Naughty Pants

I finally changed the front brake padas and rotorts for the first time after 48000 miles of driving. German rust was no match for good old American made in China sledge hammer. I almost gave up after wacking it with a regular hammer and kicking it. I wasn't sure if I could have used the old rotor, it had about 1/16" friction indentation on each side. I used a Dot 4+ to replace most of the brake fluids, yet I still can't figure the difference between a 4 + and a regular dot 4.

TruTaing

isnt that jack stand supposed to be under the car?

Naughty Pants

Ha ha, I couldn't lift the car high enough with the MB jack to fit the stand underneath. My worst injury in this situation was when my wrench slipped and I bare knuckled punhh the concrete driveway. The hand is fine after four band aids.

wingless

That is REALLY funny!

A vehicle should NEVER be serviced supported only by a jack. A jack is designed ONLY for emergency roadside tire replacement, not scheduled service.

Any thought that a sledge on the rotor is not the only way for removal?

Your sig shows lots of insight: "Do not underestimate the power of a moron!"

Skinned knuckles this time, what happens next time?

rlee02135

invest in a better jack when working on the car...that jack is only meant for emergencies.

SeaCoupe

Congrats for your successful repair, but let me tell you, I would have gone near that car with the emergency jack as the support. That is just bad practice.

E

acr2001

WaveyKat

MB Jack Sucks

moosejaw

ur not the only moron today
watch my future post for today brake follies

(will try and post later tonight)

dnlow

From my understanding you should only use the DOT4+ because of the viscousity of the fluid. The fluid is an important part of the performance of the ABS and ESP systems. It is specially engineered for the Mercedes Benz brake systems. Any other fluids could compromise these systems in an emergency braking or avoidance situation. This is also why the manufacture recommends changing the fluid every two years. I have only been able to find it at the dealer, but I have by no means done an exhaustive search. Hope this helps.

Moviela

If you have used any fluid other than the Mercedes brake fluid, you need to change it now. It does not appear that you have the requisite tools to flush the brake system, so in the morning dial 1 (800) Mercedes and ask the nice service people to make space for you Monday. Should cost $70. If you have not changed the brake fluid for two years, it is time.

You might also have your wheel alignment done after you played "Whack-a-mole" Chuckie Cheese style with the rotor.

I appreciate your desire to do the work yourself, but I would like to see you work safely and live to old age with all your parts intact. Never use the tire changing jack to support the car while you are working on it. I think I speak for everyone when we say your safety is important to us.

rtking

+1

I've had my 02 C230 Coupe fall off the jack before. As others have said, it's absolutely bad practice to use the stock jack. Use a hydraulic floor jack and jackstands when working on the car, or at the very least, stick the wheel under the car.

As for the rotor: A 2x4" piece of wood and a hammer, smacking at 12, 3, 6 and 9 o'clock positions will help to loosen a rotor. Put some anti-seize on the hub to help keep rust from fusing the new rotor to the hub.

C230 Sport Coup

Yeh, lucky it didn't fall off the jack, but I had the same thing once,
and it took some banging to get it off.
Hopefully you went to ceramic pads so only one time per set of pads.

DOT 4 + has a higher boiling point.
People have used DOT 5 , like MOTUL, but you must fully flush, and hope the dealer never tops off to do you a favor.

wingless

It is exciting to observe the formative years of a potential future Darwin Award candidate.

BF_JC230

Yes please be safe...I know the M-B has a pocketed insert for the lift...That is why I machined these pucks for my jack...that one in the trunk is for road side repairs only...

Be safe,
Jake

wingless

That is a very nice puck. Where is the jack stand positioned when using that lift?

outaurleague

Yeah mine is DESTROYED from to much use.

C230 Sport Coup

Have any xtra's to sell?
Thats a useful product.

outaurleague

This is what happens with that effin mb jack - Snapped and sent the jackstand thru my spare compartment.









Effin POS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Naughty Pants

Hey why don't you have that patented and sell it. This should also fit the lift plugs for BMWs.

Mu9enx

there are some on ebay; generally the same product, but not the exact same product.


and ouch, outtaurleague that SUCKS. how much did it cost you to repair?

wingless

That is a great puck, but doesn't using that puck prevent usage of a jack stand and instead require hope that the jack won't fail during service, causing the vehicle to crash down?

Wouldnt better pucks be ones that interface the center lift point to the jack, or the side points to a jack stand?

A vehicle should NEVER be serviced when supported only by a jack! A jack can fail suddenly, causing the vehicle to crash down, without warning! A vehicle must be properly supported by jack stands, prior to service!

C230 Sport Coup

You can put the jackstand at the point where the suspension bolts to the frame.