Hey guys,

I am really confused on which rotors to order since I am not sure if my car has the AMG sport package. I used the lastvin.com and decoded my vin and it showed I have the P31 AMG sport package. But here is my issues, i do not have airmatic suspension. So is it possible to get the AMG package without the air suspension? Also, if I have the p31 AMG sport package, is that mean I need to order the bigger rotor? The 350mm vs the 330mm?

If anyone can give me any help, that will be awesome

 

Post up a photo of your wheels/brakes.

 

Thank you

 

There are a few things you can do. First you can take off the wheel and measure the rotor diameter. And at the same time you can check the part number stamped on the rotor hub. Also you can use your VIN to check the stock rotor for this specific vehicle in the EPC (I can help you with that if you share the VIN with me).

 

Here is my VIN

4JGDA2EB9DA261322

Can you please check for me?

​​​​

 

Here are the part numbers that come with your vehicle.

Front brake rotors: 1664211500 (it's actually the 350mm drilled rotor)
Front brake pads: 0004209600
Rear brake rotors: 1664230600
Rear brake pads: 0074207720

There might be updates on the part number, but you can certainly find it out with the part numbers indicated here. Let me know if you need anything else.

 

Based on the VIN, fronts are 1664211500 and rears are 1664230600.

 

You are the best! I have one more question. I am having issue with my front passenger side caliper. I ordered an used caliper from ebay. Is there two different type caliper for 350 and 330 mm rotors? or they both share the same caliper. It looks identical in the picture.

The caliper I ordered from ebay is off from this vehicle, VIN is

4JGDA5HB7FA446484

Caliper

Year: 15
Model: MERCEDES ML SERIES
Mileage: 45000
VIN: 4JGDA5HB7FA446484
Car info: EXT GRAY (755U) INT BLACK (101A)
Additional notes: 166 Type, Front, Ml350, Base,

Man i really hope it fit Otherwise i may have to return it

Thank you for doing all these checking for me

 

The caliper on your vehicle is 1664210581 for the left and 1664210681 for the right. The caliper you bought should be 1664210181(left) or 1664210281(right). You can check the part number on the calipers. They should be stamped.
Based on my findings they are DIFFERENT. The ones on your vehicle are for AMG package and the one you found is for non-AMG package.

 

Damn. Thank you very much. I guess i try to source another caliper

 

What's wrong with your current caliper? I see some fluid so I assume it's leaking? You first need to find the source of the leakage it might be the flexible hose. If the caliper is leaking, most of time the caliper can be repaired or rebuilt it's a relatively simple procedure. You only need to find the rebuild kit. There are lots of sources for the rebuild kit for example this one.
https://www.onlinecarparts.co.uk/spa...t/bd-w166.html

 

My inner pad worn out a lot more than my outter par. Also my inner pad wasn't wearing evently. I suspect either the sliding pin was seized or the piston was not retract probably. On top of that, i broke the brake sensor screw. I don't think i can drill it out the screw. So basically, it fukked. I found another used caliper on ebay, i think i will give a shot

 

Those are all easily repairable stuffs. The sliding pin can be easily cleaned and lubricated to restore sliding. You might need to replace the rubber sleeve of it if it's torn but that's very simple as well. The piston can be tested and inspected. You just need to press the brake pedal a couple times to push the piston out about 10mm or so to do a good inspection. If there's any rust on the piston get it sanded off. You can replace the pistons and sealing rings if you get the rebuild kit as well. The sensor screw might be a little tricky but it's not difficult either. It's a M6x1.0 screw so you can drill it out with a 3/16 inch drill bit (Theoretically you should use the 5mm bit but the 3/16 bit is slightly smaller than 5mm so it's easier to control). If you align and position it good enough you can get it done with one shot, while if you happen to damage some thread you can still put a new screw in.

The uneven wear is not likely caused by caliper usually, but an unclean caliper bracket that the pads sit on. Usually when brake dust accumulate on the bracket the pads get stuck on it making the uneven wear. You need to do a really good cleaning job when replacing the pads, basically use a really hard wire brush (stainless steel or brass) to brush all brake dust off the caliper and bracket. Then you need to apply a thin layer of brake lubricant to the contact point between the pad backplate and the bracket (DO NOT apply to pad face). Most cheap shops don't do this when replacing pads, which eventually cause the pads to stuck.

If you really want to replace the caliper, you need to replace by pair otherwise you might end up with the car pulling to one side when braking. At least you need to rebuild the one on the other side to bring the performance of the two close. Given the description I would vote against replacing the caliper but you know your own car better.

 

You know what, I think your advice makes a lot more sense than my panic thoughts LOL. I cancelled my ebay order for the new caliper and decided to drill out the bolt again on my next set of days off. I will take a better look in the caliper and see how the condition are. I never really mess around with the caliper before,but changed numeours of pads and rotors. This is my first time ever see uneven brake worn . I will take more pictures once I open up the caliper again. Thank you for your help

 

Be honest I have replaced brake pads and rotors for more than 20 times, with probably 1/3 of those showing abnormal pad wear. All of them are caused by uncleaned guide rail or pin. The design is different among different manufacturers but the idea is the same. I have never seen a caliper going bad under normal driving condition. Only had a couple times the piston were a little rusted on the top and sanded them off. It's hard to break calipers unless you put water into the brake fluid and not replacing the brake fluid for 20 years. One extreme example I remember was a Toyota that 1 of the 2 caliper guide pins got stuck in the bracket that I couldn't get it out by any means, which resulted in the replacement of the bracket.

A few tips: 1 wear face mask when cleaning the caliper/bracket. The brake dust will make your nose full of shlt and is harmful to your lung. Have brake cleaner handy and spray down at the end. 2 Use the wire brush to clean rust on the hub, and apply copper grease between the hub and rotor, as well as between rotor and wheel. This will make it easier when you replace it next time. 3 When you drill the bolt hole: Try to jack up the whole front of the car and turn the wheel to the opposite side all the way. I guess this should give you good workspace to drill while the caliper is still installed on the bracket. Might not work, just a thought.

 

Still cant drill it out. So tired of this little ***** bolt!!

 

Are you using the correct drill bit? The bolt is made of steel and you will need either a titanium coated bit or a cobalt bit to drill it. Keep an eye on the condition of the drill bit as it dulls pretty fast. Normally if the bit is in good condition you should see metal shavings coming off like a burst. If you barely see metal shavings coming off the drilling site you are not using the correct drill bit.

 

I don't think i have the correct drill bit i barley see any metal sheving. I think i am gonna go to auto part store to pick up some new drill bits

 

Lowe's and Home depot have more product to choose from. Also you can pick up a bolt extractor and try it first before drilling it through.

 

I got a new set of drill bit, still no go. Damnnnn why this is so difficult. Now i just want to pay somebody and drill it out for me

 

Buy some decent COBALT Drills. More expensive, yes! You will thank yourself soon enough. Most Titanium are offshore junk.....

 

Ok here is the update. I still cannot drill it out the broken bolt. I Spoke with my mechanic, he said he will do it for free if he get it out for his first try Got the appointment setup on the coming Thursday. I am still debating if I should go buy more drill bit, like the cobalt drill bits that was suggested. My new titanium drill bits can't do ****. The good news is my uneven inner pad wear seems got better from last time after I cleaned up the brake pad track and lubricated the track and sliding pins. I also carefully inspected the caliper too this time. No leaking on the caliper, rubber condition was in a great shape except 1 tiny cut on the rubber, approximately 5mm in length. I don't think I have too much concern for the cut on the rubber at this time. I zip tied my caliper sensor now, it doesn't cause any issue. I drove approximately 1000km now, and the sensor still stay at the same place.

Whenever I sand it down my caliper, I noticed a stamp on my caliper is 4893 RH. Then I looked at the pictures that the caliper I ordered, it has the same part stamps. My caliper should be in here tomorrow. I am still debating if I should do a quick swap. The only concerns I have is, the caliper I ordered does not have the same part number that my car came with. But the thing is regardless the 330mm or 350mm rotors, AMG or non amg sport package, it still use the same size/part for the brake pads, which leads me to believe the caliper are the same.

 

You can compare the diameter of the pistons. If the diameter of the pistons are the same then you can swap. Physically the hydraulic system works in the way that you apply a hydraulic pressure and then the pressure pushes the piston with a force calculated as F=p*S where S is the surface of the piston, and it's only relevant to the diameter(or radius). Larger pistons give higher force due to the above equation, that's one of the reason why the AMG caliper gives better performance.

Basically as long as you can make sure the sensor wire doesn't get caught during driving, you can go without that bolt. It's perfectly optional and there's really no need to mess up with the caliper replacement just because of this bolt.
By the way, just to make sure you are aware, if you swap the caliper you will need to do bleeding, so make sure you have the proper brake fluid on hand and prepared for the bleeding. You can go with a power bleeding kit, or use a two-person method. MB uses the DOT4 plus fluid. It can be mixed with any DOT4 fluid but we usually don't do that. The MB brake fluid is not very expensive.

 

Thanks for your help buddy! Here is the update! My buddy helped me out drill out the bolt. I am so happy. He used his cobalt drill to drill it out and then used a tap screw set to make new threads for my caliper bolt holder.




It just a relieve feeling when the broken bolt was drilled out. The sad thing is my buddy broke his Snap On cobalt drill bits


Here is the broken bolt !!! Hate this damn thing!

I ordered some new pads and rotors. Once they all show up, I will sand my caliper down and probably put some rust paint on it before I install the new pads and rotors. I am so happy I got this all sort it out.

Thank you geniushanbiao for all your help.

 

Sorry to resurrect this thread, but I have a question as well regarding the rotors on my 2013 ML350 Bluetec. Is it the 330mm or the 350mm? My VIN = 4JGDA2EB4DA231578

I'm due to change the rotors and pads all around soon and I don't have access to EPC (or where to find it). Thank you in advance!