Hey guys, I have an 07 c230, and the brake light just came on.. Now thing is, I'm not sure if it's the pads.. Or the rotors? Can the light come on just from the rotors being worn?

Anyway, I felt them, and they feel Slightly ribbed.. So I figure I'll just replace the whole front (pads/rotors)
My question is, what are the best pads to get besides OEM? The dust is absolutely horrendous. I read the official brakes thread on here, and alot of people I see have switched to the ceramic pads.. But I'am unsure of which brand to get exactly, and from which website? Thanks alot guys!

 

Welcome! If you do a little searching you could probably find this topic covered, but......

There's a sensor in the brake pads that will wear away when the pad get low enough. When the sensor wears away it triggers the light. No such sensor for the rotors.

You have an '07, so I assume not a whole lot of miles on it. If this is the case, you probably just need pads. The 'ribs' you feel on the rotor are most likely just normal wear.

BTW, changing brake pads is extremely easy on these cars. The hardest parts would be jacking up the car/taking off the wheel and maybe spreading the caliper pistons to put the new pads in.

 

I changed the front pads only on my 07 about 3k miles ago when the light came on. The passenger side front and rear both have sensors on them - only my fronts were worn. Very easy...

I like my semi-metallic Disk Italia Pads - very low dust, no noise, good grip and affordable.

 

By "brake light" do you mean the message display says "Brake Pad Wear - Visit Workshop" or the red "BRAKE" light came on, as if you had the e-brake on? These mean very different things.

 

lol i hope he knows the difference, lol

 

Since we are talking about Brake Dust I'll mention a product I use.
Eagle 1 Keep Clean Wheel.


After a week my wheels look the same as a day when I didn't use this product. This product works but I haven't heard of any reviews that say it has damaged wheels. So far so good.

http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art23500.asp

I just use OEM and use this product.

 

Karo were you getting on the 134 at like 10:00 tonight?

 

Ya, off of Pacific. U saw me?

By the way the 5 fwy sucks ***. The freeway is all messed up and with the budget we have I don't see it getting better soon lol I feel like I was driving on dirt road.

 

lol yes I know the difference it says pad wear. Is there a DIY on here with pics? Thank you everyone for your input.

 

You don't need a DIY its common sense.. Its so easy to change brake pads on this car.

 

steps:
1) jack up car
2) pull of wheels
3) pull out pins
4) pull up clip that holds pads into caliper
5) replace pads
6) reinsert pads with clip and pins
7) bleed brakes
8) wear them, takes like 5 minutes if its just pads and not rotors

 

now D. I. Y.!

 

When you say "wear" them what do you mean exactly?
And I have another quick question, what is exactly the correct procedure to bed brakes in? I have read several sites about it, but haven't come to a solid conclusion. Any input on how I should?

 

wear in bed in whatever...and it depends on the brakes...just google it, stoptech is the best place to try, however unless your getting performance pads it really doesnt matter

 

By "wear" them, I'm pretty sure he means bed them. I have always read that it should be done with hard pressure at the threshold of ABS activation. Press as hard as you can without activating it.

 

get akebono pads front and rear... tirerack and other places have them. they stop great for the street, oem sensors fit and don't dust.

i haven't went back to OEM pads since i bought this car always ceramic. my wheels are never dirty... i also wash my car once a week...

 

I'm not trying to confront anyone or start stuff but I noticed when I used Ceramics on previous cars that the brakes didn't hold as well. Has anyone ever felt this way?

 

You don't have to worry about being confrontational. You're experiences with ceramics are just as valid as anyone else's.

By "not hold as well", do you mean they have less initial bite? If so, yes, this is my past experience with ceramic pads. That's a trade-off for being quieter and having less dust.

Personally, I don't find the dust from the OEM pads to be a problem. My car's rims are never too dirty.

 

Perfect, thats what I exactly meant. When you break it feels like it doesn't stop as well and then it starts to hold. Yes, the initial bite.

 

Does anyone have feedback on the akebono front pads on the stock rotors? I saw on tirerack, the only downside is a little less bite.. Thanks Black!