sae185628

My wife has a 2005 C230 Kompressor Sport Sedan and the message board came on saying change the brakes. So, I went on brakeperformance.com and ordered brake pads and drilled rotors for a 2005 C230 (it did not ask for two piston or single piston). The parts came in a week later (on a Friday afternoon), so I started taking the front apart. I replaced the drivers side rotor, reinstalled the caliper, and went to put the brakes on and they would not fit. I compared them to the old ones and they are about 1/2inch too long. So, knowing that they would not answer phone calls or emails till Monday, I moved on to the passenger side.

I installed the rotor, put the caliper back on, spun the front hub, and noticed it was hitting the front caliper. The rotors are black and scraped the black off all the way around the outer edge. Thinking that the hub maybe bent, I moved the rotor over to the drivers side (which spun great without hitting the caliper) and it still hit.

So, I emailed brakeperformance.com about the brakes and rotor.
1st thing that was said, "You can go have the rotor turned and that will fix the problem." I stated it was brand new and I should not have to do that. Well, you can send it back for a warranty claim, but you have to pay the freight.

Secondly, on the brakes, they stated that from 2002 or 2003- 2007, the front brakes on the C230 were all the same. So, there was nothing they could do unless I wanted to return them. So, I took a picture of the VIN number and the date of manufacture which states "Made in Germany 06/05." Then sent a picture of the numbers on the back of the brake pad and the old brake pad compared to the new one showing how much longer it was. After two more days of email, I got a email back stating that

"His old pad looks like a 104.11210, which fits 2006-2007 C230 Sport Sedans with the 2-piston front calipers."

If I wanted to exchange them read below:

"We allow our customers to return or exchange unused items purchased from us as long as a request is made within 30 (thirty) days of receipt of product. If you are not pleased with your purchase you can return it for a refund so long as you follow the guidelines listed below. Once item has been installed on vehicle, unless defective, cannot be returned. A refund or exchange of a product will be processed only if it accompanied by the original sales invoice. Return freight charges are not reimbursable. All returned orders are subject to a 20% restocking fee. Customer is responsible for all shipping of exchanged items and items must come back with out any damage. Note: please write your name and order number on the side of box before shipping back to Brakeperformance. "


So, here is my question:

1/ When did Mercedes start installing 2 piston calipers on the C230 Kompressor Sport Sedans?

2/ Should I have to pay for the shipping back and the 20% restocking fee since they are saying its my fault?

3/ I have most of this on email, and one phone call, but as of today, my wifes car is sitting on jack stands. Should I send the whole order back or just try to resolve this?

4/ Are they at fault or am I?

Jkw

That Sux,
New parts should fit the car w/out and adjustments.
They should work with you to solve the issue, but you may have to eat it this time.

You should contact www.mymercedesparts.com 800 441.2440 in my experience they have knowledgeable customer service department,

Explain your problem and give them your vin #

Good Luck

ncmudbug

What jkw said. The rotors and pads should fit without any more monkeying around than to take them off and re-install them. I don't know whose fault it is. It can be confusing because of the sport/non-sport issue. The calipers on both of my C230s ('05 & '06) are two piston calipers (a piston on either side of the caliper). Some have fitted four pot calipers and larger disks from MBs, but to my knowledge, they all came with two pot calipers.

If you told them the make/model/year when you ordered the parts and they gave you stuff that doesn't fit (and the receipt matches your make/model/year) then you should not pay a restocking fee and you shouldn't have to pay shipping. If you picked them off their web page, you might be stuck. In either case, I would make a note not to buy from them in the future.

I have bought rotors from rmeuropean.com and I've gotten my pads (Akebono ceramic) from http://www.placeforbrakes.com. Placeforbrakes is a little cheaper than rmeuropean, but not that much so it wouldn't be bad advice to get everything from rmeuropean. I've had good service from both. There are other suppliers of Akebono like Tire Rack who sometimes have sales. The Akebono part numbers are (for both the '05 and '06 C230):

Front: EUR1121
Rear : EUR873

When you search brake parts, they will list non-sport parts. It is my understanding that all '05 C230s had the sport package. Make sure when you order your rotors, they are for the Sport package - not the "non-sport" version. They should be drilled and vented.

I hope you can get your money back. Let us know how it turns out.

sae185628

This is directly off my invoice
Products
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1 x Ceramic (Premium) Brake Pads Front Pads (#PE-08470)
- 2005
- Mercedes-Benz
- C230
- Sport Sedan

Price: $66.34

1 x Cross-Drilled Brake Rotors Front Two Rotor Set (#DB-35086)
- 2005
- Mercedes-Benz
- C230
- Sport Sedan

I ordered them online putting in those criteria (it does not ask for anything else) and it only gave the one option for premium ceramic pads with no description. And it still only shows that one option online. It does not ask single or dual piston at all. I am returning them and wrote a nice letter stating their at fault and if they did not make it right, I would report it to the BBB, mbworld, benzworld, f150 online, complaints board, and any other forum I am a member of.

ncmudbug

It doesn't look like you made a mistake. I'm not sure about the diameter of the rotors, but it seemed right but I can't be sure and I surely don't know the other dimensions they site. The picture of the pads was troubling. If the pads they sent you looked like the ones on their page, they definitely sent you the wrong ones.

It looks like they screwed up and you should get your money back. Do what you can, then get your parts from rmeuropean (and placeforbrakes.com if you want).

Here's the picture of the pads from rmeuropean:

sae185628

I am asking them to exchange them first for the correct parts. But even if you look at the picture for the 2006 on their site, they still look wrong. Thanks

sae185628

they are saying what they sent me should fit.

ncmudbug

I wouldn't necessarily hold them to the pictures, but they should look like your parts. The picture I posted from rmeuropean is correct, though.

Great, tell them to come to your house and make them fit!

Good luck!

LILBENZ230

I would assume you to be at fault, sorry to say. The brakes on the C230s changed more than once from 2002 to 2007. In 2002-2003 they were standard, non-drilled rotors, etc. In 2004/2004.5 they were 4-piston front calipers gripping drilled rotors. In 2005-2007 they were the 2-piston fronts gripping slightly smaller rotors than the 2004/.5 - some early 2005s still had the same brakes as the 04s.

You have to be very careful when ordering brakes for these cars. Sounds like the rotors and pads you ended up with are for the 2004/.5 C230 or 2005-2007 C350.

To answer your series of questions:

1. Mercedes installed the 2-piston front calipers starting in 2005.

2. It is their policy and you agreed to it upon placing your order so you won't have a choice.

3. I would send the whole order back and start over, yes.

4. Ultimately it is your fault. Mercedes changed numerous small things over the course of the W203 production and I'm sure you can see that it is hard for the parts place to keep up with a few MM increase or decrease in brake diameter. It's your responsibility to make sure.

Javvy

just put it in a flat rate USPS box and ship it back. It is just $10 and there is no weight limit. Best way to ship Rotors and sneak in the pads in there as well.

Javvy

ncmudbug

I disagree. If you look at a previous post with the copy of his invoice, it clearly says he bought parts for a 2005 C230. Regardless of what MB did before or after, he ordered the correct parts and the responsibility of the vendor is to fulfill the order properly.

Whether he can get his money back with paid shipping is another question. He ought to be able to, but they might dig in their heels and he doesn't have a lot of leverage. They should at least refund the purchase price, but again, he doesn't have a lot of leverage and they may insist on the restocking charge. If they don't pay for the whole round-trip, I would never order from them again. There are too many other good places that treat you fairly to be bothered by people who are either jerks, bozos or both.

LILBENZ230

You know I did kind of skim over the second post.. I'm so burned out sometimes by people who just blindly buy brake parts for these cars because the site says 2001-2007 W203 and wonder why they end up with the wrong parts. If the site said specifically fits 2005 C230 Sport Sedan, then yes they should be responsible. They should refund your money so you can buy from a better place, like RME.

ncmudbug

The thing that gets me is the places that show pictures of cool parts and then when you order them, they don't know what they're talking about.

sae185628

I sent the parts back on 7/9. I emailed the customer service and gave them the UPS tracking number. They were suppose to ship replacement parts that day. I emailed them today asking about it and they stated:

"I re-emailed your replacement order to you. We did include you brake pad replacement with no additional charge. The rotors take about three business days for the zinc plating to be completed. Please take a look at your email for the replacement order to make sure the order is correct for parts ordered and check your address."

So, my wifes car will be up on jack stands for 3 weeks now as long as the come in by the end of the week.

LILBENZ230, I did not blindly buy this. I selected the year, make, and model from their pull down menu. I may not be an expert on brakes, but I selected the right options as stated on my invoice.

I quit going by brand names years ago. I have my own company that has been selling to the automotive manufacturers for years. Chances are, you have my products if you have a domestic car or truck. We even do some big names on the aftermarket side. But they all are the same, every year they want the cheapest price possible regardless if they have to lower their material standards to the minimum end of the spec. Some don't, but many do. So I figure they do the same with brakes.

ncmudbug

Sae -

I hope the new ones will fit!
Brand names are sometimes worth the extra price, but I'm just as interested in reputable service. That's one reason I deal with rmeuropean for a lot of my parts. On the other hand, I went to a less well know supplier for my Akebono pads. I suppose the same thing could have happened to me so maybe I'm lucky. I've ordered from them twice and everything was perfect and I don't mind recommending Placeforbrakes.com to others now. Hopefully your place will treat you right in the end. Everybody can make a mistake - it's what you do when you make those mistakes that counts.

sae185628

I just received a notice from UPS that my brakes will arrive 7/25. The amount of time I have spent on this and lost on my vehicle is absurd.

ncmudbug

This is not good. It would have been great for them to cross in the mail, but that might be above and beyond most customer service, but you might expect that they would at least send it to you 2nd day delivery! Especially since I'm assuming that they are taking responsibility for the situation!

I have two words for you: rmeuropean and placeforbrakes.

ncmudbug

I'm not either but won't we have to wait till he gets them before we say anything about them??

sae185628

I got the brakes on the night of the 25th. They sent a pair of rotors. I picked the one that wobbled the least. Here is the pics. What I don't understand is what is causing the already noticeable wear issue on the right side. I have the other rotor checked and they told me it was great. Could this be a bearing issue? This has about 5 miles on it after install.

LILBENZ230

Something doesn't look right, but I don't know what it is. Are the pads the correct size? Looks like something is scraping the rotor on the outer edge.

sae185628

The pads matched up perfectly to the old ones. I took it apart again and there is nothing stuck on the pads or rotor. Like I said, that's only about 5 miles on it.

ncmudbug

I wouldn't think it's a bearing issue, but you can check that by jacking up the corner, grabbing the top and bottom of the tire and check for play in the vertical axis. Put another way, push on the top and pull on the bottom then pull on the top and push on the bottom. You shouldn't feel any wiggling.

I'm not sure what you meant by "wobbling" in your previous post. Did you reinstall the torx countersunk screw when you installed the rotors? I don't think that screw is absolutely necessary because after you tighten the lugs, the rotor will be set on the hub. The rotor would wobble before you did that. Does the whole wheel wobble or just the rotor? After everything is put together, wobbling is a bad sign. That sounds like something didn't fit.