BobGCLS550

Hello. Is changing the pads & rotors on a '09 CLS550 straight forward? The guy who just put on my tires said that the rears have some parking brake lock (or something like that) that has to be deactivated prior to replacement. Could he be referring to the '06 model that had SBC? I have changed pads and rotors on my BMW's many times and it is pretty easy. Any "watch outs" would be appreciated.
Thanks,
Bob

Dnasty

I'm not 100 on this but I believe the parking brake has to be disengaged when changing the rotors on the back.

BobGCLS550

Thanks Dnasty. Yes, I am quite sure the parking brake needs to be off to get the pads free. The mechanic at the tire place said something about the rear brakes needing to be disengaged (via software). I am just wondering if he thought the car had the SBC brakes. In any case, I found some YouTube videos showing the job to be very easy. The hardest part seems to be getting the rotors off (seized to hub) but I have a puller for that. I will post my findings when I complete the task this weekend.

jylee

I had to disconnect the battery when I change pads on my 07 211, it has SBC. If the car brake smoothly, I reuse the rotors 2 or 3 brake services.

BobGCLS550

Turned out to be a pretty straightforward job. A few tips:
1) The rotor will more than likely be seized to the hub. Some folks hammer them off but I used a 3-jaw puller that worked well.
2) After rotor becomes "unseized", you will still have problems getting it off due to the parking brake shoes (yes, I had the parking brake off). You will need to slacken the shoe adjuster screw a bit to get it off.
3) Make sure you keep an eye on the brake fluid reservoir as you are turning in the caliper piston. If the level starts approaching the top, removes some fluid or it will overflow.
4) When you go to get at the bolts that secure the caliper carrier, there will be a clip (which secures 3 lines/wires) in the way. Simply squeeze the tab on the bottom of the clip, pull it off and move it out of the way.
5) Put anti-seize on the mating area of the hub and the rotor and on the mating area of the rotor and wheel. This will help with removal next time.

Dnasty

Thanks for the info.. its funny I replied to this earlier and actually think I may have to replace my rotors pretty soon (I only changed the pads earlier). Curious what brand rotors did you get, I put some new oem benz pads on it earlier but their rotors are so much more expensive I was thinking of going aftermarket really just want something decent that will not squeal.. I've had bad luck with pads that aren't benz as far as squeeling but not sure if the rotors are as big of a factor when it comes to that.

BobGCLS550

Hi Dnasty,
The best price I got on pads and rotors - believe it or not - was from MB. There is a dealer in MA that has an online store. I paid `$44.00 for the rear rotors.
Best,
Bob

Dnasty

Yea I found the same price for the rears from an out of state dealer... but the fronts are $84 each. I think i'll change the rears first and see if that gets rid of the squeak because the fronts don't have as much of a lip.

Dnasty

Is it possible to change the rotors without removing any of the pads etc?