C43AMG

I have a brake job coming up soon and need advice on pads ( low dust preferred ) and stainless steel lines , recommendations ?

IamJanuar

Mintex pads definitely! Very low dust but about equal performance.

C43AMG

What about Stainless Steel brake lines ?

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don't know about the brake lines, but mintex is nice.
i've installed them on all 4 about a month ago and i'm very happy so far.
1) very very low dust comparing with the OEM.
2) i was too cheap to change the rotors, i think they'll last another 40K (i'm not braking too much) and i've been warned that i might feel shaking, etc. so far, no such thing.
3) DIY was very easy to do and i enjoyed it very much. all you need is nice weather and a few hours (this is the very first time i ever did anything like that, if you did this before it should take about 2hrs or less).
you will need a 7M hex driver for the fronts, that's about it. i also had a spreader but you can do without it i.

C43AMG

Cool , thanx. Welcome aboard !

toamend

Hangup, I'm in Boston w/a C43 also. Were you able to pick up those mintex pads locally or did you source them somewhere else?
Todd

StapleGun

Just replaced mine last weekend. I purchased from irotors.com, ended up being Mintex fronts and Pagid rear. It takes a couple hours. The rears are very easy - pins and flat spring setup. I pulled the anti-squeal plates off the factory Jurids and replaced on the Mintex pads. The Mintex pads definitely leave less dust than the factory Jurids.

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hmm . . . there is another C43 on my same parking lot at work ))
it has different looking rims, not the usual aero IIs, i think they might have been O.Z.
is that yours by any chance?

well, i did check a few local places but i don't know many. please educate me on any good places you know!
so i've ordered them from purems.
http://www.pure-motorsport.com/produ...61/CA=342/PA=3

i think they were the only ones i could find that had mintex for both front and rear. i was happy that they replied to my questions quickly.
maybe i could have found a slightly better price on the rears but overall i think all was good.

like others said, the rears are very easy to do, just make sure you secure the car well, because i'm not sure you want to use the parking brake, i didn't use the barking brake cause i wanted to be able to turn the rotors a bit to clear some rust, dust, etc.

For the fronts you need a 7mm hex bit.
I also used the spreader, it's not a must, but nice to have. it can help taking the rusted on wheels off (i had one of those and i didn't want to bang on the rims with the hammer and to train the caliper cylinders a bit. if you extend them a bit it's nice to clean the rubber of any rust and dirt with some petroleum gelly so that it will last and won't develop leaks.

I did fronts first and then rears on another day. just in case ))

toamend

Hey thanks for the link on the pads- SO MUCH CHEAPER than stock. Do they stop as well?

The other C43 in your parking lot ain't me, so there must be 3 of us around. Actually I really just use this car to go back and forth to our weekend place in Maine so I don't drive it in Boston too much. Can't miss it though, the license plate is "AMG-C43".

I've had this car since 2001 but haven't found a great independant mechanic yet. Surprisingly I had great experiences with Herb Chambers in Somerville, they have really done a great job on the car even though I didn't buy it from them. I also try to do most of the small stuff myself, and just did the plugs and wires a couple of weekends ago. I've also done spring pads, oil changes, air filters and easy stuff like that. Never done brakes before though-

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I think so. i haven't done any measurements, but it feels good.
I'm also thinking about the brake bleeding. Some manuals recommend doing this every 2 years and i've had the car for more than that and it may naver have been done on the car as far as i know

cool! maybe i'll see you on the road one day

cool. spring pads sounds way more difficult to do as compared to the brakes.
how are your rotors btw?
mine look like i may need to replace them in a couple of years.
rears are easy to get and they are relatively cheap, i've seen at under 50 bucks online, but the front ones i haven't seen under 250!
i don't think it's a good idea to turn them either because they don't seem to have a lot of excess thickness to them.

StapleGun

Hello again!
I would have liked to have replaced rotors but I could find no deals online. My C43 has 81K miles and the rotors will make it until the next change. I did not want to risk warping them by taking to shop around here. I have since put approx. 400 miles on them and they feel great and they don't shed as much dust as the original Jurids.

StapleGun

AMGC43 did you do the brakes yet?

C43AMG

No not yet , been busy opening the pool . I only drive my C43 on the weekends - just Zaino'd it last weekend - unreal stuff. I have a buddy who owns a speed shop so I'm gonna check with him to see what kind of deal he can hook me up with. It looks like Mintex on the front and Pagid on the rear. I will post my results when I get it done.

StapleGun

Well, so you know...it's really easy. Should take you a couple hours sans beer...

folcker

...so has anyone looked into ceramic pads or Kevlar pads for low dust? why are mintex's preferred? I tryed some of the kevlar pads which yields absolutely no dust but they were a little noisy. I was thinking of trying the ceramics but I've heard you lose a little performance. Could anyone verify this or add any experiences?

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i personally went with mintex because i wanted to go easy on my rotors. like StapleGun, i also tried to find a good deal on the rotors and couldn't. so for the time being i'm driving on the same pair of rotors. the car has 60K on it and i think they should last till at least 80 or maybe even a 100 if i don't brake too much and if the pads are are not going to eat the rotors too much.
i've heard that mintex was easy on the rotors and i've heard that ceramic pads might eat the rotors more, but i have nothing to back this up with
so here you go . . . for what it's worth.

StapleGun

Hangup, I posted today, this morning to be exact, to see if anyone had any leads on rotors.

I already did the brakes - front and rear, but I'm not happy with the front rotors. I would have preferred to replace both of them, mine have 80K miles on them and a small lip has formed on the outside edge of both. The rears are fine.

The new pads work fine and feel good, they have approximately 250-300 miles on them and they at least (thus far) appear to produce less dust than the factory Jurids.

I replaced the fronts with Mintex and the rears were Pagids.

I would like to replace the front rotors the next go around, and am shopping for a good deal.

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Staple, yes, i've seen your message.
i've asked the same guy that supplied us with MAFs and he quoted 225 each
most disappointing is the fact that this is the best offer i got so far!

if yours only have a small lip i wouldn't be too worried. small lip is OK, i've seen it on just about any five year old car. next change of the pads is exactly what i'm thinking. they might last a long time though, in my case i replaced at under 60K and i think that was the first time, rears could have lasted another 5-10K, but i figured since i was at it already i might as well replace them too . . . in your case it was 80K, was that the first time pads were replaced?
so the point is that the next time might be a while from now ))
i check on them every few weeks now, also if the steering wheel starts shaking i'll take a tires off and inspect more in depth.

anyways if you get any info on where to get those rotors for cheap please let me know.
i think at this point there are none available for cheap because there are no alternative manufacturers . . .
i think there are some for the rears and that's why the rears could be found for under 50 bucks. or maybe it's just because nobody ever needed to replace their rears yet

toamend

Just got my Mintex pads from pure motorsport the other day but haven't had a chance to put them on. It says on the packing slip that the fronts are shared with BMW Z8 and Audi TT 3.2? Does that mean that the rotors for those applications would likely fit as well?

I always thought the reason OEM brakes for the C43 were so expensive because they were a unique size and with such a small number of cars not much demand.
Todd

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i also noticed the reference on the box to Z8 and TT. that doesn't mean that the rotors will fit, but maybe there is a chance.
i looked around for rotors a while back and couldn't find anything but OEM (for 250+ a piece. someone here recently shared info about 225 a pop or something like that).
i'm not in a rush for the rotors right now, they look and feel OK still, definitely good for another year, maybe more.
i'll ask around at some point, maybe my buddy at the dealer could provide some info . . . if i find anything new i'll share.
if you find anything else out please share as well.

PUREMS

The pads are common between a couple different vehicles, like the TT 3.2, VW R32, and some larger BMW's. The rotors however are vastly different. MB uses 5x112, VW is 5x100 and BMW is 5x120 wrt their bolt hole patterns.

Thanks!

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thanks for clarification! and that from the source itself
i'm still very happy with the pads btw, thanks.
i wish you guys also had rotors and i also wish the price was as good as for the pads and i also wish you had condensers and for that matter all other pars too, and for cheap or better yet free
just kidding

PUREMS

You're welcome!
We carry rotors, condensors, and all the other parts too! Just shoot us an email.

We have access to thousands of replacement parts at great prices. Just email us at info@purems.com with what you're looking for!

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damn, i was just looking for a condenser, looking at your site i assumed you didn't have it so i went with someone else. next time will e-mail.
would you share your front rotor prices with the public?

StapleGun

PUREMS, I could not find rotors for 1998 C43 in any "flavor" i.e. OEM, cadmium plated, cross-drilled, slotted, etc... on your website Do you have?