I did a writeup on changing rear brake pads earlier this year, and got around to changing the front this weekend. Just wanted to let you guys who plan to do a DIY that the process is very straightforward, except the brake line is very short, and also the caliper rattle spring clip is really really hard to get back on! It took me an hour to get one of them on.

Is there a tool that they sell to get these on easier?

 

Im sure there is because the guy at the shop changed all brakes in 30 min. I didn't see what he was using but it seemed straight forward.

 

I did both of mine in less than an hour and that includes the time it tiook to get all the tools, jack, jack stands etc. Easiest brake job I have ever done. And I love that the new bolts already had loctite on them.

 

What technique did you use to get the front caliper spring clip on so quickly?

 

Strong Fingers.

 

I'm a Mercedes Tech and I don't use any special tools for that clip. It can be quite a pain but after you do a few its nothing out of the ordinary. I can do a full set of pads and rotors on a 204 in about an hour. Its rater simple and easy to replace our brakes. The only difference is not everyone has the tools available or the time to spend to learn the process. If any of you have question feel free to PM me and I will do my best to get back to you as soon as possible.

 

Damn u guys have some really strong fingers! Did u put one end on first and the pull the otherwise on making sure that the hook in the middle engaged or did u put both ends on the carrier and squeeze and get the center hook in?

 

He can do it in an hour but his stealership probably makes him put down 3 -4 hours labor...

 

it would be interesting to learn your perspective on OE pads versus some aftermarket products, such as Akebono, which claim significant reductions in dusting, while maintaining or even improving performance. What do you see when these different types come in? Thanks!

 

On my father's SL we had installed the Akebono EUR 847. There really is NO brake dust, it is amazing. I am definitely getting them on my car, because I can drive my car 10 miles, and have my rear bumper and rear rims covered with black specs - annoying!

As far as braking or stopping power goes, it feels much more firm and bites harder than OE when you depress it a little bit (normal stopping situations) But when full braking power is applied, I wouldn't say that they are much better than OE, if at all; but definitely not worse.

As far as hypothetically speaking. Metallic or OEM pads have metal shards in them and thus, can create unwanted noise. OEM pads are also harder and won't wear down as quick, but will take a toll on the rotors. Ceramic pads are softer and will provide better bite, less noise, and less dust. But the pad itself will wear down a bit faster. Generally, though, I replace the rotors with every other pad change when using ceramic, where as with oem, I change both pads and rotors at the same time.

People say that ceramic pads are more expensive than metallic OEM pads, but in my experience and using online shopping, I have been able to scoop up ceramic pads for at least the same price as OEM, sometimes cheaper on great deals. When I spoke to a guy at a local car garage, he told me that Akebono are so good that Mercedes uses them on the AMG or upper Mercedes models. I don't know if it is BS or not, but I haven't looked it up. But to be honest, these brakes are so great, I would believe him. Just a note when installing. When you order a set of pads, at least in EUR 847 2 pads had the hole for the sensor in one position, and 2 pads had to hole for the sensor on the other end. I guess to cover all the bases and to fit a few different models. But I didn't realize this, so instead of removing a pad I already replaced, I just drilled a small hole, haha.

 

Thanks for that feedback...very helpful! I see the Akebono EUR1340 and 1341 are ready to go for our C Classes, but I just haven't made the move yet. But, your comments are encouraging!

 

Just an additional note, if you go with ceramic pads, to be on the safe side, you might want to buy rotors that are rated for use with ceramic pads. While they don't wear away the rotors as fast as metallic pads, ceramic pads DO generate more heat. In my experience the OEM rotors on my r230 SL have not suffered from any warping due to heat (been almost 2 years), but I felt like I should at least notify you of the potential problem.

To be on the safe side, I would recommend Brembo (love them, but a lot of $) or Zimmerman coated rotors (never used Zimmerman personally, but I have heard positive reviews, but also some negative). These are rated to withstand the heat from ceramic pads, and are also coated to prevent that nasty looking rust that always shows up on rotors! But I do not know what is available for our w204, as I haven't had to do the brakes yet, and don't expect to for a while; but I should probably start looking.

Anyways, like I said, I just wanted to inform you. If the price difference is huge, I will probably just stick with the oem rotors... Its not like it will get so bad that it will get severely warped before pads have to be replaced, and then you just get new rotors anyway. Like I said before, the general rule of thumb is 2 pad changes 1 rotor change. But everyone is free to do what they wish, I am against cutting rotors BTW.

 

If the book says it takes 3-4 hrs labour for an average mechanic to do this job, should he be penalized because he can do it faster and thus he is better? Stop with the "stealership" bs. It makes you look juvenile

 

I didnt say he was being penalized, I was inferring that his employer requires him to charge 3 or 4 hours to the customer despite the fact it only took him an hour...relax guy

 

More good info....thanks again. I think I may as well run out the life of my OE rotors and see how they behave with the new pads now going in at 14,000 miles. Once they "expire", I will look at the rotor choices.

 

What you don't understand is that beating the flat rate is what makes it possible for a dealer tech to make over 100 grand per year. Well, before the bottom fell out a few years ago.

 

And your inference that his employer gets to pick and choose how many labor hours they can charge is invalid. Rates, for certain basic repair jobs are pretty much standardized... That is what "Captain Slow" meant when he said "If the book says it takes 3-4 hrs labour". So the service adviser writing the repair order enters a repair code into his terminal, and up pops the number of hours they typically charge for that particular repair job.

Same holds true for body repair and paint....

The reason why repair jobs are usually cheaper at independent mechanic shops is two fold:

1. They may opt to charge less for an hour of labor and/or they choose to deviate from that standardized # of hours for a particular repair job...
2. They may opt to use a lower mark-up on the price of the repair parts.

Both of those elements add up to attractive repair charges that can lead to them to getting and retaining those customers who are not stuck with the "I can only trust the dealer" mentality.

 

For a normal driver(o.k...I drive like a little old lady), how many miles would you expect to go before having to replace the pad?

So what you're saying is to not turn the rotars and just replace the pads on the first brake job and then the next time replace pads and rotars.

 

Does anyone use that brake goop or something similar when they put new pads on? I wasn't sure if this is done on the Benz. It is the stuff that they use to prevent brake squeel I think.


Another question: Do you reuse the hardware on install new hardware each time?

 

i used the goop.

I bought pads from autozone & they dont dust either!

 

FWIW, I had my back pads looked at by the dealer when it was in for service. Car was at 20k exactly, the pads were worn-down about 1mm or, IIRC, about 1/7 their total thickness.

So these pads are easily 50-60k on the back.

 

With normal driving, which end would wear out first or will they go at about the same time?

 

How do you get the rotors off easily?

 

The rear went much faster than the front did on my car. The rear also dusted a lot more with stock pads than the front did. Im guessing the rear pads are softer, also there is more rear brake bias.

 

hi-
so whats the best way - to get pads- out-?
the 2- 18mm bolts- or removing- the 4- torx-star-bolts......
?

thnx.`