Steffie

The SA told me that the brakes on my GL were pretty much worn out and he quoted $645 for front brake pads, rotors and labor.
I opted to have them change but not at the dealership.

Would you change the pads and rotors using OEM stuffs?
What do you think of Brembo for brake rotors, Jurid for brake pads and Pex for the sensor?

Would you change the rear brakes too or just the front ones?

TIA.

aceman

I just changed mine on my own, all 4 corners - think my total cost was around 500 for all 4.

I bought parts from an OEM mb supplier online (don't recall name).

I would stick w/ OEM - that's just em.

Aceman

BlownV8

I purchased this set for my GL. I've had them on for over a year and the rotors show virtually no wear. The ceramic pads are nice because they don't dust like the stock pads. There is a little more pedal effort but having clean wheels is great.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Front-Rear-Kit-POWERSPORT-CROSS-DRILLED-Brake-Rotors-CERAMIC-Pads-BL19169-/261060707894?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&fits=Year%3A2007%7CMake%3AMercedes-Benz%7CModel%3AGL450%7CSubmodel%3ABase&vxp=mtr&hash=item3cc86e4636#ht_4028wt_1328

alx

Buy stock parts from parts.com

DIY or bring them to your favorite local mechanic.

2010GL550

I know I'm reviving an old thread here, but thought I would share some information on my brakes. I've got a 2010 GL550 (it's the wife's primary transportation) with just over 40k mi and was due for a front brake job. The local Dealer quoted me $400 (not sure what that included and never inquired), so I did a little research and purchased the drilled/slotted rotors (350mm) from R1 Concepts (ELINE series). Additionally I purchased Akebono EUR1123 pads (they came with new sensors, etc.).

So far things are working better than new. With just under 500 miles on the new parts, the braking is much more progressive. There's very little travel before you feel the initial "bite" which is unlike the OEM setup. And there's almost a complete lack of dust when compared with the old hardware. These pictures were taken after washing the car almost a WEEK ago.

Just my two cents...

2010GL550

2010GL550

Sorry, forgot to add some important figures, the rotor's were just under $200 and the pads were about $80. So for $280, I save $120 from the Dealer AND feel like I got an upgrade. FYI, I did all the work myself and it took less than 90 minutes.

ksdprasad

are they for both front and rear sets?

2010GL550

Negative. I only did the fronts so far. The rears are ordered and should be here in about a week. I towed a trailer today (~1000lbs) and the brakes worked great. I'm really glad I moved away from the OEM stuff. Also, after another week and almost 800 miles, there's no noticeable brake dust on the front wheels! The rear rotors were another $140 plus about $65 for pads. I'm in for approx. $485 and will have four new (upgraded) rotors and pads.

EWT

+1 on the Akebonos. They are a HUGE improvement for dust. I can drive for 2 weeks and my wheels aren't as dirty as they were after one day with the stock pads. They do have a slightly lower coefficient of friction (i.e. you have to you use a little more pedal pressure), but the decrease in dust is well worth it. They also seem to be wearing very well to boot.

2010GL550

I wonder if I'm noticing an improvement in OEM performance because I also did drilled/slotted rotors. I'm sure I have to use LESS pedal pressure (even the wife says so) than before.

N_Jay

You sure the old pads were OEM?

Where they glazed?

2010GL550

I assumed OEM, as the vehicle only had 21k miles (when purchased)...and the pads would make the wheels filthy within two days of a wash (lol). I also don't think they were glazed, but am uncertain. It recently had the 40k mile service done (oil, trans, etc.) and I would have thought MB would have mentioned if the brakes were glazed. They did flush the brake system, too. Mentioned that the pads were worn, but nothing else.

I realize this is a BIG vehicle, but just expected a little more confidence in the pedal feel/control/power with stock hardware. It might be noteworthy to mention that our other car is a BMW 550 (previous was 528 and Acura RL). Yes, yes all are lighter than MB SUV, but brakes in any of those vehicles was far, far superior to GL550 we now have.

mrchris

Have you had any driving experience with another large SUV? I've had several Jeep Grand Cherokees (95, 98, 99, 03 and 07) and our most recent SUV before going to the GL was an 05 Acura MDX.

None of them braked as well as the GL, but the GL of course didn't brake nearly as well as any of our cars. The Acura was terrible almost to the point of being scary. Considering how much more the GL weighs over the Jeeps and MDX and still stops better I'm okay with it. Sure my SLK can stop on a dime but it should comparatively speaking. In fact having just gone and googled braking distances the GL's are listed as a 60-0mph stop in 124 feet. That is tied for first place amongst large SUV's and most were well over 150 feet.

I haven't looked at the numbers but I'd imagine the 550 would weigh slightly more than the 450 but probably not a lot more. So I'd expect a similar experience. The MB pads do stop well especially on fresh rotors. Dusty as all hell though. I went the Akebono ceramic route. It does take SLIGHTLY more pedal effort but with that slight extra effort I think it does stop slightly faster. It's just a little adjustment at first moving the pedal farther. It gives the illusion they don't work as well and that freaks some people out but the reality is they do work better just differently. And zero visible brake dust on the wheels.

But some shops will put cheap pads of a similar composition to OEM that will dust comparatively while having far less stopping power.

2010GL550

I agree with what you said and still believe my experience with the Akenbonos might be better since I'm drilled/slotted rotors.

The wife is very happy with the brakes, that's all that mattered to me.

Hopefully the rear rotors will arrive soon. When they do, I'll do the rear brakes. Not expecting any real improvement, but will feel better once the whole job is done.