GL 550 brakes
08-30-2013, 05:30 PM
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2008 Mercedes GL 550
GL 550 brakes
I have searched the forum and most of my questions were answered. Perhaps someone knows the answers to a couple of the remaining queries about brakes:
1. For the brake pad wear sensor...parts.com and other sources list two types. The annotation is "from 04.02.2008". Does this reference the production date printed on the pillar? The dealer is useless here, since the parts guy asked for the VIN, and then said that "only one part is listed". Of course....
2. I will go home and measure the rotor diameter to make sure, but a 2008 GL550 with 21 inch AMG wheels should have the 350 mm front rotors, right? It seems like they went to a bigger rotor (373 mm) in 2009? Entering the VIN into the epc site does nothing without a subscription to the service.
3. I found the wear tolerances for the rotor thickness in this forum (min 29.4 front and 19.4 rear, versus 32/22 new). I will measure mine, but I will probably order new ones, anyway. They are cheap, and even if the rotors are within tolerances...they could be scored unevenly. And my caliper might not be large enough ! Problem is...none of the sources list the front rotor. I have emailed them, so we will see if this is catalogue data entry issue, or out of stock. Stealershipo has them, but 30% more expensive.
I am probably going with the stock parts, since I have a CPO warranty on my car, and I do not want to gives MBZ an excuse to wiggle out of some future repair.
Thanks in advance
1. For the brake pad wear sensor...parts.com and other sources list two types. The annotation is "from 04.02.2008". Does this reference the production date printed on the pillar? The dealer is useless here, since the parts guy asked for the VIN, and then said that "only one part is listed". Of course....
2. I will go home and measure the rotor diameter to make sure, but a 2008 GL550 with 21 inch AMG wheels should have the 350 mm front rotors, right? It seems like they went to a bigger rotor (373 mm) in 2009? Entering the VIN into the epc site does nothing without a subscription to the service.
3. I found the wear tolerances for the rotor thickness in this forum (min 29.4 front and 19.4 rear, versus 32/22 new). I will measure mine, but I will probably order new ones, anyway. They are cheap, and even if the rotors are within tolerances...they could be scored unevenly. And my caliper might not be large enough ! Problem is...none of the sources list the front rotor. I have emailed them, so we will see if this is catalogue data entry issue, or out of stock. Stealershipo has them, but 30% more expensive.
I am probably going with the stock parts, since I have a CPO warranty on my car, and I do not want to gives MBZ an excuse to wiggle out of some future repair.
Thanks in advance
Last edited by v12gte; 08-30-2013 at 05:41 PM.
08-31-2013, 05:15 PM
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2008 Mercedes GL 550
it looks like my GL was made in August of 2007. It is a good thing the truck is made in Alabama, or I would be a little concerned about my car being put together when most of Europe takes off on vacations.
08-31-2013, 06:25 PM
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ALL GLs and MLs, for sale world wide, are made in Alabama. However it is possible to have a discussion about the quality of build that would happen on a truck that was made in Germany in August when everyone is on vacation vs the same vehicle made in Alabama in August when everyone is NOT supposed to be on vacation!
08-31-2013, 08:43 PM
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2008 Mercedes GL 550
Thanks for the input so far, much obliged. And I am indeed pleased that Mercedes off-shored (or on-shored from my perspective) the production of the big truck to Alabama.
Measurements are done. I lifted my GL using a jack, but also used two jack stands (one on the A-arm, and the other one on the cross brace behind the front wheels). My wheel was fused to the hub. It took a bit of wiggling and pulling to free it, and those 21 inchers are heavy !
Rotor size is indeed 350 mm on 2008 GL550 with 21 inch wheels (175 diameter, which was easier to measure on account of the protruding hub).
After 60K miles....my front rotors are 31.1 mm thick (29.4 is the lowest allowed, while 32 mm is new). It does not appear dished. I will still mount the new rotor because it is cheap, and so that my CPO warranty is not voided by some overzealous service advisor. But the stock part did not wear that much.
I also measured my pads and found that the dealer reported more wear. I was told that I have 2 mm left on the front, but it was more like 3.5-4 mm. Still should swap the pads, but I was not feeling warm and fuzzy.
Lastly...the measurements revealed that my Contis are worse than I thought. The inside of the tire showed a bit of the white belt. $1670 later, and I have Pirelli Zero Scorpions on the way from tirerack.com. The stock tire was a bit too dry/aggressive for me, and I can use the all-season tires to go to our Sierra cabin. Assuming it does not burn down first (it is near the Rim Fire, close to Twain Harte, CA)
Hope these additional details help someone down the road.
Measurements are done. I lifted my GL using a jack, but also used two jack stands (one on the A-arm, and the other one on the cross brace behind the front wheels). My wheel was fused to the hub. It took a bit of wiggling and pulling to free it, and those 21 inchers are heavy !
Rotor size is indeed 350 mm on 2008 GL550 with 21 inch wheels (175 diameter, which was easier to measure on account of the protruding hub).
After 60K miles....my front rotors are 31.1 mm thick (29.4 is the lowest allowed, while 32 mm is new). It does not appear dished. I will still mount the new rotor because it is cheap, and so that my CPO warranty is not voided by some overzealous service advisor. But the stock part did not wear that much.
I also measured my pads and found that the dealer reported more wear. I was told that I have 2 mm left on the front, but it was more like 3.5-4 mm. Still should swap the pads, but I was not feeling warm and fuzzy.
Lastly...the measurements revealed that my Contis are worse than I thought. The inside of the tire showed a bit of the white belt. $1670 later, and I have Pirelli Zero Scorpions on the way from tirerack.com. The stock tire was a bit too dry/aggressive for me, and I can use the all-season tires to go to our Sierra cabin. Assuming it does not burn down first (it is near the Rim Fire, close to Twain Harte, CA)
Hope these additional details help someone down the road.
09-01-2013, 01:16 AM
#6
Lol a vehicle made in Germany during the summer months is actually a good idea- all the gastarbeiters are gone to their home places (mostly turkey) so there is a good chance the assembly was done by Germans
09-03-2013, 08:11 PM
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2008 Mercedes GL 550
one of the suppliers lists a different part for left / right front rotor. Are the disc rotors different from left to right? They seem to be the same part on the back axle.
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11-16-2013, 01:14 AM
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2008GL550
After a rough time since Obama was elected and I had to sell my 2013 QX56 so I could reduce my monthly obligations- I went out on a limb and bought a 2008 GL550 and cut my payments in half. I am scared to death that the first "issue" will set me back $2500+ So far the GL is awesome and we don't miss the QX at all. I went for the GL partially because I am in the steel business and we supply MB, BMW and hopefully VW soon. I know the quality and engineering is impeccable so I went with my gut on this used vehicle. Lord Help me get to 200k without to many part failures.
