GL Class (X166) 2013-2015 after facelift became GLS (X166)

Need Advice : Time to replace brake pads (rotors?)

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Old Oct 31, 2018 | 07:23 PM
  #1  
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GL500
Need Advice : Time to replace brake pads (rotors?)

Hi All ;

My wife's 2013 GL500 has thrown out the warning for brake pads and also service time is coming. Some months ago authorized dealer had quoted close to 3k USD for changing the pads and rotors though there was 25% life left on them.

That sounded a little bit too much, so probably I will be heading a very reputable indy mercedes service as the car is already out of warranty. I am not sure if they would also go for changing the rotors.

I've read some comments stating that rotors MB uses are softer and may need replacement. I got a few questions,

1: How can I understand if rotors need replacing or not ?
2: If I need them, what are the MB part numbers for front and rear rotors and pads where can I source them as they are quite expensive where I live ? (I will go for the MB parts , while I understand there are better and more economical choices out there)

bst regards
Mertol
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Old Nov 1, 2018 | 02:12 AM
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You may get by with just changing pads. Some mechanics insist you need to change the rotors too, to insure no squeeling (?) , They actually they can measure (ie Mic the rotors) to see if they need to be replaced also. You can find recommendation on this site in the search function for recommendation on brake parts. By the way how many miles do you have on your GL550.
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Old Nov 1, 2018 | 06:45 PM
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Originally Posted by Isawelvis
You may get by with just changing pads. Some mechanics insist you need to change the rotors too, to insure no squeeling (?) , They actually they can measure (ie Mic the rotors) to see if they need to be replaced also. You can find recommendation on this site in the search function for recommendation on brake parts. By the way how many miles do you have on your GL550.

Thanks for the answer, i will ask the dealer to check the tickness. It looks like all genue rotors and pads can be had from ebay around 1000 USD.

Our car is around 45k miles and my wife is not really pushing it.
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Old Nov 14, 2018 | 11:53 PM
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Buy the parts for FCP Euro where you can get OE or OEM parts for under $600.00 I did them myself about 3 hours save yourself a ton. FCP Euro guarantee all parts for life with life time replacement so you never have to purchase again.
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Old Nov 15, 2018 | 08:19 PM
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I currently have 52k on my gl350 and have not yet done rotors. Got the same feedback both from dealer and Indy-pads and rotors need to be replaced at same time with each pad change. I didn’t see an issue with rotors so opted to diy pads only myself and no issues. Did front pads at about 30k and rears at 50k. Everything seems fine and yes, saved a lot of money.
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Old Nov 16, 2018 | 09:55 AM
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The price difference between the dealer doing the work and an Indy doing the work was only $100 for me. My dealer quoted me around $940 for front pads, rotors and sensors. The Indy quoted $825
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Old Nov 16, 2018 | 11:42 AM
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If there is a distinct lip on the edge of the rotor, then they will need to be replaced along with the pads. Benz, along with BMW use softer metal on their rotors (which are also thinner than most) and hard pads, which causes the rotors to wear down faster than on domestic and Asian cars. Benz and BMW always recommend that the rotors get changed at every brake service. For some reason, the pads don't cover the entire rotor on these cars, causing that lip to form with brake wear. My brake warning has been on for at least 2 months. But I can tell that I can go at least 10k more miles before they need replacement as the pads are still pretty thick. You can try doing a pad slap, but it is highly likely that your brakes will squeal as they hit the lip on the rotor. And I don't think there is enough material on Benz rotors to have them cut without worrying about warping.
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Old Nov 18, 2018 | 06:01 AM
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Is anyone running Brembo replacements? Dealer won't replace from the TSB so I'm just going to buy some replacements. 7,XXX miles. Looking to get some feedback if anyone has some.



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