a shop that specializes in Mercedes repair. Any rough idea of how much it will cost?

Brakes just started to go at a dead stop. The truck started creeping forward (with the brake pedal depressed) and the pedal began sinking down to the floorboard. I pulled over and saw lots of brake fluid leaking from the underside.

 

You were lucky then that it went at low speed. Its up to you. Brake pipes are everyday thing for any good shop, but mb dealer will ring your ass, but it will be a good job. They will reccomend both pipes need to be replaced and guess $500-$600 may cover it. All about how deep your pockets are.

 

I agree with megadamp, pretty sure anyone that can do break lines can handle the job. But if you want to go to mercedes go ahead.

 

MB actually makes the entire two line set for the rear brake lines. It was the route I went. It was done at a shop that does general European car repair. It was about 2.5 hours of labor. I had the MB fluid and the I got the lines at parts.com for under $300.

I was going to use compression fittings to patch the lines, but there were many areas on the rear lines that were just waiting to burst. That is why I ordered up the whole line set.

One note, the whole line set comes in a length that runs from the ABS pump to the rear of the truck they are very long(about 12') and it is an intense job getting them in and not harming them.

 

Thanks for the tip on parts.com I'm looking there under parts for the fuel system (but not seeing them? Seeing everything but the fuel line... Am I missing something or maybe they stopped carrying that part?

Given the fact that the line rusted through, I'm thinking along the same lines you are. Replace the whole line vs. patching it. Being in Washington DC, the indie (who does 90% MB work) was a little surprised the line had rusted through, guess he doesn't really see that here.

 

Mine is booked in at an Independent for the front two to be replaced. General corrosion and a miniscule leak on an angled part of the pipe

 

The parts are fulfilled by MB of Naperville in IL.

They ship right from the MB warehouse. The box is massive. Call MB of Naperville and ask for the internet parts dept. They will give a you a decent price that includes free FedEx ground.
For $40 more you dealer will have them in a day. Honestly I know I said the job is intense, but $848 sounds a high. Ask him what the price would be if you brought in the OE genuine lines. Some shops will not allow customers to bring in parts.

The job should be $500 or less.

 

I had a conversation with him about the $$$. That price was for replacing both lines not just the one that rusted through.

 

JAD, I believe that each line goes for $85-100. But I still can't see $600 in labor even for both sides.

 

JAD,
I did the rear lines up to the ABS fittings with MB new lines. Removal of old lines and installation of new lines was well under 2 hours.

Raising the chassis is absolutely wrong a s43sqd pointed out.

I really do not trust your mechanic at all. $200 for parts, two hours labor (and that includes DOT 4+ fluid with bleeding the brakes) at the most or move on to an honest mechanic.

 

What is this "trained observer" thing?

 

Just inquired with another MB shop and they were unable to tell me the cost for the replacement of the brake lines, lol. Could be as low as $300 or as high as $800-900. WTF...

 

2 more shops, 2 more refusals to give me prices for replacing the brake lines.

 

I've dealt with this issue before. Lost brakes in middle of Feb. I bought 3-4 ft long lines from local auto parts store and rented flare tools. Job isn't hard at all. Been good for almost 2 years now

 

Hi, if you don't mind, can you explain a bit how you changed the lines ? (I have the same problem with my 2000 ML320, the line is corroded and is leaking big time...Thank you very much.

 

HaHa don't think so unless he has got a secret computer room that he has kept secret since 2005. He may be using what he learned as an MP to evade her though.
Can i change mine to damp specialist Noodles.

 

@JAD... you are getting bent over by your mechanic with the price he/she quoted you! Now I've never done brake lines on this truck (I've only owned it a couple months) but if I had to I would buy my own lines and bend/flare them myself.

Hopefully you can get a more respectable price from another shop that's actually honest.

@Croat... I agree. I replaced my girlfriends rusted rear brake lines on her '06 Kia Sorento after they quoted her $575 parts and labor. I went to an auto parts store, bought 25ft of brake lines and rented a bubble flare kit. Used the original lines as a template, cut/flared and bent to OEM specs re-using the original fittings. All this with no experience of doing brake lines and everything turned out well for under $100.

 

Is that the brake line that runs along the rear suspension carrier?. $36 dollars seems expensive. They sell them here for £16.96.

If anyone need a price search in the UK us this.
http://www.mercedes-benz-parts.co.u...&Search=Go&page=shop.product_details&flypage=shop.flypage&option=com_virtuemart

 

Is that the brake line that runs along the rear suspension carrier?. $36 dollars seems expensive. They sell them here for £16.96.

If anyone need a price search in the UK us this.
LINE - E Class 1985 - 1994 E250D - Mercedes-Benz Parts, Inchcape

No, that's the line that runs the full length of the truck.

 

This thread is fun to watch happen as an Untrained Observer.
Hell, this is half the reason i come back to Benzworld is to get a chuckle or two.
Thanks boys.

 

Both of the rear brake lines on my 99 ML430 have just corroded in the same area. I lost all the fluid and the brakes didn't work anymore. Luckily it was parked in the yard at the time. I had to use the ebrake to pull it into my garage.

Hearing how much you were quoted for the repair doesn't make me feel as bad for spending the better part of a day to fix it myself.

If it is as common as the thread implies then people who haven't fixed them yet should check on theirs every once in awhile. It would've been horrible if the last of the fluid came out while my wife was driving it.

 

My 99 ML320 is grounded since the weekend for the same reason - loss of fluid due to catastrophic corrosion of rear lines. Anybody has instructions how to fix - MB DVD Manual omits entirely the brake lines from ESP on. Strange.....

 

You will mostly be on your own as replacing hard brake lines isn't exactly for the feint of heart. Ordering the complete lines is a pain in the neck and they aren't available easily.

If you have never done brake line repair before I'd recommend that you take a car to a shop that knows german cars and has flaring and bending tools for brake lines (not your average hole in the wall mechanic).

If you think you have the knowledge and ability to replace the lines and accept the risk (no brakes= life danger) of doing the job yourself, I would start by measuring the diameter of the lines. Then figure out where the brake line goes after the ABS unit, and see if you can find a routing diagram. If you can pull the line out completely, order yourself a good brake line bending tool and do your best to recreate the bends and shape of the rusted brake line onto your new one. Then you are going to either order new fittings (make sure you order the right ones, this is the best way), or re-use the old ones (this is generally frowned upon and considered unsafe), and flare the lines. You really want to buy a good flaring tool, not the cheapest thing you can find. I do not know off the top of my head what kind of flares the ML uses, but I can assure you it is probably not the same as your average GM car.

After that, you are going to have to bleed the system (I HIGHLY recommend a power bleeder.) and you should be set.

There are many tutorials online that give you a general idea. This video gives you a good idea of what is involved.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bqyoTWFZ5K4

 

Either new lines from MB or making lines.......This job is not for the average DIYer.

I opted for the new lines because severe corrosion was at several spots where the lines run under the rocker panel. installing 10-12' lines is a practice in patience and pre-positioning of the lines as they are pulled into place. The main fuel feed line follows the same path so it has to be done with care to to not damage the fuel line.

 

I will be ordering new lines from MB so no bending will be needed. Just don't know what to disassemble, so far I have worried about parts and I found them.

 

Like Noodles said this is not for an average DIYer, my advise is to take it to a shop.

 

Thank you for taking your time to answer! I got my brake lines from the dealer for $83 each, but to put them on was a nightmare!!! First, the old ones I had to cut them off in small sections.., and then the new lines I had a hard time to get them in, in fact I bend them a lot to fit them (I got a tube bender from Lowes for $15 it helps) ... the good news is they don't leak at all. Now I'm waiting for my Power Bleeder to arrive, and figure out how to get rid off the BAS/ESP light ...(I tried to bleed the brakes with the help of a friend but, they are still soft. (any suggestions ? Now looking back if I will have to do it again, I will buy the line sections from Advanceautoparts, get the bender, and a good flare tool, will be faster and also way cheaper ... ). Thank you again.

 

Compression fittings are generally a bad idea for brake lines since they depend upon friction to hold very high pressure lines together. A much better option would be to use the flare type connectors. You simply cut the line; place the connectors on each side of the line; flare both sides; and the two connectors screw together into a piece in the middle. This way the flares keep it together instead of just friction. Might be slightly more complicated than compression fittings since it requires two flares, but I'd be much more likely to trust my life to them.

 

Often the lines from MB come without the bends...just to let you know. Make sure you ask first.

 

Not so. All lines come pre-formed.

 

Interesting... I've never actually ordered them from MB, but I've heard others say that they received a coil of tubing when they ordered the line from the dealer. It always made sense to me that it would be done that way also since it would be a hell of a feat to fit those lines into a box for shipping. I guess it might be easier when shipping a bunch of them to a single place though like a dealership. You could wrap several of them together in 1 package. I'm not sure how many brake lines they keep for EVERY vehicle they've made though, or whether the different lines for different vehicles would be similar enough that they could still generally package them together. In the end I have to admit that I don't actually KNOW that they sell lines without bends, so I will defer to you on this. I also have to admit that personally I think I would still ask before ordering just in case. Well, actually I'd probably just keep ordering cheap coils of line, and bending them myself...but if I ever did order from MB I'd probably ask. Does anyone know if the MB lines have gotten any better in recent years? By recent I mean in like the last 20. I haven't been impressed with the quality of lines from them in their cars from the 90's. When I replace lines I generally like to use copper alloy (Kuniferr...I think...something like that). Steel lines are more expensive, and I don't think they are as good or as easy/forgiving to install. Are the PVF coated lines better? Can you snake the PVF coated lines through without worrying about damaging the lines instead of having to thoroughly clear a path for them? I was told that the biggest reason vehicle manufacturers use steel lines is due to the ability to prefabricate the lines which they would not be able to do with copper, and prefab lowers costs big time.

 

They are stored and delivered loose, no boxes.

 

In case you wondered how the suppliers bend the tubes: