[Teutonic]

My '87 560SL has over 300k on the odometer.

Just wondering is there a recommended time-lime/milage where you should rebuild the calipers or replace them? What is the recommended standard here?

Also, what about wheel bearings? Are they going to last me to 500k miles or should they be replaced? They are sealed bearings, right?

Thanks!

 

[jhodg5ck]

Well, if they haven't been done it wouldn't be a bad idea to go in there and clean/freshen everything up.. I'm sure the dust seals and what not have seen better days. As for your wheel bearings they Must have been done @ some point, but again if it's not know when they Yes they should really be replaced. Be careful though..there are a lot of Mexican (SKF) and Hungarian bearings out there that I don't trust.

Jonathan

 

[daveward]

On the one hand the calipers will tell you when they want to be rebuilt. They will either start leaking brake fluid from the tired and fragile dust seals; or, even with no evidence of fluid loss your braking performance begins to suffer...especially where one wheel appears to be braking more and you feel the steering pull to the side. This would be a case of a sticking piston...definitely something to look after.

Rather than specify a timeframe or mileage limit for the caliper rebuild/replacement, I'd suggest a schedule that gets you under the car inspecting the brake pads AND the condition of the calipers/flexible brake lines. As important would be an every-so-often complete replacement of the brake fluid. This activity also gets you face to face with the brake at each corner and allows an inspection.

I will leave the frequencies to your best judgement, but suffice to say there is hardly a more important safety item to keep your eyes on.

And as for wheel bearings being sealed...not even close. When properly installed and well packed with wheel bearing grease the bearings have the best chance of staying contaminate free, but unless this is verified every so often no one can guarantee the bearings will stay fit for service.