[Guest (MBNZ)]

I found a vendor that's willing to sell us Porterfield R4S brake pads for about 30% off (plus shipping and credit card fees). I'll get an exact price tomorrow but this is way cheaper than some other known discount sources. Let me know if you are interested. The list price is around $169. The more initial orders I can get the closer he'll get to 30%. <br> <br> These pads that are supposed to produce very little dust, last, are quiet and have grip comperable to the stock pads. <br>

 

[Guest (MBNZ)]

Do you know how long the new Cs brake pads have been wearing? Also, how difficult is the pad change to do? I may be interested in the group buy.

 

[Guest (MBNZ)]

From what I heard on the boards and the dealer factory pads wear in the 20-30 thousand mile range. It's not so much that it needs a pad change, it's the severe dust problem on the front wheels. Also if you change the pads early you don't really need to turn the rotors. The hardest part about changing pads is jacking the car up twice and taking the wheel off and on. Pads just pull out and new pads in, take a total of 1 minute once the wheel is off. I'll post pictures when I do it.

 

[Guest (MBNZ)]

Porterfield Brake Pads for W203 C-Class $100 fronts, $66 rears

OK. I got a price (does not include shipping and handling). Looks like ~$100/set for the fronts, and ~$66 for the rears in R4-S <br> format. In comparison, Myroadster.net charges $149 for the fronts. To order send an e-mail to [email protected] and let him know Carl sent you from the MBNZ.org forum for the special price. <br> <br> For those in OC/LA, let me know when you get your pads and we'll pick a shady location and put them on with SoCal240/6's help. <br> <br> <br>

 

[Guest (MBNZ)]

Ok and now for the real story, and the truth about this. Jerry Jones at MyRoadster purchased front

OEM pads for the C230K and the C240/C320 and sent them to Porterfield for identification. Once there, they discovered these pads to be unique and not used on any other car. It has a curve in the backing plate. They made a prototype set of pads which was tested on a C240. This test was arranged by Jerry. There is no factory metal backing plate available for this shape of pad - so they are essentially hand made, and that is why they cost as much as they do. There were 5 sets of fronts made for the W203 for MyRoadster.<br> 3 have been sold. <br> <br> Those of you that come to this forum know that I have been ad advertiser for many months, introducting Porterfield to all. I don't think Andy Porterfield will stand for this kind of back stabbing. <br> <br> If it weren't for me, there would be no Porterfields for the W203, the SLK320 or the SLK32. Once factory stamped metal becomes available and the pads can be poured, you will see the price drop.

 

[Guest (MBNZ)]

Thank you Jerry

Jerry, I'm happy that you took the time to get Porterfield to make the pads but frankly it didn't matter to me if I got Pagid, Mintex, EBC or any other pads that are available for the C-Class. I was mainly looking for a pad that didn't dust. I don't understand why it was so hard for Porterfield to make backing plates when other companies do. At $149, the Porterfields were not even in the radar. Chances are I would have gotten the Pagids or EBCs for nearly half the price. I checked around and there are several Porterfield dealers that heavily discount their products. I went with Speedtoys because they respond quickly, no bs, was blessed to sell C-Class pads by Porterfield and gave us a price competitive with the other brands. This discount applies to all cars not just C, SLK or MBs for that matter.<br> <br> BTW, supporting a forum sponsor is important so please check with TireRack as they sell the EBC Kevlar pads which have gotten a lot of good feedback.<br>

 

[Guest (MBNZ)]

We appreciate your work Jerry, but how is this back stabbing?

 

[Guest (MBNZ)]

You don't understand, Jerry backstabbed us!

Well it looks like Jerry Jones won at MyRoadster.net. They complained to Porterfield and forced SpeedToys.com to raise their prices. Does this sound like restraint of trade or price fixing? The new price is $135. All those that purchased it already get the $100 price.<br>
<br>
I know Jerry is just trying to protect his business but would you buy anything from a business that practices in price fixing?

 

[Guest (MBNZ)]

So I lost out?? Thanks for nothing Jerry! I won't be buying anything from MyRoadster.pricefixer

 

[Guest (MBNZ)]

Buellwinkle, I sent a complaint about this incident to MBNZ management...

I'll let you know what I hear from them. I guess it's companies like Myroadster.pricefixer that keeps the cost of MB aftermarket stuff so high!!

 

[Guest (MBNZ)]

Well Jerry is no longer a sponsor so this is no longer the case of supporting site sponsors..

We didn't delete this thread since there was no direct competition with other sponsors. We want all of our members to get the prices anywhere. The complaint has been noted.

 

[Guest (MBNZ)]

Exactly!

Check out Pagid pads (used on Brembos), Mintex or EBC. They are about half the price and many folks like them. The EBC are kevlar like the Porterfields and are available at TireRack. My goal was to reduce dust without impacting performance and quietness of the factory pads.