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Step-by-step DIY: 2017 GLS 63 Rear Brake Rotors and Pads
DISCLAIMER
This post is for information only. Your vehicle’s braking system is safety-critical, and therefore requires extra attention and diligence when any maintenance operations are performed upon it. Furthermore, this particular maintenance operation requires the vehicle to be jacked up. If you are not familiar with and comfortable with jacking and stabilizing your vehicle, and with the use of a torque wrench, please do not attempt this operation. You assume all risks associated with working on your own vehicle, and do not hold me liable for any damages. Having this work done by a qualified professional is recommended.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
This post benefits from the good efforts of several MBWorld list members. The format is loosely based on an unrelated post by @Keep; I don’t know if @Keep is the originator of this format, but it is very useful. @cyclrder, @cm60k, @chassis, and @threeMBs have also provided helpful information that is incorporated into this post.
APPLICABLE M-B WORK INSTRUCTIONS (Attached Below)
Move rear axle brakepads into assembly position (AR42.10-P-1700-02W)
17mm “Mercedes Flower Head” lug nut socket (I use an ARES 59012)
17mm thin open-end wrench (I use a Park SCW-17 cone wrench. Other open-end/combination wrenches, such as Snap-On, may be thin enough. Craftsman isn’t.)
Wheel hanger alignment pin M14x1.5 (included with ARES 59012)
Brake caliper piston spreader (I use a DASBET 8542041201)
13mm and 18mm combination wrenches – long 18mm is especially helpful
Needle-nose pliers
Wire brush
Dead-blow hammer
Short bungee cord or wire hanger to hold brake caliper body
Safety glasses
Shop rags and floor protection
OPTIONAL TOOLS
½” impact wrench for wheel lug bolt removal
Angle grinder or drill with wire wheel
Auxiliary lighting
Figure 1: Tools used for this operation
PREPARE THE VEHICLE FOR SERVICE
0. Optional: Raise vehicle to maximum height (Airmatic)
(Note: I need to do this in order to get my Unijack jackstands under the vehicle. Skip this step if you use a shop lift, etc.)
a. With engine running, depress vehicle height button on center console. Multifunction display will show vehicle “raising”.
b. Once “raising” indicator extinguishes, turn off engine.
1. Move rear brake pads into assembly position
(Note: @cyclrder also listed these instructions in his DIY posting. You can use his or use the instructions in AR42.10-P-1700-02W. I include them here to be comprehensive.)
a. Close hood and doors.
b. Release parking brake.
c. With foot off brake pedal, Keyless start push ON -OR- key position 1.
d. Multifunction display must be on the Odometer/Trip display (scroll to this using arrow keys if necessary)
e. On steering wheel, press “accept phone call” button and then (1 sec later) press “OK” button and hold both approximately 5-10 seconds until multifunction display changes to the Workshop menu
f. Scroll using down arrow key to “Brakepad replacement” and confirm with “OK” button.
g. The multifunction dispaly will show “Move to assembly position?” Confirm with “OK” button. Do not depress brake pedal while this operation is underway.
h. Switch off ignition, exit vehicle, and move key to >2m away.
2. Remove brake fluid to allow back-filling into brake fluid reservoir
a. Raise hood.
b. Remove plastic cover above left suspension shock tower. (Note: There are no clips or other features that require special actions. Just lift up on the cover. You may need to move the hood underside rubber seal a bit to allow the cover to come off.)
c. Clean area around brake fluid reservoir cap with a shop rag.
d. Remove cap to brake fluid reservoir and then remove filter ring inside the reservoir neck.
e. Remove brake fluid down to the “MIN” line. Use brake fluid vacuum bulb or siphon line to remove brake fluid into a clean container that can be sealed to keep moisture and contaminants out. (Note: You will add some of this fluid back after the new pads have been installed.)
3. Lift or jack vehicle
(Note: there have been many threads on MBWorld about the challenges of jacking M-B unibody vehicles. For those of us not blessed with a vehicle lift, the challenge is that M-B provides only one single jacking point for each corner, so there is no good way to jack the vehicle and then emplace a jack stand. I use Powerbuilt 620471 Unijack 6000 lb. combination bottle jack/jackstands to address this issue. They fit under the vehicle (barely) when the extensions are removed and the Airmatic suspension is set to its maximum height. Emplace them very carefully to straddle the plastic jacking point. SAFETY POINT: I do not recommend using a floor jack with no jackstand to support the vehicle while you are working on it. Don’t make this mistake — if your floor jack fails, the consequences to your vehicle and possibly your body are SEVERE!)
a. If you don’t have an impact wrench, now is the time to slightly loosen the five wheel lug bolts before jacking. Make sure that you’re using a socket compatible with the 17mm “Mercedes flower head” style bolt heads. If you find that your wheel bolt heads have been marred by previous use of an improper socket, replace with new bolts. The wheel lug bolt part number is A-000-990-54-07.
b. Lift or jack vehicle at left and right rear jacking points until each rear tire clears the floor by at least one inch.
c. Install jackstands or other safety supports for raised vehicle.
4. Remove wheel (BOTH SIDES)
(Note: it might seem like the alignment pin is optional, but the larger wheels on the GLS 63 are quite heavy and awkward to maneuver. Furthermore, the use of bolts (vs. studs) means that the wheel will tend to fall off when the final bolt is removed. I don’t think this job can be done solo without using the alignment pin.)
a. At top bolt location, remove wheel lug bolt and screw in the M14x1.5 wheel alignment pin.
b. Remove remaining four wheel lug bolts.
c. Slide wheel off.
d. Remove wheel alignment pin
Figure 2: Right rear hub, disc rotor, and caliper -- ready for service!
DISASSEMBLY INSTRUCTIONS
5. Remove brake pad wear sensor (RIGHT SIDE ONLY)
a. Disconnect wear sensor connector body by pulling it outboard from the sensor receptacle. Use needle-nose pliers to grasp the connector body if your fingers don’t fit in the tight space.
Figure 3: Brake wear sensor connector and receptacle
b. Note: the M-B work instruction AR42.10-P-0080W here directs the removal of the sensor receptacle from the brake caliper body. I don’t think this is necessary, if you simply loosen the sensor receptacle wire to give more play. See instruction item c below.
c. Disconnect wear sensor receptacle wire from restraints in two places (see photo below). Removing the wire from the little trough (top) is straightforward. Removing the wire grommet (bottom) is a bit trickier – be careful not to break the plastic clip. Gently apply pressure to both sides of the grommet in an inboard direction until it pops out.
6. Remove brake caliper body (BOTH SIDES)
a. Release and disconnect electric parking brake actuator connector. (Note: There is a little tab, somewhat like that on a RJ11 or RJ45 jack, on the underside that must be depressed in order to free the connector. Use a little screwdriver to depress the tab if your fingers are too big.)
Figure 5: Electric parking brake actuator connector and receptacle. The release tab is hidden beneath the connector (left) in this photo.
b. Using a 13mm socket, remove the caliper bolts from the caliper guide pins (two places). Once you’ve cracked the bolt loose, you’ll need to insert a thin 17mm open end wrench to keep the guide pin boot from rotating (and possibly tearing) while you complete the removal of the caliper bolt.
Figure 6: Use a thin 17 mm open-end wrench to keep the caliper pin boot from turning
c. Remove brake caliper from caliper support bracket. Support caliper in one hand while you remove the used brake pads from the caliper body or caliper support bracket.
d. Using a short bungee cord or wire hanger, support the caliper body so that it doesn’t hang from the brake line (and/or brake wear sensor receptacle wire on right side)
Figure 7: Use a shorter bungee cord than this one if possible
e. Press brake piston into caliper body using piston spreader tool. Piston should retract almost flush with the caliper body.
7. Remove brake caliper support bracket (BOTH SIDES)
a. Remove metal springs from caliper support bracket (two places).
(Note: If you use the Brembo P50101 brake pad kit, the metal springs provided in the kit are not properly sized for this particular caliper support bracket. Therefore, you’ll need to reuse the existing metal springs. They clean up well with some brake cleaner fluid and a toothbrush.)
b. Using a 18mm wrench, remove the caliper support bracket bolts from the caliper support bracket (two places). (Note: These bolts are installed with high torque, so it will take quite a bit of force to crack the bolt loose. I used a long 18 mm combination wrench and a dead blow hammer to crack the bolt loose. Once cracked loose, the bolt unscrews easily by hand.)
c. Remove caliper support bracket from rear suspension wheel carrier.
Figure 8: Brake caliper support bracket and bolts
d. Clean up the caliper support bracket, steel springs, and caliper support bracket bolts using brake parts cleaner fluid.
8. Remove brake rotor (BOTH SIDES)
a. Using a T30 bit, remove the brake rotor set screw.
b. Remove the brake rotor from the wheel hub.
(Note: It is likely that the rotor hat will be stuck on the wheel hub, requiring some serious hammering on the disc with the dead blow hammer in order to free the rotor from the hub. This problem will be worse in wet or cold environments if rust/salt is able to build up. I really hate hammering on the disc, as I think it cannot be good for the wheel bearings. If anyone knows of a gentler way to lever the rotor off of the wheel hub, please let me know.)
c. Clean up any accumulated rust or salt buildup from the wheel hub using a wire brush. A toothbrush-style brush works fine, but a brush mounted on a drill or angle grinder turns this chore into a fun task. Don’t forget eye protection.
REASSEMBLY INSTRUCTIONS
Note: Generally speaking, reassembly is the inverse of assembly, so I’ll not repeat those instructions in such high level of detail. I will call out torque values and any aspects that are unique to reassembly.
9. Install brake rotor (BOTH SIDES)
a. Place the brake rotor (A-166-423-05-12 (or Brembo 09.8710.11-3 or Zimmerman 400.3699.20)) on the wheel hub, being careful to align the set screw hole on the rotor with the threaded hole in the wheel hub.
b. Install the brake rotor set screw (A-220-421-01-71 (or Febi-Bilstein 21663)) using a T30 bit, torque to 10 Nm.
(Note: I don’t think this torque setting is important. All the set screw does is hold the rotor on the wheel hub until the wheel is installed. Instead, I use the famous TFAR (That Feels About Right) method to install this screw without bothering with a torque wrench. Be careful that you don’t cross-thread or strip the threads in the wheel hub.)
10. Install brake caliper support bracket and brake pads (BOTH SIDES)
a.Inspect the caliper guide pins and boots (two places) for smooth action and/or leakage of grease from under the boots.
(Note: If the caliper pins do not operate smoothly, lubricate or replace them. It’s important for the anti-lock braking system and also the active lane-control system that the brake pads slide smoothly on the caliper pins.)
b. Install the metal springs on the caliper support bracket (two places).
c. Install the caliper support bracket to the rear suspension wheel carrier using the caliper support bracket bolts (two places) using a 18mm wrench, torque to 60 Nm then 45° angular throw.
(Note: This is the least pleasant task in this entire operation, IMHO. I am not able to get enough leverage using muscle power alone to make that 45° throw, even if I use an extra-long 18mm combination wrench. The tight quarters prevent the use of a breaker bar and socket. I need to use a dead-blow hammer to get the 45° throw, and I suspect the work instructions assume that this operation is done with smoothly-applied leverage only. If anyone has a better solution to this issue, I’d love to hear it.)
d. Install new brake pads (A-007-420-86-20 (or Brembo P50101)) with the pad ears riding on the metal springs. Note that the pad with the receptacle for the wear sensor goes on the inboard (I.e., caliper piston) side.
(Note: I know that most brake pad installations recommend the use of anti-squeal paste on the pad ears and backing plate. The M-B work instructions AR42.10-P-0080W and AR42.10-P-1700W specifically say not to use brake paste or lubricants. Before I acquired the vehicle, several brake services had been performed at a M-B dealership, and I found no evidence of any paste or lubricant ever being used on these surfaces. Therefore, I don’t use any paste or lube in this procedure.)
11. Install brake caliper body (BOTH SIDES)
a. Remove the brake caliper body from bungee cord or wire hangar support and slide it into place over the brake pads. (Note: Some wiggling may be required if the pads are thick or the caliper piston hasn’t been retracted all the way into the caliper body.
b. Install the caliper bolts (A-019-990-64-01; included in many brake pad kits, yes for Brembo) through the caliper support bracket (two places) using a 13mm wrench, torque to 35 Nm. Don’t forget to use the 17mm thin wrench to keep the guide pin boots from rotating during the bolt installation.
c. Reconnect the electric parking brake actuator wire connector.
d. Reinstall the brake wear sensor receptacle wire in its restraints (two places: one trough, one grommet clip).
12. Install brake wear sensor (RIGHT SIDE ONLY)
a. Insert the brake wear sensor (A-211-540-17-17 (or Bowa A1680003)) into the inboard brake pad. There’s a little hole in the pad to receive the probe-like protrusion on the wear sensor. The wires for the sensor should point in the outboard direction. See photo below.
Figure 9: Brake wear sensor installed on right inboard brake pad. Next step is attaching the wear sensor connector to receptacle
b. Insert the brake wear sensor connector into the receptacle. It should bottom out with a slight click. Refer to Figure 3 to see how the installed connector looks when it’s bottomed out correctly.
14. Reinstall brake fluid reservoir filter ring, refill brake fluid to MAX line on brake fluid reservoir, reinstall brake fluid reservoir cap, reinstall plastic cover over left suspension shock tower, close hood.
15. Retrieve key, enter driver’s seat while keeping foot off brake, close driver’s door, key to position 1, follow instructions on multifunction display to exit from brake pad assembly position.
16. Test drive the vehicle, and perform any pad bedding-in procedure per recommendation of the brake pad manufacturer.
17. Once the vehicle is parked, crack open a cold beverage -- secure in the knowledge that you’ve gained experience about how your vehicle works and you’ve also saved a bundle in labor charges and often-inflated parts prices!
I would greatly appreciate corrections or suggestions to improve this article. Regards, Joe
Last edited by joecparrish; Jan 13, 2022 at 12:55 PM.
Oh, my; this is one of the BEST input & "DIY", No doubt..
Thanks a million for sharing..
-;-ZAYED-;-
Thanks, Zayed. I will be doing the front brakes in a few months and intend to post a similar write-up for those. I’ll be incorporating your excellent information and advice on the M12x1.5x72 socket head cap screws into that article.
Thanks, Zayed. I will be doing the front brakes in a few months and intend to post a similar write-up for those. I’ll be incorporating your excellent information and advice on the M12x1.5x72 socket head cap screws into that article.
Are these the Brembo Ceramic pads you are using? How do you like them?
The P50101 is a “Premium Low-Met OE Equivalent Pad Set”, according to Brembo. Those are the ones I’ve been using on the rear. Brembo also offer a P50101N, which is described as a “Premium NAO Ceramic OE Equivalent Pad Set”. However, it’s less than half the price of the P50101, so I would not have high expectations from this pad set.
Do I like them? I find these Brembo pads to be just “OK” — they squeal a bit, they don’t last very long (about 10,000 miles in my case), and they create a moderate amount of dust. I’m much happier with the front pads I’ve been using, which are EBC Red DP31939C.
I’m still trying to figure out the part number nomenclature to get the correct EBC Red pads for the rear. The logical part number is DP32137C, but this part is not shown as being compatible in the part finder tool on the EBC Brakes website. The next closest pad that does show up in the EBC part finder is the DP42137R - Yellowstuff 4000 Series. I may give these a try next, unless someone can confirm that the DP32137C pad is, in fact, acceptable for the X166 AMG vehicles.
So, in summary, Brembo Low-Met pads are “meh”; EBC Reds are good —at least on the front.
DISCLAIMER
This post is for information only. Your vehicle’s braking system is safety-critical, and therefore requires extra attention and diligence when any maintenance operations are performed upon it. Furthermore, this particular maintenance operation requires the vehicle to be jacked up. If you are not familiar with and comfortable with jacking and stabilizing your vehicle, and with the use of a torque wrench, please do not attempt this operation. You assume all risks associated with working on your own vehicle, and do not hold me liable for any damages. Having this work done by a qualified professional is recommended.
Regards, Joe
Hi Joe. Do you have step by step instructions for the front by chance? TIA
The difference is the front pads drop in from the top.
Yes the part about changing the pads is what I'm mostly interested in. It looks to me that front pads changing is much, much easier/faster and straight forward since calipers (unlike the rears) stay on. The only items to be removed are 2 disc brake pad pins, 1 clip and 1 caliper pin with its bolt. Oh and a wear sensor on the right side. So it seems that changing front pads on W166/X166 63AMGs is as easy as removing a wheel.
The P50101 is a “Premium Low-Met OE Equivalent Pad Set”, according to Brembo. Those are the ones I’ve been using on the rear. Brembo also offer a P50101N, which is described as a “Premium NAO Ceramic OE Equivalent Pad Set”. However, it’s less than half the price of the P50101, so I would not have high expectations from this pad set.
Do I like them? I find these Brembo pads to be just “OK” — they squeal a bit, they don’t last very long (about 10,000 miles in my case), and they create a moderate amount of dust. I’m much happier with the front pads I’ve been using, which are EBC Red DP31939C.
I’m still trying to figure out the part number nomenclature to get the correct EBC Red pads for the rear. The logical part number is DP32137C, but this part is not shown as being compatible in the part finder tool on the EBC Brakes website. The next closest pad that does show up in the EBC part finder is the DP42137R - Yellowstuff 4000 Series. I may give these a try next, unless someone can confirm that the DP32137C pad is, in fact, acceptable for the X166 AMG vehicles.
So, in summary, Brembo Low-Met pads are “meh”; EBC Reds are good —at least on the front.
Hope this helps.
—Joe
Hi Joe -
Can you opine on why you noted that you were much happier with the front Reds? You hit the high points- squeal, longevity and dust. How do the reds stack up against the stock pads in those areas?
I am faced with needing to do pads in mine and I was hopeful that Akebono made their excellent Euro Ceramics for the GLS63. Alas, they do not. I'm hoping to fund a low dust, a-little-squeal-when-cold, long life option out there and possibly the reds are it...
One note on ebc redstuff. The "proper" brake-in as per the company is up to 1K miles. Considering these are ceramics, I assume that until fully broken-in, the stopping power a.k.a the initial byte when cold (as with all/most ceramics) is absent compared to stock which provide excellent cold initial byte after 15 minutes of brake-in procedure. As far as dust, look at this video:
One note on ebc redstuff. The "proper" brake-in as per the company is up to 1K miles. Considering these are ceramics, I assume that until fully broken-in, the stopping power a.k.a the initial byte when cold (as with all/most ceramics) is absent compared to stock which provide excellent cold initial byte after 15 minutes of brake-in procedure. As far as dust, look at this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yJxlP_bSprE (skip to 12 minutes unless you want to know how to replace front pads).
Not sure how long he used them for (admittedly I skipped around in the video a bit), but EBC notes that dust will fade with time (300-400 miles). From thier website:
EBC Redstuff is NOT recommended for track use and self beds during the first 100-150 miles of street driving. With new pads and especially when fitted with new rotors however drive cautiously for the first 300-400 miles during which time dust will reduce and the pads will feel better and better.
FWIW, I will give up significant amounts of initial bite for less dust (providing all else is equal, especially max braking force). I do not mind having to stand on the pedal one bit, but hate dust. JMHO.
Can you opine on why you noted that you were much happier with the front Reds? You hit the high points- squeal, longevity and dust. How do the reds stack up against the stock pads in those areas?
I am faced with needing to do pads in mine and I was hopeful that Akebono made their excellent Euro Ceramics for the GLS63. Alas, they do not. I'm hoping to fund a low dust, a-little-squeal-when-cold, long life option out there and possibly the reds are it...
Thanks!
@2DR Vette, I'm only part-way through my first set of EBC Red pads, so my opinion is hardly backed by statistics. Just want you to take my comments in context...
My priorities are: (1) long life, (2) low squeal, (3) low dust -- quite different from yours. I got about 15K miles from one set of OEM front pads. I currently have 18K miles on the Red pads and still have 6mm of pad material remaining, so I'm expecting 24-30K miles from these pads. That's significant for me.
I enjoyed watching the YouTube video posted by @threeMBs, but I'll note one thing. The torque value that he quoted for the caliper bracket mounting bolts (180 Nm) is different from the recommended value for our X166 vehicles (80 Nm + 45 deg angular throw) -- I just didn't want anyone to use the torque value from the video and possibly damage their brake system. However, the video is quite good to get a sense of the DIY procedure to change pads and rotors.
From the video, it's not at all apparent that the Red pads are better than OEM from a dust perspective. As they say, YMMV.
Last edited by joecparrish; Dec 10, 2021 at 02:02 AM.
Hi Joe. Do you have step by step instructions for the front by chance? TIA
Originally Posted by threeMBs
Yes the part about changing the pads is what I'm mostly interested in. It looks to me that front pads changing is much, much easier/faster and straight forward since calipers (unlike the rears) stay on. The only items to be removed are 2 disc brake pad pins, 1 clip and 1 caliper pin with its bolt. Oh and a wear sensor on the right side. So it seems that changing front pads on W166/X166 63AMGs is as easy as removing a wheel.
@threeMBs, when I next replace the front pads/rotors I will take proper photos and put together a DIY. At the rate that this vehicle is currently accumulating miles, that should happen sometime in the summer of 2022.
FWIW, you have almost all of the information you need to do the front pads/rotors if you simply augment my rear brake DIY instructions with the front brake-specific information from the video. The only information that I would add is these torque values:
1) The 13mm hex head bolt that secures the anti-rattle spring for the brake pads is 30 Nm.
2) The caliper bracket mounting bolts (21mm hex head bolts) are 80 Nm + 45 deg throw (vice 60 Nm + 45 deg throw for the rears) -- or 110 Nm if you use the caliper mounting bolts (10mm socket head cap screws) instead of the caliper bracket mounting bolts when you remove the calipers. Caliper removal is needed only if you're changing the rotors, as you noted.
Last edited by joecparrish; Dec 10, 2021 at 02:37 AM.
Joe, I think there is a typo in highlighted line above.
The part number of the 4 bolts included with all/most rear pads is 019-990-64-01.
In the drawing above, p/n 019-990-64-01 is #70 which is included with pads and is screwed into p/n 000-421-40-74 which is #100.
@threeMBs, thanks very much for catching my error. I've gone back to my original DIY post and made the correction. I've been using the Brembo rear pad kit -- which includes these bolts -- so I never had to acquire them using the M-B part numbers. I'm planning next to try either the EMC Red or Yellow pads in the rear, and they don't come with these bolts included -- so you've saved me some hassle in getting the wrong bolts. Much appreciated.
2) The caliper bracket mounting bolts (21mm hex head bolts) are 80 Nm + 45 deg throw (vice 60 Nm + 45 deg throw for the rears) -- or 110 Nm if you use the caliper mounting bolts (10mm socket head cap screws) instead of the caliper bracket mounting bolts when you remove the calipers.
Is there a preferable way of the two? It seems the second "method" (bolded) is the way to go (to avoid "45 degree throw", which I have no idea what it even means), but do we know why MB is "recommending" the first "method" (is precisely because of 45 degree throw so that the dealer gets the job instead of DIY)? In the video in post #13 above it was mentioned that there were alignment issues possibilities going with the second "method", but he said he uses it without any issues anyway). In a video below, at about 4:45, that is how the guy does it without mentioning any concerns:
Is there a preferable way of the two? It seems the second "method" (bolded) is the way to go (to avoid "45 degree throw", which I have no idea what it even means), but do we know why MB is "recommending" the first "method" (is precisely because of 45 degree throw so that the dealer gets the job instead of DIY)? In the video in post #13 above it was mentioned that there were alignment issues possibilities going with the second "method", but he said he uses it without any issues anyway). In a video below, at about 4:45, that is how the guy does it without mentioning any concerns: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4ewp9cxpBw
In summary, you can use either the M12 cap screws (10 mm hex drive) that secure the caliper body to the caliper body mounting bracket, or the M14 hex head bolts (21 mm socket) that secure the caliper body mounting bracket to the steering knuckle. The M12 cap screws offer easier access and geometry to apply torque, but they require more careful technique to avoid binding as their clearance holes are tighter than normal. If you decide to use the M12 cap screws, proper technique is to loosen the first screw enough to release clamping pressure, but leave it threaded in. Then you can loosen and completely remove the second cap screw, returning to the first screw for final removal. This technique is used in the second video that you posted.
As regards the 45 agree throw, it's not complicated. Simply achieve the specified torque (80 Nm for the front, 60 Nm for the rear), then continue turning the bolt 45 degrees without regard to torque. I will tell you that the torque required to achieve that 45 degree throw is large, and I am unable to achieve it using just arm muscle power when the vehicle is on jack stands. If I had a lift and could stand underneath the vehicle and deliver full body muscle power--maybe. Instead, I have to hit a combination wrench multiple times with a dead blow hammer in order to get the 45 deg throw, and it's neither fun nor is it in the spirit of what the engineers wanted when they specified the 45 deg throw--they wanted smoothly-applied torque without big spikes.
Hope this helps
--Joe
Last edited by joecparrish; Dec 12, 2021 at 01:49 PM.
If you decide to use the M12 cap screws, proper technique is to loosen the first screw enough to release clamping pressure, but leave it threaded in. Then you can loosen and completely remove the second cap screw, returning to the first screw for final removal.
--Joe
Yes that is exactly how I remove wheels' bolts - release clamping force one by one, then when all clamping force is released remove one at a time. I guess I got "scared" by "alignment issues" mention in the video, by MB's "recommendation" of removing and replacing M14 rear bolts, and by the fact that the Brembo front AMG calipers I ordered from MB came-in already mounted (caliper to its bracket, making one to use M14 rear bolts).
I’m still trying to figure out the part number nomenclature to get the correct EBC Red pads for the rear. The logical part number is DP32137C, but this part is not shown as being compatible in the part finder tool on the EBC Brakes website. The next closest pad that does show up in the EBC part finder is the DP42137R - Yellowstuff 4000 Series. I may give these a try next, unless someone can confirm that the DP32137C pad is, in fact, acceptable for the X166 AMG vehicles.
—Joe
In case it's helpful, I called EBC today and they confirmed that front part number for the reds and gave me this for the red rears: DP32137C. I'm ordering those and the DP31939C (fronts) and will get them put on here shortly. I'll post with initial thoughts when I have them.
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