TheOgre

On an ML430, what should the average lifespan of a full brake job, including discs run?

I had mine done at 55K miles and now we are right at 70K and the brake service light is coming on again.

Should I not expect to get more miles than 15K on a brake job?

If the factory brakes suck that bad, what alternative should I be looking at?

mihir_d

OEM front brake pads on my ML320 last me 20K miles, and I do 60% highway 40% city driving. I guess the heavier V8 of the ML430 will reduce the brake pad life further.

The factory brakes don't suck. In fact it is because they are good, they last so less. The softer the brake pad material, the better the braking, the lesser the pad life.

OEM Front pads don't cost more than $75 or so if you can DIY the job, its not that bad, and believe me, the pads are real easy to replace.

I needed new rotors (full brake job on all 4 wheels) at about 75K miles and should be expecting the next one at around 150K miles. If you DIY the whole brake job (like me), it'll run you about $400 - again not that bad for once every 5 years.

It gets pricy when you get it done at the dealer - around $300 for pad replacement (fronts or rears) and $1200 for the full brake job.

AndrewAZ

Get after market pads and rotors. Do a search for brakes in the ML section and a lot of people have good recommendations, I am going to say about 90% of the people who do a DIY brake job end up with Brembro rotors.. I cant think of the type of pads people are putting on off the top of my head.

mihir_d

and Mintex is the OEM supplier for the pads. You can purchase both from tirerack.com at reasonable prices..

When I did my full brake job last summer, I switched to the above combination and am extremely happy with the results. I will be up for the front pads next summer (2 years)...and am looking forward to replace them with Mintex pads again..

straightSIX

Pagid, jurid and ate, but no Mintex