What the......
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Super Member
Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 940
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From: Chapel Hill, NC/Montreal, QC
1995 C36 AMG, 1998 C43 AMG
What the......
So tonight was front spring/shock install time. Didn't manage to finish it all tonight thanks to the normal surprises and a storm, but I did realize something quite odd and quite frightening... My passenger front disc has become dis-alligned from the hub. Basically, if I were to try and put the lug bolts back on, they have about 1/2 an inch to go into the part of the hub that comes with the brake disc, and then they hit metal. 
I noticed that the hex nut that you have to remove to remove the rotor was NOWHERE to be found, so it makes me think it's been missing for a while and the lug bolts were what was holding them in alignment. This would also mean that my calipers and wheels are basically all that is holding the discs to the car.... 
Now, I have spare hex nuts from the 36, but my question is: how to realign the holes. Do I just have to take off the caliper and disc? I'm not too familiar with how the 43's discs work: is there anything special you have to do to remove them as opposed to the simple two bolts on the 36s ATEs?
What a headache....
P.S. taking off the wheel to start work on the suspension was completely normal. No snags or abnormalities
I noticed that the hex nut that you have to remove to remove the rotor was NOWHERE to be found, so it makes me think it's been missing for a while and the lug bolts were what was holding them in alignment. This would also mean that my calipers and wheels are basically all that is holding the discs to the car.... Now, I have spare hex nuts from the 36, but my question is: how to realign the holes. Do I just have to take off the caliper and disc? I'm not too familiar with how the 43's discs work: is there anything special you have to do to remove them as opposed to the simple two bolts on the 36s ATEs?
What a headache....
P.S. taking off the wheel to start work on the suspension was completely normal. No snags or abnormalities
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Joined: Apr 2010
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From: PDX
1999 C43, 2008 P30 E63, 2014 SQ5, 2024 Model Y Performance
So tonight was front spring/shock install time. Didn't manage to finish it all tonight thanks to the normal surprises and a storm, but I did realize something quite odd and quite frightening... My passenger front disc has become dis-alligned from the hub. Basically, if I were to try and put the lug bolts back on, they have about 1/2 an inch to go into the part of the hub that comes with the brake disc, and then they hit metal. I noticed that the hex nut that you have to remove to remove the rotor was NOWHERE to be found, so it makes me think it's been missing for a while and the lug bolts were what was holding them in alignment. This would also mean that my calipers and wheels are basically all that is holding the discs to the car....
Now, I have spare hex nuts from the 36, but my question is: how to realign the holes. Do I just have to take off the caliper and disc? I'm not too familiar with how the 43's discs work: is there anything special you have to do to remove them as opposed to the simple two bolts on the 36s ATEs?
What a headache....
P.S. taking off the wheel to start work on the suspension was completely normal. No snags or abnormalities
I noticed that the hex nut that you have to remove to remove the rotor was NOWHERE to be found, so it makes me think it's been missing for a while and the lug bolts were what was holding them in alignment. This would also mean that my calipers and wheels are basically all that is holding the discs to the car.... Now, I have spare hex nuts from the 36, but my question is: how to realign the holes. Do I just have to take off the caliper and disc? I'm not too familiar with how the 43's discs work: is there anything special you have to do to remove them as opposed to the simple two bolts on the 36s ATEs?
What a headache....
P.S. taking off the wheel to start work on the suspension was completely normal. No snags or abnormalities
Once the caliper is removed rotate the disc to align with the holes in the hub. I would suggest getting one of the alignment screws to make it easier to bolt back up but I would imagine you could do it without the alignment screw.
Thread Starter
Super Member
Joined: Dec 2009
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From: Chapel Hill, NC/Montreal, QC
1995 C36 AMG, 1998 C43 AMG
The lugs are what hold the disc to the hub, nothing to be concerned about there as that is normal. The alignment screw is just that, for alignment when you are placing the lugs. I imagine when you took your wheel off is when the disc moved and became unaligned. Think about it, your lugs were fully seated before you took the wheel off. You should be able to rotate the disc to align with the bolt holes in the hub. If the calipers are preventing it then you will need to removed them. 2 caliper bolts on the backside hold the caliper to the mounts. You can remove the calipers in less than 15 minutes if you know what you are doing and don't run into and problems like a frozen bolt or sticky calipers.
Once the caliper is removed rotate the disc to align with the holes in the hub. I would suggest getting one of the alignment screws to make it easier to bolt back up but I would imagine you could do it without the alignment screw.
Once the caliper is removed rotate the disc to align with the holes in the hub. I would suggest getting one of the alignment screws to make it easier to bolt back up but I would imagine you could do it without the alignment screw.
Thanks a lot 503. You're always here to help
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From: Land of mountains, cheese, chocolate and watches
12' W204 C63 AMG coupe "T-Rex", 12' W451 Smart Fortwo Pulse (99' W202 C43 AMG + Ultima Can-Am sold)
Yes, that little hex screw has it's purpose and it does serve a purpose apart from avoiding people freaking out 
When I buy new brake pads, a set of hex screws is always included in the package
When I buy new brake pads, a set of hex screws is always included in the package
Thread Starter
Super Member
Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 940
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From: Chapel Hill, NC/Montreal, QC
1995 C36 AMG, 1998 C43 AMG
Sweet. Got everything all lined up again with the lugs. Turned out the hole were the nut goes is totally rusted smooth, so that explains why there was no nut
