socalwdup

Hi guys. I have a 2009 C63 and my brake pads were getting squeeky. Needed to get pads changed but dealership trying to rape me.




Is it necessary to do it now? MY CPO ends May next year 2014 so only 6 months left, I figured I'd just do it at an independent bodyshop.


But I'm not sure where to order the rotors + pads because of the P30 vs P31 package? My car is 2009 C63, it didn't have CF spoiler or red calipers. It has silver calipers

If anyone could link me or refer to someone it'd be appreciated. Thank you!

moosejaw

how many miles are on your car?
definitely stay away from the dealer.

I find it odd that all four of your wheels need both a rotor and pad change.
Fronts do a lot more braking than the rear?

socalwdup

It has 29,000 miles on a 2009.

Yea, weird too right???

But how realistically, how much longer can I ride out the rotors until?

Thanks!

ParkerK

I wouldn't do anything, unless I am reading incorrectly - you are at 3mm to go on the front pads and 1mm to go on the rear...depending on how you drive you would be fine until you got a second opinion.


Remember that is "their" min, you still have 3mm on the pad - which irks me a bit, it is a waste and bad for the environment to leave so much material on a pad. I always try to take mine down to 1.5mm before a change.

I will say brakes and rotors are about the easiest things to change on your own...pick up the OEM parts from an online dealer that give you wholes sale prices and do yourself one weekend. You can save a tremendous amount of money. That is where the dealer makes the most money - quick and easy.

I usually replace rotors every second pad change, unless they have a large lip on them.

Replacing pads and rotors because they are "squeaky" is not good service advice, there are plenty of things to do to stop them from "squeaking" and replacing everything is not the answer if your caliper slides or brake pad seats within the caliper are the issue - will not even solve it.

farhadahmad

ya my dealership told me the same price. its expensive!!! i have 30k miles and dont see why i would have to change the rotors for first break pads change? im for sure going some where else and order parts or have friend do it.

avery.whss

I paid $1500 for my brakes..new pads...it stopped sqeeking...sure I could do it my self but I don't have the time nor do I want to screw anything up

farhadahmad

i heard its not as easy as we think? that u need a tool or something because something locks up?

redC55

I bought a '13 C63 used with 3k miles. I took the pads out just to make them stop squeaking a couple weeks ago. All you need is a pin punch (I used a nail with the point grinded off), pop the pins out one at a time and press the pads toward the calipers. The pads should wiggle right out. The brake design is awsome because you don't need to take the calipers off to change the pads.

Merc63

Poterfeild rs4 pads 425 bucks. No noise.

You brought car in for brake job and you got one. Be kucky you dont have the two piece rotors or you would really be crying lol.

there is tons of threads on this. Wear limit and maintenence limit are two different things. They are looking out fir guys who dont know how to maintain their car. The logic being that if tgey throw new pads on, the pads will last longer then the rotors.

moosejaw

The E55 is a more complicated car to do a brake job. Used to be a myth u needed star to do the brakes. The SBC system is a brake by wire system. As long as you keep the doors closed you are able to change the brakes like any other car

A c63 with 30 k miles should only need it's front pads changed front rotors should be changed at 60k. Don't c63s have the brake wear sensor ? My c32 did

avery.whss

yeah they do actually...not sure why OP's doesn't? I think you trip the sensor @ 15 or 20% brake pad left...I know because mine was at around 25-30 and the dealership said if I tripped the sensor it'd cost a few extra bucks..wasn't too expensive..

Personally OP if you have the confidence to do your brakes and the time...go for it..things in this car are actually really simple..i've worked on cars worth basically nothing that are more of a pain in the *** then the c63..good luck

sinape62

Recently changed fr/rr rotors, pads and sensors by an independent shop (Allspeed Automotive). I bought all the parts from Mercedes Benz dealership which costed $641 +tax. Allspeed did the work but said the Master Cyl needed replacing (here we go...) because the brakes wouldn't bleed. Allspeed ordered the Master cyl and installed it the following day. Got the car back and the brakes were dead.. (dead pedal) Also, the CEL came on. Since it is my wifes car, I did not deal directly with Allspeed but popped the hood to figure out the problem. Yes, Allspeed relaeased the car to her in this condition. I used my code reader and got a P0171 and confirmed a serious vacuum leak because it was loud enough to hear. We ended up having it towed to a Mercedes Benz dealer where I had bought the parts days earlier. I asked them to go over the entire brake system and let me know what they find and replace any parts as necessary.

Mercedes found a missing o-ring on the male end of the Master cyl to the brake booster. $6.50 o-ring. They took photos of the Master cyl when it was removed to document it. Needless to say the P0171 CEL was directly associated to the missing o-ring. Allspeed reimbursed the towing and the labor for the Master cyl. I still doubt the original master cyl needed replacement as the car only had 23, 000 miles. But I couldnt prove it...

Long story short, with parts and labor, the total cost was $1200. Next time I'll DIY...

2005 C230K w/ ~ 23, 000 miles

Allspeed isn't touching my C63 or the C230k again. I guarantee that!

jvanbrecht

I DIY'd the pads. It is very very easy. figure an hour of labor if you jack the front and rear up and use jackstands (versus jacking each wheel up one at a time).

Mine took longer because I decided to replace the fluid (get a $60 pressure bleeder, worth the cost).

I'm at 90k miles, and still on the first set of rotors, yes I keep an eye on them, and they are due for replacement (but since I am only driving to and from an airport every week for the next year and a half), I am not really doing any heavy driving, and the rotors are fine for just the 15 mile stuck in heavy traffic moving at 5 miles an hour to and from the stinking airport (sometimes it takes longer to drive to the airport than my flight is..)

Anyways, the brakes are easy, do it yourself.

Merc-Skycap

Wouldn't it be easier to buy the pads yourself and take it to some place other than a dealer to switch these out? OP $2,500 is too high, call up a few places in your area and get some more opinions.

Maybe someone here could refer this guy to a DIY....???

By the way, the break squeak comes and goes on mine too and I only have 16K miles on mine. Squeaking doesn't mean anything on this car.

m a x i m u s

dealer tried to tell me the same for the past 10k miles. I finally replaced the pads at my indie shop with pads I bought myself at 45k. still using the stock p30 rotors no problems.

roadtalontsi

replacing pads wont always fix a brake squeal. It's all dependent on how the vehicle is driven. I've put rotors on cars with less than 10k on them before - c63 b.s. tracked out the *** - demo car for magazines. I agree most people try to sell pads before they are really necessary but if you only service your car once a year - they want everything to last you that long. As for the pad sensor its only in 1 of the pads on each axle - all pads dont wear evenly. not sure why an e55 or c230 are even mentioned in this thread but thanks for sharing?

Steve Richo

I feel your pain, I am going through this at the moment. The MB stealer, wanted $5000 for front and rear rotors (Australia). I ordered a set of Giro discs and Endless pads from ACG for $3500. Fitted the new pads on the front last weekend, no issues. I'll complete the job this weekend.

VaclavSV

Pfft Thats cheap from the dealer.... Heres mine from a few weeks ago.

moosejaw

I still dont get why the dealer is telling two posters that all four rotors need replacing at the same time. The brakes by design do most of the work up front.

Diabolis

Did you see that BOTH the rotors and the pads are at the wear limit? If they are worn they need to be replaced. Last time I checked, brakes were a wear and tear item. The price is more than reasonable for pads and rotors at all four corners. The rotors are worn to the minimum. Please explain to me how is the dealer trying to rape you? By replacing parts that need to be replaced?

This whole el-cheapo mentality is really ****ing annoying. Maybe you're driving the wrong car if you can't afford to service it when it is clearly warranted.

jvanbrecht

Physics, it's hard to beat it

Yes, 80% of braking is performed by the front. And if all 4 corners had the same size rotors and pads, then yes the rears would last alot longer. The reality of course is that the pads are significantly smaller in the rear as are the rotors. This will cause them to wear just as fast as the fronts unfortunately.

Think of it this way.. push a wooden spoon into your hand.. now use the same amount of force and push a pointy knife into your hand... that knife is going to hurt..

Now I know it is a poor analogy, as the brake system does not apply equal pressure to the front and rears (if they did, the rears would be toast in a week... it would be like 5 sets of rears to every set of fronts). But it was the easiest I could come up with since I am stupid busy at work. (I know.. I should probably be working not reading mbworld )

jvanbrecht

I do not think the issue is with the fact they need to be replaced, nor is it an el-cheapo issue.. It's the dealer markup on parts and labor for what will take them about an hour with a lift for all 4 corners.

No one is saying not to replace them, they are just stating to go elsewhere. Also.. the el-cheapo mentality as you call it, is also called being smart with your money... or frugal if you will.

I am Jeff

I fixed my brake squeal issue by making sure to wash my rotors every time I wash my car. I take a hose and flush the center of the rotors with water until the water flowing out of the bottom of the rotors are no longer black. The squeal is just caused by excessive brake dust.

avery.whss

This....

I was reading another thread about peoples income and I'm shocked people make 50k a year and drive a C63....I'm not saying OP is cheap but don't cheap out on parts for the car...if it needs new rotors...get new ones...it saves you the hassle of replacing it down the road.

As for someone saying "shop around"

as someone who's been screwed many times by these "mechanics" I trust the dealership over some "3rd party" company...hell my dad took his car to a very reputable auto shop in my city ...spent thousands on "parts" he needed...turns out he never needed any of those parts in the first place...he took it to the dealership and needed a small piece to fix his issues..he never needed all these "parts" the other shop sold him...so remember...you get what you pay for.

Diabolis

Four rotors and pads for $2500 is a high dealer markup? What planet do you live on?

There's smart and then there's cheap. IMHO this is well over the line into the second category. Sure, go right ahead and put cheap Chinese aftermarket rotors by a cheap shop and save $200. Just don't complain about squealing, vibration when they warp because they're crap or were over-torqued by your cheap mechanic and if they crack or wear out in 5K miles.