Dogtag114

During a routine service, my Indy Shop pointed out a corroding brake line to the rear. No leaks.

Anyone have any experience with this? Is this just surface corrosion that I can accept or is this a potential future safety issue.

BLKROKT

Good catch. That will definitely become a problem, they rust right through. I’d replace it sooner rather than later.

Dogtag114

Thx. They quoted $1200 😳

Not clear if that was one or all lines

Dogtag114

confirmed today that is just for the rear passenger line… $1200 estimate… really???

BLKROKT

Probably for the OEM part. Any brake shop can bend you up a new line for under $100 I’d imagine. There’s nothing special about it.

If you do a search, someone just had a rusted out section replaced. Maybe it was Jasonoff or rob, I forget who but it was within the last year.

Dogtag114

Yeah, no they were bending their own. Didn't think about a brake shop, may try that.

I tried searching, but will try again. Thx.

Dogtag114

Yeah, no they were bending their own. Didn't think about a brake shop, may try that.

I tried searching, but will try again. Thx.

Jasonoff

Yeah mine were NASTY so I chopped in some replacements. Everything else forward was fine.

Adi-Benz

I did the rear brake lines myself...recorded a video to put on YouTube but never edited/uploaded it. If it's desired, I can try and find the footage again if I still have it.

But you can certainly DIY, I bought nickel-copper *must be blend!* And replaced it. Was gonna do stainless but the benefits didn't outweigh nickel copper and i heard it's **** to bend.

Adi-Benz

Yeah, I still have the footage. Recording this is rough cause its not too difficult but a pretty hands on job. If y'all would like the video I can work on it, I doubt its any different from C300 to C63 (maybe diameter but thats it)

and I'll be honest, I try to be really clear with good footage on my DIY's but this was rough

Dogtag114

Thanks for the offer, but I’m biting the bullet and letting the Indy shop fix it.

little repairs like this keep coming up but I keep telling myself it’s cheaper than deprecation on a new car and nothing out there inspires me to be a better daily.

Adi-Benz

No problem!

Just to sting you > I fixed it for $30 lol (Amazon price for the brake line, & some fluid)

For future readers, you cut the line from the beginning under the side skirt body panel, separate them, and remove them (you don't need to bend to remove, it can keep it's shape). Then with your new brake line, just replicate the shape of the old one with tape, flange the ends and have proper connectors, and replace fluid. I guess that's a summary.

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Dogtag114

Yeah. It does sting, but this is one thing I don’t want to mess up… the whole braking thing.

Adi-Benz

Indeed!

Vladds

Just saw this.
The W126 had a lot of these problems.
I had two on that chassis, a 1987 420 SEL and a 1982 300SD.
That's how you judge a w126, whether the brake lines are corroded or not.
Then I had a 1994 W124, and these problems were not present. So I thought that brake line corrosion shall remain confined to the Mercedes history books.
Apparently not..

Well, after the W126 420 SEL suffered a front collision with a Porsche that was busy cutting 4 lanes of traffic, before I had a chance to replace the rusting brake lines, when I got the 300SD, I decided to take action.
So I ordered from Mercedes a set of brake lines.
I told all my fiends that I paid like $150 for these, because Mercedes will pre-bend these for me and I don't have to learn how to bend steel lines without extruding them.
So, when the lines arrived at the dealership and I picked them up, they were straight as an arrow ...
I quietly went to Pep Boys, bought a brake line handheld bender and bent them..

I still said to myself. Mercedes resolved the corrosion condition for these, now they will never rust, that's why I spent the money with the OEM part.
No, the replacement rusted as well..

Now I have to look at my C63 and see what horror awaits me with the brake lines...

Somehow, Mercedes is the only car with rusting brake lines and also the only car that requires almost yearly brake fluid replacements. I wonder if these two are somehow connected.

HLG600

Nice work. Did you use nickel-copper line or something different?

Jasonoff

Yeah, it's Double-Wall Copperized Steel.