[MercedesMax]

not recommended!!

Yes, you can take the sensors off - but they are a mere couple of dollars (or in your case £1 ish) each.

A new disk rotor on the other hand is more in the region of $50 (£20). You do the sums?

My recommendation is that if you do take them off, then keep a close eye on your pad wear. When you replace the pads, be sure to replace these. You'll hardly ever have to replace rotors.

 

[MercedesMax]

$425? Someone's laughing very hard at your expense!!

They really are. You can get them genuine from a Benz dealer much cheaper - I have ventilated disks on my 190 because it's the turbo model and I think I paid all of CDN$60 each for them. A set of pads shouldn't set you back even that much (I think I paid CDN $50 for the last set).

You'll find many repairs on your Benz will in fact be easier than they are to do on many other cars. There is a lot of thought that goes into the design of these cars, and that includes repairs. I've always found things to be in very logical positions on all the Benzes I've owned and found them much more enjoyable to work on than other cars where things can be very difficult to service because of poor design.

 

[MercedesMax]

possible damage on installation...

Given our weather here in Vancouver lately, I'm guessing it's pretty wet in Seattle too? Rain does sometimes short out these wear indicators - but usually only if you accidentally damage them on the way in. It is a common issue on all cars (from Benzes, to Beemers, to Range Rovers) that have this feature. It basically works by grounding the indicator - if yours is grounding when it shouldn't the light comes on.

I can't believe a dealer would charge you like that. I really think they're having a go at you. Definitely look elsewhere for parts (including Ron @ Germanstar). Another option is to come up to Abbotsford (closer than Vancouver), great guy there at Eurotech for repairs and parts. A number of his customers come up from Wa to get service and buy parts for their Benzes, Porsches etc - yes CAN dollars are nicer to pay in