Break pads and Rotors

2235 Views 11 Replies 8 Participants Last post by fortyfive, Feb 19, 2005

plevine

Discussion Starter · Feb 10, 2005

I just had my car in for it's A service and the mercedes guy told me that my break pads were getting low. He also said that the rotors would also need to be replaced. When I asked him why the rotors would need to be replaced, he said that Mercedes rotors are very soft and they wear down just from the friction of the break pad, even if there is no metal on metal. Now, I have never heard anything like this before, is this guy just feeding me full of shit? Also, when I asked him about taking my car somewhere else to get the breaks done, he said some people do that, but if you don't put mercedes pads and rotors on, the breaks will be very loud and will always squeak. Is this also true? I just want to find out before I throw $500 at something that won't even last for more than 10k miles.

Thanks for ya'lls help.

Paul
Austin, TX

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wujian

· #2 · Feb 10, 2005

i just went through this myself... jan must have been "sell brakes month"...

it is true that the rotor and pads are of a softer metal than others, this is to provide smoother braking, but it does increase wear.

MBZ will not turn a rotor apparently because of the soft composition causing the replacement.

I went to anothe rMBZ shop ( not a dealer ) and they confirmed a lot of this but when they invited me into the shop to inspect the rotors and showed me that they really did not need to be replaced, they won my business.

I had about 10,000 miles of highway driving on the car so I was suspect on if the pads and rotors really needed replacing anyway.

get a second opinion.

my .02 and YMMV ( heh, literally )

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Castorpimp

· #3 · Feb 10, 2005

be wary of aftermarket brakes. some of them are 'harder' than oem and will squeak and sound real annoying. I think ebc makes brake pads that are supposed to be quiet but i have no experience with them. If you want to save some bucks and dont care about the squeaks, aftermarket is for you, your car will stop just the same.

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plevine

Discussion Starter · #4 · Feb 11, 2005

Thanks for the info........will the aftermarket brakes still squeek if the rotors are different? I assume they make after market rotors that are harder that will fit the clk. Maybe I am wrong about this assumption.

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scott

· #5 · Feb 11, 2005

MB rotors and pads are soft. The cars are very heavy and this combination goes through brake pads and rotors quicker than most other cars. Plus it makes the perfect brake dust generator!

The MB tech is telling the truth in most cases. Of course they want to the work for $90/hour labor. If your miles are "all highway miles" and you are really easy on the brakes then he may be a bit pre-mature. I got 15K out of my first set and I do brake very gingerly (highway cruiser). A good test is to run your finger nail from the center of the rotor to the edge. If you hear a click when you run off the edge of the rotor...it's worn.

Brake pad replacment is easy and if you replace the rotors at the same time, you only have one screw per side to remove to replace the rotors. Get the pads, sensors and rotors at German Star dot net. The front set of pads, rotors and sensors (OEM)should be about $200.00.

Remember to replace the senors each time and to use the "pad grease" which is what helps to keep the "squeal to a minimum".

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Chevota

· #6 · Feb 11, 2005

Why can't they simply make low-dust pads and normal rotors like US and Jap cars?
If I had access to the back room of my local parts store, I'd search thru boxes of pads meant for American cars that would fit or could be modded to fit my car. It would also be nice to pay $15 for a set vs $100.
Shoot, now that I think of it, I do have a friend that works in that biz. Hmmmmmm.....
I will not be buying any rotors either. Rotors are for life imo.

Oh, and I don't believe that crap about smooth braking, heavier cars etc. Of what few things I'm embarrassed of in any MB I've ever owned, it's been the brakes smoothness and sometimes irreparable squeaking.

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clk55fan

· #7 · Feb 11, 2005

I hated the black dust so much that I changed the perfectly good pads f & r to rotex.

Just spray the anti squeal stuff on the back, let it dry and you'll be set.

After a couple days of driving, I wiped my wheels with my finger and lo and behold....NO BLACK DUST!!!

I also like the feel of them more so than the stock...with the stock there were no indication or feeling of the brakes...they were VERY difficult to modulate.

I like these pads...the F&R cost about $170.00 for my car...they may be a bit less for the 320 or 430s.

Good luck.

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Chevota

· #8 · Feb 11, 2005

clk55:
I just ordered a set. $130 is more than I've spent on all the pads on all the cars in all my 24 years of driving! Outrageous, but apparently I have little choice.....
Thanks for the info, I can't wait to be dust free.

Have you ever checked 0-60 and/or 1/4 mile time on your car? I'm curious how much quicker a 55 is over me?

plevine:
Have you ever considered doing the brakes yourself? I'll be spending a total of $0 on labor, and it'll take me less time to swap them out that it will for your MB tech to type up your work order. Brakes are really easy, just one level above oil change in the difficulty scale. If anyone thinks the dealer has a magic power to prevent squeaking, think again.

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clk55fan

· #9 · Feb 15, 2005

No I have not checked my 0-50 or 1/4 mile time.
If I had one of those devices like gtech pro I would have those numbers though.

Enjoy the dust free wheels!!!

I grin everytime I wash the car...cus I got no dus
[

]

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Chevota

· #10 · Feb 18, 2005

As a 55 owner you're obligated to provide us 320 owners with performance stats. It says so in your purchase agreement...
I have a G-tech dealie, but I seem to be the only in the world who bought one.

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tbsi430

· #11 · Feb 18, 2005

Break pads and rotors are simple to change (not to mention you can save hundreds!). I've tried different pads for their low dust including green stuff, etc... The best low dust that I've found is PBR (have ceramic component). Very clean - rarely have to wipe down wheels (especially the fronts!)Install under 1 hr/axel

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fortyfive

· #12 · Feb 19, 2005

Does any one have step by step sintructions on changing the pads?

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