lasvegas99

Just hit 38k miles and notice at certain brake pressure I am getting a little squeak. Looks like its time for pads and rotors. I have read the DIY articles by you guys and there great. Not sure if I would make the attempt myself but here are my two questions:

1) I thought I read you will get a warning the brakes are low through the malfunction menu or do you just listen. The only thing I got is the sound telling me.

2) My main question is since I am going to replace the brakes, can you guys give my your feedback on any after market successes and balkpark price ranges on some brakes/rotors upgrades you put on? I wouldn't mind going stock but am willing to spend a few extra $$ while I'm at it. I searched but if I missed a link where this was already addressed, please post it. I have only seen mention of different options here and there. Thanks.

vettdvr

Check your FSS for the miles to service and if there is a + you have hit the brake wear indicator indicating time for new pads.

My guess is you can just change the pads and continue the same rotors. I have 72,000 and on pad set 3 with rotors still within factory wear spec limits.

Cost to change your own pads,, about $85.00 at the Dealer $450 to $500 given no rotor for the fronts. Rear slightly cheaper.

If you want to upgrade best of luck, I stay with factory MB parts 100% on my E500.

mbuskuhl

Brake pad wear sensors can and may fail just like any other part on the car. Just because they are not sending a signal to the instrument cluster doesn't mean pads are not worn out, you heard them, they need to be checked. Sensors should be replaced when doing pads, if I'm not mistaken they are included with the pads if not they are about $5 or so. My brake pad sensors managed to melt, therefore no signal!

lasvegas99

Thanks guys. I do have a + next to my next service. It says E+ in about 6,000 miles. The MB breaks have worked great and I'm not that extreme of a driver that would notice much a difference but what they hey.

For the future, in case someone found this thread through a search and was looking for the DIY brake thread, here it is.


https://mbworld.org/forums/e-class-w211/91542-w211-diy-brake-job.html

tashakes

I think I might need new pads too, any suggestions on ANYTHING (oem or aftermarket) that will cut down on brake dust would be great. I am sick and tired to have my wheels look like crap 2 days after they are washed.

TIA.

pinebaron

I'd love to know as well; I clean my wheels everyday (150 miles daily) and wash them at weekends.

emilner

I put Porterfield RS4's on my E550 when it had about 3000 miles. My old pads were breand new, but the rims looked like crap 2 minutes after they were washed. The Porterfields cut down brake dust by 80% in my estimation, and they don't squeak. All in all I am very happy, they should be standard on the cars. With all their techknology you would think MB could get down to the levels of brake dust that come from entry levels Chevy's. They don't list a pad for '07-'08's on their last I checked, but I called over and they had them in stock.

georgedaman

Squeaking sound and not lite up warning light doesn't necessary mean worn brakes and broken warning sensor .

Hardy1111

Those squeaks are misleading sometimes on the E500. I had it this year (50K) and purchased OEM pads for the front and replaced them.

Once I took out the old pads I noticed that the squeaking was from one of the sensors (great right?), too bad that there's a sensor 1/2 way thru the pad on one side.

Basically I replaced the pads at about 50% wear.

pinebaron

Thanks very much; your information is going to a blessing.

mdreef

I plan on checking mine because I have a squeek but no + sign on my FSS. I am prepared to change them if I have to, but I want to upgrade to ceramic because I'm also tired of the black wheels. Any ideas or recommendations? when I called the dealer to check on pricing for OEM pads they asked for my VIN number because it makes a difference.

What worries me about that is that if I buy ceramics online, they don't base it on VIN no. Does anyone have any experience with that?

Thanks!

W Cole

As far as aftermarket pads I would recommend either Porterfield or Akebono..

I've had both the Porterfield RS4's and Akebonos, I would say the dust is about the same. The porterfields required a large amount of pedal pressure when cold, I don't notice this with the Akebonos. Plus, the Akebonos are cheaper and they come with nifty anti-squeak pads.

pinebaron

Harder ceramic pads like Akebono work great with slotted rotors; I have frozen slotted rotors and akebonos on my Ford Expedition; zero brake dust, no rotor rust and stops on a dime; well almost. That's what I am thinking. All I am trying to do is to reduce brake dist on my Benz, yet I don't want to compromise on braking pressure and stopping distance. The present oem setup on my 07 E320 Bluetec has great stopping power; my first car with brake by wire system. Too much brake dust (I drive a lot) and due my obsession with keeping my cars clean, I clean the wheels (and complete vehicle) every evening, it is geting tougher since the weather is colder now.

I don't know if Akebono makes pads for my vehicle; I have not be able to locate any.

mdreef

Thanks! Seems like Akebonos are the way to go. I also read about "Morse" however, the fact that they're available at Autozone is a bit of a turn-off.

Will Akebono or any other ceramic brakes affect rotor wear or warping problems? Also, how do you purchase ceramics online and get the correct ones? My dealer said that they are "VIN number-specific"

Thanks!

W Cole

The dealer is retarded, they cant order any part without a VIN number. The problem with mercedes is they use so many different caliper combinations for the same vehicle, sometimes they even make changes mid-year. When you're ordering the pads you need to fill out the pertinent info: year, model, sport/non-sport and you should be ok. There are exceptions though, I don't know if the 4-matics and diesels use the same calipers or not - if you drive one of these models this would be something to check. I believe I ordered my Akebonos from tirerack.

W Cole

Are the calipers on the CDI unique to that vehicle? It would seem odd for mercedes to engineer new brakes for just one vehicle when there is seemingly no need to, but I wouldn't be surprised if they did.

pinebaron

Tirerack does not offer a brake pad option for my model and nor does any other site. The Bluetec wears 12.3-by-1.1-inch front brakes, different from the E350 or E500; I have not had time to investigate further. A call to my SA may reveal something, though there may be others on this forum who are better informed.

I wonder if I can upgrade to AMG or Brembo brakes, since I am considering 18 inch staggered wheels.

no_clue

If I remember correctly, sensor only located on outter pad.
Chances are your inner pad usually go faster than your outter pad.

Couple days ago, I was advice to change my pad and rotors because My outter pad still have 1/5 remaining where inner pad was paper thin before rubbing the rotor.

emilner

Pinebaron- call the manufacturer of the pads, porterfield did not list any pads for my car but when I called they said they did indeed have them.

pinebaron

I will do that. Thanks.

pinebaron

I called Porterfield and they said they dont have my vehicle brakes listed; she said she had 4-matic but I have no idea if the 4-matic has same brake pads as my Bluetec. Seems like I am back to square one.

Roehl

As you can see, the E500 has a nice lookin' caliper. The color gets dull over time... How do you keep it clean and shiny? Did you guys repaint your caliper? Let me see some pictures of your calipers.

E2233

I have E500 2003. Flex D service 21579 miles front and rear break pads changed. There were no warning SA said need changed. Light driver coast to red lights easy on the breaks. 42,000 miles in for extended warranty work oil leak transmission. No break warning lights SA says I need front and rear pads and rotors. Drive wells no noises. I am not sure if rotors are indicated front and rear on the second change of pads. The most hard stop I ever had is a total of about four times. Would pads only damage the brake system?

E2233

The Akebono Euro Ceramic pads are not available for my year E-Class(W211). www.tirerack.com says they do not carry ceramic pads for this series. I found a local independent dealer in Los Angeles, Carlo Auto Restore on Alhambra Ave, Telephone 323-225-0077 he recommended that I use the original equipment with the SBC system. He replaced the front pads and rotors without any problems in a couple of hours. He works on MB for a rental car company so he was able to get the parts the same day. He did not report any errors on the display after the installation. I drove home without any display errors and the car breaks find with no noise. I think this is a lot better than DIY.

E500Newbee

What was the cost of it?