Vlad-II

I'm looking for some insight as to what action I should take, overall I'm looking for the most cost effective way to change my brakes. The car is a 2002 Mercedes C240 (W203).

The brake lights have been on for roughly 3 weeks now, and I've been driving the car really sparingly, to avoid additional damage to the rotors which themselves probably are worn as well since prior to the brake lights coming on, the car would randomly shake while suddenly braking at speeds higher than 60mph on a freeway.

I called the dealers, notably Rallye and Lakeview for those who live on Long Island and they quoted me about 350 dollars for the front or rear brake pads only without rotors. Since those are usually worn first than the rears. With the rotors the price would jump up to 600 - 1000 depending on how many rotors are needed, usually rotors are changed in pairs so it would be about roughly 1200 including taxes, which is extremely expensive for a brake job.

So I'm looking for alternatives, I was thinking of visiting various websites to get a set of both OEM front and rear brakes along with the rotors. Anyone know any good sites that have OEM parts like this for a discounted price? The dealers are asking about 140 for both pairs of brakes front and back and 24 dollars for both sensors not to mention the rotors which cost about 110 each.

Here is a little history about the car, the car was purchased in July 2006 and it had about 30,570 miles in it. Today, July 2010, it has about 69,100 miles so its actually not bad for a four year old car considering the average driven is usually about 12,000 per year. It was a certified pre-owned vehicle, so my assumption is that the brakes were relatively new when the car was purchased. The brakes have been done before, the front brakes were changed in 2007 and the tires were changed in 2008. And the mileage is realtively low for a four year old car as I don't really go much places with it. The rear pads have never been changed before. So my assumption is that both the rear and the front pads may need to be changed.

So the bottom line, I'm looking for ways to save money, perhaps maybe buying the brake pads and rotors (OEM) online and then taking them to the dealership and have them install them and paying the labor only. Anyone have any ideas?

Thanks So Much!!!
-Vlad

Glyn M Ruck

I would just pop a new set of brake pads on the car and be done with it. splinter has posted minimum rotor thicknesses before. People on this forum seem to chuck out rotors far more often than we do in the ROW.

You can save a fortune by not going to dealers & still fit premium parts. Read the many threads by C230 Sport Coup. He does brake jobs very cheaply by shopping around. Still uses good parts.

NYC Lorinso

Check these guys out.. They have a Mercedes Benz Master Tech as part owner there.. I will be visiting them soon.. Give them a cll and see what they can offer.. I think it's worh the trip if you can save a few hundred dollars.. From NYC it's a 1 hour and 20 minute ride... Make a day out of it.. and let us know what unfolds..

https://mbworld.org/forums/c-class-w...w-shop-nj.html


Will

e1000

Find a good indy shop and have them replace the pads only. You're probably due for both front and rears however.

Javvy

I can do the job for you my man if you wann drive down to Southbrunswick NJ..........lol......seriously...........it is a 2.5-3hrs job thats it..........there are some nice wholesale auto parts store by my house too......dont go OEM just go good quality aftermarket...............you pay to play...........it is relaitvely easy DIY...........

or do what others said......by OEM.....check out this web site...http://www.europartsdirect.com/

buy parts from here and go to a local mechanic and get them installed..........not a rocket science installing these...............

since you mentioned ramdon shaking most probably your rotors are warpped (that means that they were recut onces and cannot be recut again so you will need new rotors.....recut rotors warp quickly under stress or prolong use if pads are wornout).........so might as well do a complete new setup............

rlddlr53

just get pads and rotors, get german oem. If you get aftermarket, the metals in the rotor will be cheap if made in china or asia somewhere. Go with a ceramic pad, if you dont want dust. I just put balo front rotors, akebono front pads, and an oil change, for $450 with labor included

MBSouthAtlanta

We're new here... I don't know if our site might help you out or not. Obviously can't help with the labor...

Vlad-II

Wow you guys are the best, nice informative replies, and very helpful! Anyway yeah more than likely I will probably purchase them online and get them installed by an independent mechanic, I was thinking of just changing the pads without the rotors. What generally happens when you change the pads without changing the rotors? I was told that the shaking will become significantly worse and the brakes may even squeak. Has anyone changed pads without changing the rotors? Are there adverse effects? Also another question, the sensors, do they come with the pads or do I have to buy those seperately? Thanks again guys! .

e1000

As rotors wear, their ability to hold heat is reduced due to the loss of mass from wear. Less mass, less metal to hold and cope with the heat produced from braking. Contrary to popular believe, rotors rarely actually "warp". What really happens is that the pad material deposits unevenly on the face of the rotor causing pulsation in your brake pedal and vibrations when braking. This can be fixed by machinging, or "turning" the brake rotors to a smooth and flat surface. Again, the problem is you are removing material from the rotor and therefore reducing it's ability to hold heat. This is important because the less heat a rotor can hold, the faster your brakes will perform poorly.

Rotors should only be replaced when approacing or at minimum thickness. Minimum thickness should be stamped on the rotor itself.

It won't kill your car if you simply replace the pads and not the rotors, especially if they are above minimum thickness. If you do this, you should keep an eye on brake wear and keep in mind that you may want to replace your brakes (rotors+pads) before the pads are fully worn next time.

I wouldn't count on sensors coming with the pads. They sometimes do but may also be the wrong ones. They are about $5 ea from the dealership, so just pick some up there, it's not a big deal.

Glyn M Ruck

+1 - as always!

Vlad-II

As always thanks for the great advice! This week im gonna make the decision. But before i do i just wanted to share this with you all:

I went to AutoZone and PepBoys on Monday. And out of curiosity I asked for a quote on the brakes and rotors. They quoted me about $275.00 for both front and rear brakes including the rotors. I asked them why they are so cheap and they told me the dealers like to overcharge lol. I feel like I'm gonna get what I payed for and the parts are simply not good enough. The parts are from a company called Duralast. Is that a safe and reputable company? I went to the websites posted above and the parts cost a little over 300. The dealers asked about 600.00 for the parts. So I'm thinking I'm gonna get what I payed for if I buy AutoZone parts to put in the car. Has anyone else ever done that?

Javvy

That is a good price and they will warrenty their job as well.....but the million dollar question is how hard do you drive your car..........do you track it.....do you drive / brake hard enouugh to reach the max heat temp on the rotors??? fo the answer is no.........then go with them and get it done.........yea if you would be a DIY kidn of guy like me I would have suggested to invest the labor money really good quality pads.......... duralast is a reliable brand for a normal DD ............

Vlad-II

Yeah all in all, I may decide to go with Autozone for the sole reason that I'm not a DIY guy, I have no experience in auto mechanics nor can I change brakes, lol. Like they say knowledge is power, and I simply don't have the time to learn, lol. Just for the record, I asked the "stealership" if they could install the aftermarket parts in the vehicle, they were quite obnoxious and rude, haha.

bauster

Don't buy aftermarket pad or rotor make a lot of squeezing noise buy oem part

M-bENZ

Akebono or EBC redstuff is the way to go for brake pads. Bought 2 sets of Akebono and already installed it on my friend CLK and mine too.

Andy

Vlad-II

Just for a quick update, I was able to change the brakes, I had gotten an indy who works at one of the local dealerships to do the job half price, ended up spending about $700, but its much better than getting the job done at the stealership for $1400. Also, another thing that I need to worry about now is the passenger side's right control arm, its another expensive part that needs replacing, unfortunately. I swear as these cars age its just one problem after the other, can never get that "perfect" car anymore, lol. Its at 72,000 Miles so I guess its to be expected at this point...

LILBENZ230

You paid WHAT!? $700? My god man, you were ripped.

I paid $350 (incl all parts, tax, labor) for new front pads and rotors installed on my 05 Sport (with the bigger brakes). My car had 75,000 when the rears were done and that cost me $90, the rotors were fine.

tay3526

I am trying to get my front brake pads changed on my 05 c230 kompressor. can anyone tell me of any good sites to order the parts from? I type in the part number and get so many different brake styles can someone help me pick out the exact one I need?

samaritrey

http://www.rmeuropean.com/

Vlad-II

Well I replaced all of my rotors and all of the brakes. The parts are genuine OEM parts, so that explains the price. My pads also are dust free. I believe that they are the ceramic type.

-Vlad

tay3526

Thanks for that website. I went there and I still run in to the same problem there are more than one type of brakes that I can buy. How do I know which style to buy?

samaritrey

Ok i see what you mean ok i would buy the one that says Original Equipment next to it if you want exactly what you have now. Is this a us c230. If it is you have the sport package so you would need the sport pads. GL BTW just got my 5th order from them today as always perfect

tay3526

Will I have to buy new sensors also?

samaritrey

yes

yduong7

Hi everyone! New to posting, but have been lurking through the forum for a few months now, so I hope I'm doing this right.

My parents have a 2003 C240 base model, and it's time to change the brake pads. I've been looking through forum for as much information on this as I could so here goes:

I'm planning on buying Akebono brakes for the front and rear from pepboys, specifically these http://www.pepboys.com/product/details/207074/00847 (front) and these http://www.pepboys.com/product/details/206583/00847 (rear). $100.09 and $83.59, respectively, with a current promotion of 35% off for a grand total of $119.39 pre-tax.

I've checked here http://showmetheparts.com/akebono/, but since this my first time ordering parts online, I just wanted to make sure >.<

What I would like to know is:
(A) Have I found the correct parts for my parents' car? And is this a good choice to go with?
(B) Any recommendations on brake wear sensors, and how many would I need?
(C) Do I need anything else for a brake pad replacement? If so, what?
(D) What else is there to know about a brake pad replacement?

Any information would be greatly appreciated, thank you!

EDITED: Also, this is just a work commuter car