Steve_Kaboom

I had my W204 inspected recently and was informed my brake pads need to be replaced. I'm planning on doing it myself instead of paying $1000 for someone else to do it but am looking for some advice/resources. So here are a few general questions and if anyone knows a good instructional video, could you please share the link.

1) What re some good reliable brands? I have heard Akebono is good, and I'm sure Bosch can be included there but are there any other recommendations?

2) What material will have good breaking power but will produce less dust than the stock pads?

3) I've been told I need to grease the caliper pins as well, is this correct? What kind of grease?

4) I'm also considering doing the rotors while I'm at it. So again, are there any recommendations on brand and type (smooth, slotted, cross drilled, drilled and slotted)?

Any information will be extremely helpful and thank you in advance.

Atlas Grey

I have found aekebonos to be a great break pad with very little brake dust. Ran them on my 911 and on my wife's c300. Will run them on my c350 when needed. As far as rotors use what type you have now. If they are slotted and cross drilled use those etc. brake grease comes in little packets that you can get at any parts store. 2 are more than enough. It's used to prevent squealing. It is used on the back of the brake pad that goes against the piston. Keep in mind most brake pad kits will come with the lube. Get a can of brake-kleen. That's the brand, grab a can. Once you get everything new on spray it on your rotors to get your oily fingerprints off, make sure you do the back of the rotors. Do not get it on any paint. It will strip paint. You will need a brake tool to compress the calipers. A C clamp will work or you can borrow a brake tool set from pep boys or autozone. Make sure that you use jack stands as you are working and use a real 2 ton jack not the twinky jack that comes with your car. With the brake tool kit, a can of brake-Kleen, a packet of anti squeal brake lube and new pads you can do it in less than an hour for all 4 corners. Guess time max 2 hours.

Atlas Grey

Oh and use the you tube and pull up c300 brakes. Always a great resource. Watch it before you go get parts. Btw almost all car brake jobs are the same so basically any video will work.

centfl-c300spt

I purchased Akebono brake pads and haven't had any brake dust issues at all. They also stop very well, even in an emergency, no fading.
I also bought new rotors when I changed them out and even got cross-drilled for the back. They were off of Ebay, powersports from Brake Labs. Haven't had any problems and they've been on for almost a year now. The anti-rust coating is still brilliantly silver, they still look brand new.
I would def recommend all of what Atlas Grey says and watch the you tube videos or even the Pelican Parts diy. I bought the Lisle 24400 brake pad spreader (this is to compress the calipers and works way better than a c-clamp).
I've changed the brakes on all the cars I've owned; Hondas, Nissans, Fords, Audis, and now MBs. It's basically all the same, and for each one I've always greased the caliper pins.
Good Luck, it's much more rewarding when you DIY your own brakes and realize how much you saved.

Atlas Grey

Cent
I use the same lisle tool. Will snap a pic shortly. It's great for breaks and makes the job easier. If anyone plans to DIY for real then get the right tools. I don't own a c clamp but that's what some folks use. I do breaks maybe once or twice a month for friends and family and the right tools make all the difference. Goes without saying a large 25-50 gallon compressor and the right air tools as well as large jacks and jack stands, ramps, real set of oil filter sockets, all the torx bits you can buy etc make working on cars a real big help. May start a thread on tools.

Steve_Kaboom

Thank you Atlas and Cent for your quick replies. I will continue to look into Akebono as my replacement option. From the videos I've seen the process seems pretty straight forward but I like to make sure I'm doing something right so I look into these things as much as possible because I'm not a mechanic. Also that break pad spreader does look pretty handy and is fairly inexpensive so I will probably buy one.

Concerning the types of rotors however, it seems to me that the slotted rotors are a more efficient breaking system that still has the structural integrity of smooth rotors. So I'm wondering why I should stick with the smooth rotors that are on there now. Is there a reason that I am unaware of or just a personal preference? Or are slotted/drilled rotors just not necessary for regular street use?

Here is a link I found explaining the types of rotors: http://www.autoanything.com/brakes/d...ke-rotors.aspx

Josh.A.Hussey

The rear calipers will require a caliper spreader kit. The parking brake is incorporated into the rear calipers and the pistons require turning as they are pushed in. You won't do it with a traditional spreader.

Atlas Grey

Here are two options for doing breaks.
One is a standard Lisle spreader. This works on lots of cars. In some cases it just doesn't work due to the way the caliper is designed.
I also own an OEM branded brake kit. This will work on every car/truck I have ever done brakes on from my 91 grand wagoneer to my 911.
Attached are pics of the kit as well as how to set it up for doing breaks. Keep in mind there are lots of different size Pistons so you would use the correct size for your particular piston the circle part is what presses up against the piston.

IGB

One important note that I have not seen mentioned yet, is that the brake calipers use "self-locking bolts" and upon removing those when servicing the brakes will require that new bolts be used for the installation. So get those ordered along with whichever pads/rotors you decide to go with.

I too would recommend Akebono pads. Very little brake dust is any, good grip and good wear index.

Steve_Kaboom

I just spoke with a Mercedes dealership about replacing the caliper bolts and was informed that it is a new practice and still would only recommend replacing them if the car was under warranty or if they were damaged somehow.

However he did mention something that I had not heard yet. He said generally they don't remove the calipers, they tap out some pins with a hammer and replace the pads. Then put the pins back. This goes against EVERY video I've seen on how to replace the pads, any idea what pins he was referring to?

Also now I'm confused on what "pins" I'm supposed to grease. Do I grease the pins I take out with a hammer, or the smooth part of the bolts, or both? Are there any other spots I need to apply grease?

I'm sure I'm over thinking this at this point.

nelson g

I ordered all my parts from ECS Tuning I checked around and their prices were less than the other sites I checked. What I also liked is that they sold everything as a kit so I did not have to go out and source the little things. The kit had Zimmermann Rotors and Akebono-Euro Ceramic Pads plus all the sensors, assembly grease, and even a full compliment of set screws. I watched the videos above and did the job in an afternoon. I even purchased a caliper piston compressor tool and Mercedes brake fluid from them.




Here are two you tube videos I used when I changed my brake pads: ,


I hope this helps. On a side note I watch the video a few times before I did the job so I would know how it should go. I also had my laptop in the garage so I could refer to it.




Nelson

Steve_Kaboom

Thank you nelson! Those videos are exactly what I was looking for. Step by step in full detail. Definitely needed the breakdown on rotors as well since I may need to replace them too. I will have to check out their channel for more videos.

nelson g

I purchased everything so I would not have down time while I had the rotors resurfaced. Now I have an extra pair so when I do the brakes next time I only have to buy pads.

Those videos are very helpful and if you have a laptop or tablet you can stop it as you do the work or back-up if something isn't clear.

Good luck, the brakes are easier then you think.

Nelson

Colin G

Youtube vids were great and look very easy to do. I need to do my brakes this spring and after buying a decent jack and stands, I bet I'll still save $500 over the dealership doing the job.

Colin G

Does Zimmermann make a rear drilled rotor? I can't seem to find any as my C230 has front and rear drilled rotors.

Steve_Kaboom

Colin, I've been wondering the same thing. If you find any let me know. But my c300 has drilled front and solid rear rotors. This seems to be the norm across the board for most rotors for this model because that's mostly what I've found as well.

twowheelin

Some great info in this thread. My pads are good for another 20K or so, but I did flush my fluid yesterday. It took an entire 1 Liter bottle of 4-plus fluid for all 4 corners, but the results are great with an immediate and firm pedal feel!! The brakes were pretty good before, so this just brings them up to a 'Great' status. (Mercedes fluid was available on Amazon for $25 - shipped )

Colin G

My C230 sport came stock with drilled front and rear. Maybe Zimmermanns on the front and I'll juts buy OEM on the rears. I am not doing the brakes till spring so I have time to sort this out.

IGB

This is NOT "new practice", self locking nuts/bolts ARE (by design) always damaged when removed after being used, and the TSB from Mercedes Benz sounds like a requirement, not an optional recommendation. Quote: "... self-locking nuts must always be replaced after being used once...". (See image of TSB below)...

But, at the end of the day, it is Your car... Your decision.



This Note is referenced in the repair procedures for brakes, in addition to several transmission, suspension and engine components...

capt_paul

Arrrgh!!!!

Its spelled BRAKE not Break when talking about brakes

LouZ

Arrrgh

It's "IT'S"

Steve_Kaboom

Yes yes, thank you capt_paul, I noticed it right away but there is no way for me to change it. And FYI captain is abbreviated cpt.

An update concerning replacing the bolts. Was at the dealership today having my transmission fluid replaced and spoke to the parts guys in person. The caliper bolt, the long smooth one with threads at the very end, does NOT get replaced unless it is damaged. And they are very expensive to replace. The bolt that "should" be replaced is the smaller one holding the caliper bracket in place. These don't normally get replaced because (contrary to the videos) you don't normally take that part out when servicing brakes. But if you do it "should" be replaced. He also said that they are pretty heavy duty bolts and unless its damaged or looks worn, not to bother. Just the smaller ones that are supposed to be replaced are $9 EACH......For a bolt...

One final note here. It was also stressed to me that you should use BLUE and only BLUE threadlock on the threads of ALL the bolts you remove from the brake system.

Steve_Kaboom

I finally did my brakes today, been really busy and it took me a while to get to it. I wanted to say thank you to everyone that replied and gave their advice, it was invaluable. And I would like to offer a few bits of advice to future readers.

First, if you haven't done so yet, watch the above videos and come back to this post as there are some minor errors/notes you will need. But otherwise will be extremely useful.

Front brakes: The 17mm hold to unscrew the caliper bolt is VERY tight at first. It will loosen but you will definitely need to work the wrench in at first in order to grab the hold. Also if you are not replacing the front rotors, you to not need to remove the caliper mounting bracket in order to clean and lubricate the guides. They just pop right off.

Rear brakes: **IMPORTANT** In the above video you are told that the caliper pin requires an 8mm hex bit to be removed, THAT IS INCORRECT, it is a 7mm hex bit. I ran into an issue here because I did not have one. And you WILL need to remove the rear caliper mounting brackets in this case to clean and lubricate the guides. Lastly here, the Leslie 24400 brake spreader worked just fine, not expensive tools needed there.

Additionally, the brake ware sensors are only on the passenger side of the vehicle. So don't be surprised when you get to the drivers side and they aren't there.

PolarWhite2014

These are the Breaks.


I'll prolly try Akebonos myself when the time comes. Best of luck